ERGÄNZUNGSSTUDIUM TECHNISCHES ENGLISCH
Lecturer: Doris Storrer
Singular or Plural? Differences to the German language
The following expressions are always used in the plural:
All aircraft were shot down. (Alle Flugzeuge)
In a dramatic operation, the spacecraft were brought back to their original orbit.
The cattle are on the way to the slaughterhouse. Das Vieh ist ... The contents of the bottles vere not insured. Der Inhalt war ...
However: Content means "Gehalt, Fassungsvermögen". Ex.: The gold content of a coin; the sulphur content of coal. Figuratively: The content of a speech, article, play, proposal.
The police have not yet found the murderer. die Polizei hat noch nicht
ashes: He carried the ashes from the cellar to the alley. If smaller quantities are meant, ash is preferred: This cigar leaves little ash. Don't drop your cigarette ash on the floor. Remove the ash(es) from the stove every day. Figuratively: always ashes. We are all ashes and dust. Peace to his ashes.
Damages - Schadenersatz. Mr. Brown was awarded 500 pounds damages for the injury he suffered from his motorcycle accident. Damage:- Schaden. Did your house suffer much damage in the recent floods?
Words that consist of twa equal parts are also used in the plural:
tongs Zange pincers Kneifzange pliers Drahtzange scissors chere scales Waage spectacles (glasses) Brille
Such vermin as bugs and rats are hard to get rid of. Ungeziefer, wie Wanzen und Ratten
Folk - North-country folk are neither dull-witted nor humourless; they just think and talk and joke at a different tempo than the southerners.
Note: apart from folk, there is the colloquial plural folks meaning "one's relatives, family, good friends." Ex.: I'm expecting my folks for Christmas. The old folks at home.
For "collective nouns"' plural is used when the "group" is not meant as a whole, but as the sum of its members: Ex.:
The Post 0ffice/Governnent say they've got emergency plans. Die Post/Regierung sagt
Head 0ffice have promised us ... die Zentrale hat uns versprochen
Our staff are working almost round the clock. unser Personal
arbeitet
Spain have never won the Wond Cup. Spanien hat noch nie gewonnen
However, if the "group" is meant as a whole unit, singular is used:
Ex: It was the Scots who invented the whiskey. It was the Germans who started World War II. It is you who have to take care of it and not me. It was them who were responsible for what happened and not us.
The following measurements are used in the plural with.out adding an ~ with a noun following immediately; however with an "5" in structures with "of" or when the relative nouns are solitary nouns:
dozen, hundred, thousand, million, billion, trillion
Ex.: a dozen eggs; how many dozen do you require? some dozen people (i.e. about a dozen); some dozen. of people (several dozen); pack them in dozens;
a hundred men; many hundreds of men;
the town has two million inhabitants; he inherited a fortune in the millions;
a few billion stars; billions of stars.
Although the following expressions are meant in the plural, the verb is in the singular
The United States/Unites Nations seems to be unable to solve the problems in Somalia.
This information is strictly confidential. diese Informationen sind streng geheim
Examination of this data reveals some interesting facts.The data is rather meagre. Is that all the data we have? Sind das alle Daten ...
This particular bacteria is harmless. A new bacteria has appeared. Diese Bakterien sind..
Five dollars/pounds/gallons is not enough. sind nicht genug It was five pounds I lent to hirn, and 1 haven't got it back, yet. (Note that is is also possible to use the plural here when the individual bank notes or coins etc. are meant:
Ex.: There were five pounds (f ive individual pound notes> lying on the street and 1 picked them up.
Barracks: The barracks is on the outskirts of the town. This is
the barracks of Britain's most famous regiment. He is living in a
barracks. (Kaserne)
Bellows (Blasebalg): We only have one (pair of) bellows left in stock. A bellows is very useful for garden barbecue.
Crossroads: She was standing on a crossroads. This crossroads is very dangerous.
News. This is good news. What's the latest news? Yesterday I heard an interesting piece of news. This is most welcome news.
Works. In the meaning of "Fabrik, Werk", the word is used in the singular.Ex.: A gasworks is on the outskirts of town. When it is in full production, this works will be employing 1600 people. The glassworks is near the station. Our printing works is based in the basement. Works: Kunstwerk, literarischer Werk: the works of Shaw. A great works of art.
Note that work means "Arbeiten" and is used in the plural. Are these all the work I have to do today? A clerk does his work in an office. I have work to do in the attic.
The following "uncountable nouns"in the En~ish language re,~pire the singular form of the verb although they are "countable nouns" in the German language:
food Lebensmittel machinery Maschinen
(anlage)
furniture Möbel merchandise Ware(n)
lace Spitze(n) produce Erzeugnis (se)
advice Rat (schläge) business Geschäfte
evidence Beweis(e) experience Erfahrung(en)
interest Zinsen knowledge Kenntnis (se)
poetry Gedichte progress Fortschritt(e)
remorse Gewissensbisse strength Kraft (Kräfte)
work Arbeit(en) damage Schaden
(Schäden)
Examples: My advice to you is as follows: I was in Manchester on business. There isn't enough evidence to decide on the matter. I'm afraid his experience is not enough for this job. Do you have any experience in this kind of work? What is the interest on this loan? My knowledge of English is not too good. He has made great progress in learning English. Do you think he will feel remorse?
However some of these expressions also have another meaning and then belong to the countable nouns:
Advices (Nachrichten): late advices from Paris
Businesses (Firmen): he has several businesses all over Europe
Evidences (Spur, Anzeichen) :evidences of volcanic action
Experiences (Erlebnis(se)): Please tell us about your experiences in Russia. He had a lot of experiences (sexual ones) in his younger days.
Interests (Interessen): That child has no interests at all.
Nouns with the suffix "ics" mostly mean a certain field or area as well as the relative concrete activities in this field ar area. If the field or area is meant, those nouns are used in the singular with their corresponding structure. If, however, they signify practical activities or properties, they are used in the plural.
Acoustics: acoustics deals with sounds. The acoustics here in the building have been improved lately.
Athletics: athletics is recommended for every student.
Our athletics include football and basketball. Athletics were held every Wednesday.
Ceramics: Ceramics is an art that has been revived recently. The ceramics they exhibit are really worth boking at.
Economics: Economics is not part of this school's curriculum. Economics affects everybody, because it deals with the way goods and services are sold and bought.
The economics of cattle-breeding have changed during the past 50 years. The economics of school TV arc in fact hard to work out.
Electronics: Electronics is a branch of physics.
The electronics of this new generation of computers are so complicated that only few people will understand them.
Ethics: His ethics is unique (seine ethische Philosophie). His ethics are peculiar (seine ethischen Grundsätze, Handlungen)
Mathematics: Mathematics deals with numbers and is divided into pure mathematics and applied mathematics.
His mathematics are weak. What are his mathematias like?
Mechanics: Mechanics is subdivided into statics and dynamics. Now that satellites are a standard means of investigation, the mechanics of the general circulation of the atmosphere are better understood.
Politics: Politics is the art of government. Politics is not a career for weak men. American politics arc not easily understood by the average Englishman. What arc his politics?
Further nouns which are of singular structure as a science, field,or area:
aeronautics, ballistics, dramatics, dynamics, genetics, hydraulics, logistics, metaphsics1 metrics, obs~etirics, optics, semantics, statics, therapeutics, ultrasonics.
Singular or plural? Please put in the correct form of the verb:
Sentences for translation
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