Distance Education for Elementary Schools Self- Instructional Materials

Department of Education BUREAU OF ELEMENTARY EDUCATION

2ND Floor Bonifacio Building DepEd Complex, Meralco Avenue

Pasig City 2010

FORMING PLURAL OF IRREGULAR NOUNS

English 5

1

GRADE V

FORMING PLURAL OF IRREGULAR NOUNS

I bet a kid like you loves puppets? Right? That’s the reason why I believe you’ll always remember our dear friend NOUN.

NOUN – is the name of any PAPET. P erson A nimal P lace E vent T hing Today, I wish to know you better. Let’s talk about you. Let’s

talk about others too. Come travel again with our dear friend NOUN!

In this module you will learn the following:

• Form the plural of irregular nouns • Use plural form of nouns in talking about oneself/others • Identify oneself with a character in the story

You may start now, Good luck in your new adventure!

GETTING STARTED

2

A. Read the paragraph below and write the nouns that you will come

across. Write them only once. Do this in your notebook.

MAYA THE BIRD AND TAHONG THE MUSSEL Tahong, the mussel, was opening its shell to bask in the sun when

Maya, the bird, pecked at it. Tahong, the mussel, was quick. It clamped down Maya’s beak and held it fast.

“If it doesn’t rain today or tomorrow,” said Maya, “there will be a dead mussel lying here.”

“If you can’t pry loose today or tomorrow,” retorted Tahong, “there will be a dead bird here, too.”

As neither of them would give way, a passing fisherman caught them both.

You should have spotted at least eight nouns. Did you? Of course you did! Good job!

Review Time

3

A way to go! Read and study the poem below.

FUNNY LANGUAGE We’ll begin with box, the plural is boxes But the plural of ox should be oxen not oxes One fowl is a goose, but two are called geese Yet the plural of moose could never be meese. You may find a lone mouse, or a whole rest of mice But the plural of house is houses, not hice If the plural of man should always be men Why is the plural of pan, pans and not pen? The cow in the plural maybe called cows or kine But the plural of vow is vows never vine If I speak at a foot and you show your two feet When I give you a boot, will a pair be called beet? If one is a tooth and a whole set are teeth Why is the plural of booth called booths not beeth? We speak of brother, make it two becomes brethren But though we say mother, we never say methren. Is it true that English can confuse you and me? I would love to discover the farther side of thee Learning the language would be fun, you will see We’ll deal with English as funny as can be.

Adapted Building Bridges Through Communication 5 pp. 74 - 75

Study Time

4

Now you may group the nouns you see in the poem according to how they form their plural. The first one is done for you. Most nouns form their plural by adding s or –es. Just like the nouns you have listed in Box A. How are the nouns listed in Box B different from the nouns in Box A? The nouns in Box B form their plural by changing their spelling. They are called irregular nouns. B. How well do you know yourself? In your notebook write a

paragraph about yourself using plural form of nouns. Choose a child from your neighborhood and talk to him/her about what you have written.

A by adding –s or –es

1. box - boxes

B by changing spelling

5

C. Now that you are more familiar with yourself. I bet you’re ready to relate with the lead character of the story below. Move on young learner.

THE BOY WHO WOULDN’T GO TO SCHOOL

“But I don’t want to go to school” Hans cried. “I like everything

just the way it is.” Young Hans was blessed with loving parents. Although his

parents were poor – a shoemaker and a washerwoman – they did the best that they could for their son. They spent long hours telling him stories and even saved to take him to theater. Hans dreamt of becoming a famous actor. That was all he could think of.

One day, off to school he went. On the first day of school, Hans was fascinated by the clock. He

watched it all day. Finally the teacher came cross with him. That night Hans said, “I don’t like that school. Don’t send me back!”

So his parents found him another school then another, and another, but none of them pleased him so he decided never to go to school anymore.

About that time, Hans’ father died. He needed to work to help his mother make a living.

Hans worked in a factory where people came to like him because he would always sing and tell them stories. He sang for the rich men in their place too.

Soon, they arranged for him to meet the king hoping that the king would send Hans to a good school to be a better singer.

But Hans still wanted nothing to do with school. He just wanted to be famous. He acted for the king but the king wasn’t pleased with his acting. The king told Hans that he should go back to his job.

About that time, he didn’t want to go back to his job nor to school. He decided to make himself famous in the big city. So off to the city, he went.

He thought he knew how to become famous “First you suffer terrible things,” he said. “Then you get to be famous.”

6

For years, he did suffer terrible things. He tried to act, dance and write poems to become famous but success was no where to be found. Finally, some friends told him that he should go back to school.

Back to school? Now that he’s seventeen? Why should he go back to school and be laughed at in second grade? Surely he was too smart for that.

Well, right then and there, Hans proved that he really was smart by going to school! It wasn’t easy. He was taller than his teacher. Every one made fun of him. But at last he passed his university examination.

And if you’ve ever read “The Ugly Duckling”, “The Little Mermaid”, or “The Emperor’s New Clothes”, you know that Hans Christian Andersen did learn to write. And he had become famous, too, just as he had hoped.

Adapted and Condensed Across Borders Through Reading pp. 4 – 5 1. Whose life is talked about in the story? 2. What difficulties did he suffer as a child? 3. What was Hans’ goal in his life? 4. How did he try to reach his goal? What traits helped him? 5. Do you also have a goal in life? How do you intend to reach

your goal? What character traits do you need to succeed in your goal?

7

• Identify yourself with Hans by making a Venn diagram to compare your similarities and differences. Do this in your notebook.

If you were Hans, would you also follow your friends’ advice to go back to school? Why?

S I

M I L A R I T I E S

HANS MYSELF

8

A. Study the picture below. Complete the paragraph by filling in the

blank with the correct form of plural nouns. Make a list of the nouns in your notebook.

From the Castle’s Tower

Practice Time

• Irregular nouns form their plural by changing their spelling

• We can identify ourselves with a character in the story by finding how we are similar and different from the character.

9

An eleven-year old prince is looking down from the castle’s tower. He would love to go down and join the festivities at the carnival but the queen said he must stay inside the castle.

He envies the _____ holding colorful balloons. He watches eagerly as the clown bends and touches his _____ from behind. A group of _____ are playing cards near the candy store.

He delights at the sight of animals he rarely sees in cages. He sees four white _____. A magician holds a cage with three little _____ in it. Fenced at the right side are five red _____ dressed and adorned with colored paper.

The prince smiled with all his _____ out. “Oh, if only the queen didn’t tell me to stay,” he sighs excitedly.

The prince dreams that someday he’ll be a part of the merry-making at the carnival.

B. Answer the questions below. Write your answers in your notebook.

1. What positive trait does the prince display in the story? 2. Can you relate yourself to the prince’s condition? How? 3. If you were the prince, would you go down to the carnival

despite the queen’s order to stay inside the castle? Why and why not?

4. Do you also possess the positive trait that is displayed by the prince in the story? Sight an instance to prove your answer.

5. Do you think the prince did the right thing? Why? Why not?

C. Think of your favorite Filipino hero. Talk with your younger brother and sister about the hero you chose using plural nouns.

10

A. Fill in the crossword puzzle with the plural form of each noun. Do it in your notebook.

DOWN ACROSS

1 brother 4 woman 2 child 5 mouse 3 foot 7 tooth 6 man 9 ox 8 hoof 10 goose

Test Yourself

10

1

4 2 3

5

7

6

8

9

11

B. Try to interview a street child. Listen to his story. List ways in which you are similar with him/her. In what ways do you differ? Write the answers to the questions in your notebook.

1. What does a street child wear? 2. Where does he/she get his/her food? 3. Where does he/she sleep? 4. What does he/she dream of becoming someday? 5. What brought him/her to the streets? 6. If you were a street child, what would you feel? How would

you struggle to earn a living?

C. Talk to your best friend and share your experience about your encounter with a street child. Talk of how lucky both of you are for the things that you enjoy. Use plural form of nouns in your conversation.

Congratulations! You can now proceed to the next module. Way to go kid!

12

Key to Corrections

REVIEW TIME

You should have spotted the following nouns. Maya shell Bird beak Tahong sun Mussel fisherman

STUDY TIME

A B 1. box – boxes 1. ox – oxen 2. moose – mooses 2. goose – geese 3. house – houses 3. mouse – mice 4. pan – pans 4. man – men 5. vow – vows 5. cow – cows, kine 6. boot – boots 6. foot – feet 7. booth – booths 7. tooth – teeth 8. mother – mothers 8. brother – brethren

The Boy Who Wouldn’t Go To School

1. Hans Christian Andersen’s life is talked about in the story. 2. His father passed away when he was young. He had to work to help

his mother earn a living. He sang, dance and acted to entertain people but he wasn’t successful.

3. Hans goal in life is to become famous. 4. He tried to act, dance and write poems. His strong determination to

realize his dreams pushed him to go back to school which paved the way to the realization of his dreams.

5. Yes, I intend to reach my goal by studying well. I need to be patient and persevering to realize my dream.

If I were Hans, I would follow my friends’ advice to go back to school. Going back to school would make me a better person. I can find good jobs if I am educated.

13

PRACTICE TIME

A. 1. children 5. mice 2. feet 6. oxen 3. men 7. teeth

4. geese

B

1. The prince is an obedient child. 2. Yes, There are things I want to do but since mother prohibits them, I

obey her and don’t do those things. 3. I wouldn’t go down to the carnival because mother told me not to go.

I know that mother is just protecting me. 4. Yes, I am an obedient child. (Give a situation when you have obeyed

your parents.) 5. He did the right thing. Our parents always think of our sake and the

queen must have had a valid reason for prohibiting him from going down.

6. Talking to your younger brother and sister about your favorite hero using plural nouns.

TEST YOURSELF

A

DOWN ACROSS 1 brethren 4 women 2 children 5 mice 3 feet 7 teeth 6 men 9 oxen 8 hooves 10 geese

14

B

1. A street child wears torn and dirty clothes. 2. He asks for alms from passers by to have food. 3. He sleeps on the sidewalks. 4. He dreams of having a home, decent clothes and to eat on time. 5. (Unfortunate events) 6. I would feel lonely. I will perhaps sell flowers or candles until I have

enough money to go to school.

C

I am lucky that I have a home to shelter me from the sun and rain. I have a bed to rest. I eat clean food and drink water. I also have fine clothes. I can study I am very lucky and blessed.