英语讲义【38】麻烦的复数名词
<p> 最近读了一则读者之声，英文写得很好，用字也很贴切；但是其中有个小错误，就是把复数的名词误以为单数，结果动词也不对应了。</p><p> 现在把这句话录下：</p><p> <span word="Another">Another</span> <span word="option">option</span> <span word="is">is</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="prevent">prevent</span> <span word="pneumonia">pneumonia</span> <span word="in">in</span> <span word="susceptible">susceptible</span> <span word="individuals">individuals</span> <span word="by">by</span> <span word="vaccination">vaccination</span> <span word="against">against</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="pneumococcal">pneumococcal</span> <span word="bacteria">bacteria</span>, <span word="which">which</span> <span word="is">is</span> <span word="a">a</span> <span word="common">common</span> <span word="cause">cause</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="pneumonia">pneumonia</span>.</p><p> 英语的<span word="bacteria">bacteria</span>（细菌）是个复数名词，单数是 <span word="bacterium">bacterium</span>。既然如此，后头形容词分句里的动词应该是<span word="which">which</span> <span word="are">are</span>才是。</p><p> 这个错误的根源，就是复数名词<span word="bacteria">bacteria</span>引起的；这类麻烦的复数名词就是本文的主题。</p><p> 大家知道，英语名词有单数和复数之分。通常名词后头有-<span word="s">s</span> 或-<span word="es">es</span>的是复数，但是不是所有的名词都如此。许多外来词，特别是技术专有名词，是多彩多姿的，其复数形式并不加-<span word="s">s</span>或 -<span word="es">es</span>。下面便是些常见的例子：</p><p> ㈠外来词及其原有的复数形式，如：</p><p> ① <span word="agendum">agendum</span>: <span word="agenda">agenda</span>; ② <span word="datum">datum</span>: <span word="data">data</span>; ③ <span word="analysis">analysis</span>: <span word="analyses">analyses</span>; ④ <span word="criterion">criterion</span>: <span word="criteria">criteria</span>; ⑤ <span word="phenomenon">phenomenon</span>: <span word="phenomena">phenomena</span>; ⑥ <span word="basis">basis</span>: <span word="bases">bases</span>.</p><p> ㈡外来词原有的复数或英语复数，如：</p><p> ① <span word="curriculum">curriculum</span>: <span word="curricula">curricula</span>/ <span word="curriculums">curriculums</span>; ② <span word="formula">formula</span>: <span word="formulae">formulae</span>/ <span word="formulas">formulas</span>; ③ <span word="index">index</span>: <span word="indices">indices</span>/ <span word="indexes">indexes</span>; ④ <span word="terminus">terminus</span>: <span word="termini">termini</span>/ <span word="terminuses">terminuses</span>.</p><p> ㈢有些名词只有复数而没有单数，如：</p>
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