Ending - s can be added to the infinitive of a verb to form the form 3 l., singular. or to a noun to form the form plural.

Formation -s forms

1. Adding an ending to the infinitive of a verb or noun - s.

2. Addition to an infinitive or a noun ending in - s, -ss, -sh, -ch, -tch, -x, -z, -zz(hissing, whistling consonants) endings - es.

a dress – dresses (dress – dresses)
a witch – witches (witch – witches)
to kiss – kisses (kiss – kisses)
to push – pushes (push – pushes)

3. Addition to a word ending in - y: y is replaced by i and the ending is added - es:

a puppy – puppies (puppy – puppies)
to fly – flies (fly – flies)

If before y there is a vowel, then y is preserved, and is added to the word - s :

to play – plays (play – plays)
a toy – toys (toy – toys)

4. Words ending in - O :

a. Verbs to go, to do take the 3rd person singular ending - es :

to go – goes (to walk – walks)
to do – does (do – does)

b. Nouns also in most cases add - es :

a potato – potatoes (potatoes – potatoes)
a tomato – tomatoes (tomato – tomatoes)

5. Nouns ending in - f or - fe form the plural by changing f on v and adding the ending - es :

and wife – wives (wife – wives)
a shelf – shelves (shelf - shelves)
a leaf – leaves (leaf – leaves)

Exceptions:

a chief – chiefs (chief – chiefs)
a handkerchief – handkerchiefs (handkerchief – handkerchiefs)
a roof – roofs (roof – roofs)
a safe – safes (safe – safes)

Reading ending -s

1. After voiced consonants and vowels – [z]:

to read – reads [ r J dz ] (read – reads)
to see – sees [ s J z ] (see – sees)

2. After dull sounds – [s]:

to work – works [ w W ks ] (work – works)
a bolt – bolts [ b P lts ] (bolt - bolts)

3. After ss, ch, sh, x(i.e. hissing or whistling consonant sounds) –

to pass – passes (to pass – passes)
to teach – teaches (train – teaches)
a dress – dresses (dress – dresses)

Note. How to pronounce the 3rd person singular ending of verbs ending in silent e preceded by a letter s, With or g: I rise-he rises.

4. The verbs to go, to do in the 3rd person singular are read as follows:

to go – goes [ g Eu z ]
to do – does [d A z]

These are actually all the endings that appear in it. Unlike the Russian language, which is rich in various endings. Due to the fact that there are only three endings in English, their use is found everywhere: in verbs, nouns, adjectives, gerunds, and participles. Let's take a closer look at each of the endings and identify the most common cases of their use.

Ending s in English language

So, the ending -s in English (also -es) is used in the following cases:

The plural of nouns is formed by adding the ending -s to the noun:

cat - cats;
table - tables;
disk - disks;
window - windows.

If a noun ends in -ss, -x, -z, -ch, -sh or -o, then the ending -es is added:

fox - foxes;
bush - bushes;
potato - potatoes
dress - dresses.

However, nouns borrowed from other languages and ending in –o add the ending -s:

photo – photos;
piano - pianos.

The ending - s in English (also - es) is used when using verbs in the third person singular in the Present Simple (for he, she, it):

I play - he plays;
We go - she goes;
They see - it sees;

This ending is also used to form possessive case nouns, which are written with an apostrophe:

my mother’s coat - my mother’s coat;
brother's cup - brother's cup;
Susan's sister - Suzanne's sister.

If the noun is plural or ends in -s, we put only an apostrophe after it:

his parents’ anniversary - the anniversary of his parents;
students’ books - students’ books;
Lucas' wife - Lucas' wife.

The ending ed in English

When do you use the ending ed in English?

If the verb is used in the Past Simple and it is correct, you must add the ending - ed to it:

She waited for the concert yesterday. - She watched the concert yesterday.
He looked for it two days ago. - He was looking for him two days ago.
I borrowed this dress from a friend. - I borrowed this dress from a friend.

This ending is also used when we are talking about the third form of the regular verb (past participle) in Perfect tenses:

She has learned English since she was 5.
The snow had stopped when we arrived.
I will have dressed the baby by 10 a.m.

A verb ending in -ed is sometimes translated as an adjective (which? which? which?)

folded T-shirt - folded T-shirt;
blessed marriage - blessed marriage;
opened door - open door.

Always look to see if such a word is followed by a noun in order to know which part of speech is more correct to translate the verb with the ending; ed.

The ending ing in English

In what cases is the ending ing used in English?

If we are talking about the fourth form of the verb (or present participle) - tenses of the Continuous group:

She is typing now.
He was walking along the street when he saw an accident.
I will be reading tomorrow at 5 p.m.

We can also translate a word ending -ing as an adjective if it is followed by a related noun:

sleeping baby - sleeping baby;
crying lady - crying woman;
boring book - boring book.

You can also translate a word with the ending - ing as a noun (see the Gerund topic) - it all depends on the context and word order:

Stealing is a crime. - Stealing is a crime.
Walking is good for your health. - Walking is good for health.
I like dancing. - I love dance.

There are several in English distinctive features. One of them is the apostrophe. This small sign sometimes becomes a big problem for students, as many people confuse when to put an apostrophe and when not to.

Today we will understand its use once and for all. In the article you will learn:

using an apostrophe to indicate ownership

What is an apostrophe in English?

Apostrophe- This superscript as a comma (").

Although we don't use this sign in Russian, I think you've probably seen it. Many foreign names are abbreviated with an apostrophe. For example: d'Artognan instead of de Artognan.

The apostrophe in English is used in 2 cases that can be easily remembered:

1. To show ownership

2. To indicate a gap when abbreviating words

Let's look at each of these use cases in detail.

Using an apostrophe to indicate ownership

We use an apostrophe to show the identity of an object/person. To do this we just need to add "s to the word that names the owner.

To test ourselves, we can ask questions to such a word: whose?, whose?, whose?, whose?. For example: (whose?) Tom’s computer, (whose?) sister’s dress, (whose?) dog’s ball.

Examples of using apostrophe:

Give me Ann 's copybook.
Give me Anna's notebook.

This is my parent "s car.
This is my parents' car.

I took my friend 's phone.
I took a friend's phone.

Books lie on teacher ’ s desk.
The books are on the teacher's desk.

Hey his sister 's cookies.
He ate his sister's cookies.

When else is an apostrophe used in English?

There are also several nuances to this rule that you need to remember:

1. Owners are multiple people/animals.

In this case, to the word that denotes them (it will be plural), we simply add an apostrophe (") without the letter s . After all, we have already added the ending -s to such words to form the plural form (cat - cats - cats", girl - girls - girls", sister - sisters - sisters", friend - friends - friends").

However, if the word is not formed according to the rules (you can read about such exceptions), then we add "s:

2. Two owners

For example: mother and father, Tom and Peter, Mary and Jane.

There are two options for adding an apostrophe here.

One item belongs to two people

We add "s to last word: mother and father's, Tom and Peter's, Mary and Jane's

Mother and father "s car stays in garage.
Mom and dad's car is in the garage. (We are talking about one car that belongs to two people)

Tom and Mary "s house is big.
Tom and Mary's house is big. (We are talking about the same house owned by both Tom and Mary)

Each owner has his own item that belongs to him

We add "s to each word: mother"s and father"s, Tom"s and Peter"s, Mary"s and Jane"s

Mother "s and father "s cars stay in garage.
Mom and dad's cars are in the garage. (We are talking about two cars: one belongs to mom, the other to dad)

Tom 's and Mary "s houses are big.
Tom and Mary's houses are large. (We are talking about two different houses that have different owners)

Apostrophe with possessive pronouns in English

We don't add "s to possessive pronouns (her/hers, your/yours, their/theirs), despite the fact that they answer the questions: whose?, whose?, whose?.

Incorrect: She lost her "s pen.
Correct: She lost her pen.

Using an apostrophe to shorten English words

In English we can abbreviate some words. In such cases, we put an apostrophe (") in place of missing letters.

Here are the main accepted abbreviations:

I am = I"m
You are = you're
He is = he's
I have = I've
I would = I'd
I will = I'll
not = n't

Examples:

He's studying now.
He is studying now.

We're ready.
We are ready.

I"m calling him.
I call him.

They can't leave.
They can't leave.

I'll translate.
I will translate.

So, an apostrophe is a sign in the form of a superscript comma ("). It is used to show ownership or for abbreviation. Now let's practice using it in practice.

Reinforcement task

Translate the following sentences into English:

1. This is my friends' wedding.
2. Take Tom's car.
3. This is my dog's ball.
4. We will live in her parents' house.
5. Bring Kate and Peter's laptops.
6. He ate Dasha’s apple.
7. Peter's friends will arrive tomorrow.
8. John and Mary's phones are on the table.

Leave your answers in the comments below the article.

English belongs to the category of analytical languages: grammatical connections in it are expressed not by changing the word and adding various morphemes (prefixes, suffixes, endings), but with the help of various function words - prepositions, modal and auxiliary verbs. And therefore there are not so many endings in the English language - only three: -s (-es), -ed And -ing. For comparison, Russian is a synthetic language, and it is morphemes that carry the grammatical load in it.

So, let's look at the most common cases of using English endings.

Ending -s (-es)

The ending -s (-es) can be found in the following cases:

Plural nouns

Almost all nouns form their plural by adding -s (-es). For example:

dog - dog s

book - book s

When a word ends in -ss, -x, -z, -ch, -sh or -o, the ending takes the form -es. For example:

Church es

box - box es

Adding the s ending to verbs in English causes a lot of difficulties for students. It is often confused with the plural ending of nouns, but in the case of verbs this ending has different uses.

Rule for adding s/es to verbs

This ending is necessary to conjugate these parts of speech in the present simple tense - Present Simple. It appears in semantic verbs in the 3rd person when the subject is he (he), she (she), it (it) or it can be conditionally replaced by one of these pronouns. To avoid making mistakes, it is important to carefully study the s rule at the end of a verb in English.

The ending appears for all semantic verbs in the 3rd person singular:

I live in an old town. – I live in an old town. (1st person singular, s not required)

He/She/It lives in an old town. – He/She/It lives in the old town. (3rd person singular, s added)

If the stem ends in -o, add the ending es:

goes (goes), does (does).
Es is added to verbs that have a hissing or whistling sound at the end, expressed by the letters -s, -ss, -x, -sh, -ch, -tch, -zz. This is necessary for ease of pronunciation:

kiss-kisses (kiss), wash-washes (wash), watch-watches (watch).
The final letter -y changes to -i when adding es if it is preceded by a consonant:

dry-dries (to dry). But: lay-lays (put)

An exception to this rule is the semantic and auxiliary verb to have. Its 3rd person singular form is has.

Features of reading s/es:

the ending conveys the sound [s] if the word ends with a voiceless consonant:

take-takes (take), drink-drinks (drink), put-puts (put);
[z] after a voiced consonant or vowel:

stay-stays (stay), do-does (do), swim-swims (swim).
after hissing and whistling sounds:

push-pushes (push), cross-crosses (cross), catch-catches (catch).

In negative and interrogative sentences the ending s/es goes to auxiliary verb Present Simple – do. The semantic verb returns to its original form.

Helen swims in the river every summer. – Lena swims in the river every summer.

Helen doesn't swim in the river every summer. – Lena swims in the river every summer.

Does Helen swim in the river every summer? – Does Lena swim in the river every summer?

Modal verbs do not add s/es in the 3rd person singular:

Olga can drive well. – Olga knows how to drive a car well.

Maria may go to the cafe after lessons. – Maria can go to the cafe after school.

Dima must learn traffic rules. – Dima must learn the rules of the road.

Table of verb endings in English

To remember when s is written in verbs in English, it is better to familiarize yourself with example sentences in the Present Simple.

“+”	“-“	“?”	Brief answers
I visit my granny every weekend. – I go to visit my grandmother every weekend.	I don’t visit my granny every weekend. – I don’t go to visit my grandmother every weekend.	Do I visit my granny every weekend? – Do I go to visit my grandmother every weekend?	Yes, I do./No, I don’t. - Not really.
He/She/It visits granny every weekend.	He/She/It doesn’t visit granny every weekend.	Does he/she/it visit granny every weekend?	Yes, he/she/it does./No, he/she/it doesn’t.
We/You/They visit granny every weekend.	We/You/They don’t visit granny every weekend.	Do we/you/they visit granny every weekend?	Yes, we/you/they do./No, we/you/they don’t.

The translation of the remaining sentences in the table corresponds to the examples with the pronoun I, but taking into account the replacement of the subject.