Plurals-Suffixes-Number - Noun-Parts Of Speech-ESL/Learn English Grammar

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I. Plurals formed by the Suffix -en.


[Sidenote: The_ -en _inflection.]


38. This inflection remains only in the word oxen, though it was

quite common in Old and Middle English; for instance, _eyen_ (eyes),

_treen_ (trees), _shoon_ (shoes), which last is still used in Lowland

Scotch. _Hosen_ is found in the King James version of the Bible, and

_housen_ is still common in the provincial speech in England.



39. But other words were inflected afterwards, in imitation of the

old words in _-en_ by making a double plural.


[Sidenote: En _inflection imitated by other words._


Brethren has passed through three stages. The old plural was

_brothru_, then _brothre_ or _brethre_, finally _brethren_. The

weakening of inflections led to this addition.

Children has passed through the same history, though the

intermediate form _childer_ lasted till the seventeenth century in

literary English, and is still found in dialects; as,--


"God bless me! so then, after all, you'll have a chance to see

your _childer_ get up like, and get settled."--QUOTED BY DE

QUINCEY.

Kine is another double plural, but has now no singular.

In spite of wandering _kine_ and other adverse

circumstance.--THOREAU.



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