英语名词单复数的几种用法
看英语小说，碰到：The baby took the mother’s hand with its hands,就知道孩子是用两只小手抓着妈妈的一只手。在英语里，有时数目字可以不出现，只用单复数来表示，也就清楚了。
汉语名词，除了“先生们”“同学们”之类，在大多数情况下不用复数。而英语名词的单复数则是变化多端，及其复杂，因此我们对英语名词的单复数不能不作深入的研究并养成使用习惯。
1． 有些名词只有单数形式，如：
five cattle, two hundred sheep, a lot of trout (鳟鱼), three Swiss, six Japanese, lots of Chinese
有些名词只有复数形式，如：
Eery means has been tried.
Mathematics is her strong point.
The remains of the deer were eaten up.
----“The couple are both lazybones.”
----“No,only the husband is (a lazybones).”
2.有些名词在习惯用语中用单数，如：
She went home on foot.(步行，不是只有一条腿。)
I turned a deaf ear to him.（不理睬，不是一只耳朵聋了。）
They lost heart.(丧失信心)
以上三例为习语，下面三例则为全称单数(generic singular),即以单数代全称：
Man is mortal. (人皆有死.)
The student should always be attentive.
The pen is mightier than the sword.
有些名词的用法则习惯上用复数，如：
armed to the teeth (武装到牙齿)
shake hands with (握手)
make friends with
by leaps and bounds (突飞猛进)
以上四例与逻辑有关：很难想象只有一个牙齿，而握手和交朋友都是双方的事，蹦跳起来也不可能只有一步。下面几例则与婚丧喜庆有关：
My hearty congratulations! （衷心祝贺）
My best regards to her! (问好，致意)
Many happy returns of the day!(祝贺生日用语)
To express one’s condolences to (吊唁)
3．值得我们注意的是，一个词用单数或用复数往往表示意义的不同。原因可能是纯属习惯，或者含有特殊的意义，或者是专门说法，或者出于修辞考虑，如：
The border between China and the Sovoiet Union.(中苏边境分界线)
The borders of China and the Soviet Union (中苏边境)
The cups of water –China waters (中国沿海)
Iron is useful than gold.--- The prisoner was in irons.(带上镣铐)
Copper is a very important metal.。----She found some copper over there.(铜币)
----Look at the copper over there.(俚语：警察，因制服上铜扣得名，复数为coppers,简称cop(s)
Her bad tooth caused her much pain.(很痛) ----She took great pains in studying Greek.(下苦功)
She has white hair.(一头白发)----She has white hairs.(几丝白发)
The Chinese and American peoples.(中美两国人民)----The Chinese and American people. （中美人民。尼克松于1972年在周总理举行的国宴上的祝酒词就用our two people,the Chinese and American people,甚至all people in the world,以表示亲切友好。）
4．我们尤其要注意的是，形式上是单数而意义上是复数，或形式上是复数而意义上是单数的情况，如：
The class elect him monitor.(侧重班上的每一个人，故比用elects 好) ----Our class is represented by him.(侧重整体)
Another ten years was wasted.(“十年“是一个计算单位)
All my family are early rises.（指家人）
There is a book and two pens on the desk. ----There are two pens and a book on the desk.(习惯上，如最靠近动词的名词是复数，则动词用复数；如名词是单数，则动词也相应用单数)
His brothers or he is to come.----He or his brothers are to come.