Lesson 18 Plural problems

Japanese students of English often forget to add “s” to the end of nouns when talking about multiple things. But the opposite problem occasionally occurs, like in the dialog below.

John: I heard there was some trouble at the nightclub last night.
Kenichi: Yes, there was a big fight. Afterwards, there were a lot of damages. The club needs more securities.

Although we add “s” to the end of countable nouns to make them plural, “damage” and “security” are actually uncountable. In fact, adding a plural “s” completely changes their meanings. “Damage” means (被害) and “security” means (警備), but “damages” means (損害賠償) and “securities” means (証券). Make sure to secure yourself from damage, or from paying damages, in the future.