Hello:
The USUAL rule for forming plural nouns is to add an "S".
There are reasonably well-established rules for forming plural nouns in special cases.
The USUAL rule for 3-rd Pers Sing verbs is to add an "S".
Q. What, if any, are the rules for forming 3-rd Pers Sinig verbs in special cases.
Are they the same as for the plural noun?
This is of especial concern when the same word may be either a noun or a verb.
My question deals with the Plural noun /vs/ the Third-person-singular verb inflection.
The USUAL plural ...
one book two bookS
one lift two liftS
The USUAL inflection on the 3-rd person singular..
I lift We lift
You lift You lift
He liftS They lift
The SPECIAL cases of plurals may be exemplified as .
one try two tries (as with attempts)
one carry two carries (as with tooth cavities)
one empty two empties (as with bottles)
one finish two finishes (as with paints)
one fly two flies (as with insects)
one loaf two loaves (as with bread)
But what about the SPECIAL cases of the inflection on the 3-rd person singular;
it seems less obvious, as in these cases ..
he destroys / destroies sand dunes
he trys / tries jumping high
he carrys / carries the load
he emptys / empties the glass of milk
he finishs / finishes the task
he flys / flies the airplane
he loafs / ??? on the couch
would appreciate reasoned choices in the above and some rule(s).
Thanks,,