1. _Number._—The plural is generally formed by adding _-es_ to the
singular. Some few nouns make the plural in _-en_, as _feren_[49]
(companions), _fon_ (foes), _goren_ (spears), _loten_ (features), _sunen_
(sons), _teten_ (teats), _tren_ (trees), _weden_ (garments), _wunen_
(laws). The plurals of _brother_ and _child_ are _brethere_ and _childere_.
_Der_ (deer), _erf_, _orf_ (cattle), _got_ (goat), _neat_ (oxen), _sep_
(sheep), _scrud_ (garbs), _wrim_ (reptiles), of the neuter gender, are
uninflected in the plural. _Winter_, _ger_ (year), and _nigt_ (night), are
plural as in Anglo-Saxon.
2. _Gender._—As a general rule the names of inanimate things are of the
neuter gender. The names of towns, however, are considered as masculine.
3. _Case._—The genitive singular and plural of masculine and feminine nouns
end in _-es_. Occasionally proper nouns form the genitive in _-is_. The
means or instrument occasionally stands in the genitive without the
preposition: '_deades_ driuen,' influenced by death; '_swerdes_ slagen,'
slain of the sword; '_teres_ wet,' wet with tears. Cf. '_floures bred_,'
bread made with flour; '_bredes_ mel,' meal consisting of bread; '_wines_
drinc,' drink consisting of wine.
Corresponding to the modern word _kinsmen_ we have such forms as
'_daiges-ligt_' (daylight), '_hines-folk_' (servants), '_wifeskin_'
(women). The genitive is used adverbially, as _newes_, anew; _liues_,
alive.
We have a few traces of the genitive in _-e_ in the following examples:
'_helle_ nigt,' l. 89 (hell's night); '_helle_ bale,' l. 2525 (hell's
bale); '_sterre_ name,' l. 134 (star's name); '_safte_ same,' l. 349 (shame
of form); '_werlde_ nigt,' l. 1318 (world's night).[50]
The genitive of _fader_ and _moder_ is, as is very seldom the case in Early
English writers, _fadres_ and _modres_.
An _n_ is often added to the final _-e_ (representing an A.Sax.
vowel-ending) in the nom., dat., and acc. of nouns. For examples, see p.
xxi.