SINGULAR and PLURAL SUFFIXES
The rules for forming plural word forms from singular forms are listed below
Singular
form
A
Ax
En
Is
Ix, ex
Plural
form
Ae
Aces
Ina
Es
Ices
Rule
Ex. Singular
Ex. Plural
Retain a and add e
Drop x and add ces
Drop en and add ina
Drop is and add es
Drop ix or ex and add ices
Ma
On
Um
Us
y
Mata
A
A
I
ies
Retain ma and add ta
Drop on and add a
Drop um and add a
Drop us and add i
Drop y and add ies
Pleura
Thorax
Lumen
Diagnosis
Appendix
Apex
Carcinoma
Ganglion
Bacterium
Bronchus
deformity
Pleurae
Thoraces
Lumina
Diagnoses
Appendices
Apices
Carcinomata
Ganglia
Bacteria
Bronchi
deformities
PRONUNCIATION GUIDELINES

For ae and oe, only the second vowel is pronounced
o Examples bursae, pleurae, roentgen

c and g are given the soft sound of s and j, respectively, when located before e, I ,
and y in words of Greek and Latin origins.
o Examples: cerebrum, circumcision, cycle, gel, gingivitis, giant, gyrate

c and g have a hard sound when located before other letters.
o Examples: cardiac, cast, gastric, gonad

e and es, when forming the final letter or letters of a word are often pronounced as
separate syllables.
o Examples: syncope, systole, nares

ch is sometimes pronounced like k.
o examples: cholesterol, cholera, cholemia

i at the end of a word (to form a plural) is pronounced “eye”
o examples: brinchi, fungi, nuclei

pn at the beginning of a word is pronounced with only the n sound.
o Examples: pneumonia, pneumotoxin

pn in the middle of a word is pronounced with a hard p and a hard n.
o examples: orthopnea, hyperpnea

ps is pronounced like s.
o Examples: psychology, psychosis

All other vowels and consonants have ordinary English sounds.
Most medical words in this textbook are spelled phonetically. Pronunciations are
included in each unit, with diacritical marksto indicate vowel length and capitalization to
indicate primary accent. Diacritical marks are marks placed above or under vowel. In this
text, only two diacritics are used: the macron (line above a letter) and the breve ( u above
a letter)
The macron indicates the long sound of vowels, as in the following words:
A in rate
E in rebirth
I in isle
O in over
U in unite
The breve indicates the short sound of vowels, as in the following words:
A in apple
E in ever
I in it
O in not
U in cut
Capitalization is used to indicate emphasis on certain syllables such as LET-ter.