And thirdly, the verbs have been simplified in conjugation, weak preterites being often substituted for strong ones, and differential terminations largely lost.
On the other hand, the plural of nouns is still distinguished from the singular by its termination in _s_, which is derived from the first declension of Anglo-Saxon nouns, not as is often asserted, from the Norman-French usage.

In other words, all plurals have been assimilated to this the commonest model; just as in French they have been assimilated to the final _s_ of the third declension in Latin.

A few plurals of the other types still survive, such as _men_, _geese_, _mice_, _sheep_, _deer_, _oxen_, _children_ and (dialectically) _peasen_.

To make up for this loss of inflexions, the language now employs a larger number of particles, and to some extent, of auxiliaries.

Instead of _wines_, we now say _of a friend_; instead of _wine_, we now say _to a friend_; and instead of _winum_, we now say _to friends_.