A noun can speak of one or many; When one, it is singular and when many means it plural.
Evidently the distinction of being singular or plural is for common nouns and sometimes to collective nouns. Proper nouns and material nouns cannot take the plural form unless we twist the meaning and use in a different sense. Coffee is singular.As a material noun, it has no plural. But if we say 'coffees' we may mean different varieties of coffee or a number of cups of coffee.
When man/woman is the case, in compound words we have a peculiar formation, bpth words becoming plural.
Evidently the distinction of being singular or plural is for common nouns and sometimes to collective nouns. Proper nouns and material nouns cannot take the plural form unless we twist the meaning and use in a different sense. Coffee is singular.As a material noun, it has no plural. But if we say 'coffees' we may mean different varieties of coffee or a number of cups of coffee.
When man/woman is the case, in compound words we have a peculiar formation, bpth words becoming plural.
men servants women servants
men children women children
men friends women friends
In the case of gentleman too, we have double formation. so we can say
gentlemen cricketers
gentlemen friends
