What is the plural of the word fish

What is the plural of Fish?

Do you say fish or fishes?

The plural of fish is almost always …. fish. (No -es at the end)

  • 1 fish
  • 2 fish (NOT 2 fishes)

Some example sentences:

  • I caught three fish yesterday down at the wharf. (caught is the past tense of catch)
  • I bought some fish for my aquarium. (bought is the past tense of buy)

There is even a famous book by Dr. Seuss called One fish, two fish, red fish, blue fish. Note how it is two fish and not two fishes.

When can I use fishes?

Fish is used when we are counting individual fish …. one fish, two fish, three fish… etc.
A number of fish of the same species are called ‘fish.’

However in marine biology / zoology etc., ‘fishes‘ refers to more than one species of fish.
We are talking about entire species and NOT individual fish numbers.

  • I read a book about the freshwater fishes of New Zealand.

This book talks about the different species of freshwater fish in New Zealand. We use fishes because there is more than one species. We are not counting the number of fish, just the amount of species.

Fish or Fishes?

Imagine you have an small aquarium. In that aquarium there are 6 fish. This means there are total of 6 individual fish. They may be of different types but we are interested in the number of fish and not how many species there are.

If I say there are 6 fishes in my aquarium, it refers to 6 different species of fish. There might by a goldfish, a clownfish and four others including a piranha (ok, maybe not a piranha as it would each the other fish).

However in general everyday English, we would most likely say:

  • There are 6 types of fish in my aquarium OR
  • There are 6 species of fish in my aquarium.

Also, if you have a bucket of fish. There may be more than one type or species of fish in it though you will normally say:

  • I have a bucket of fish. (not fishes)

The verb To fish

To fish means to try and catch fish.
If we conjugate the verb in the simple present tense, it becomes…

  • I fish, you fish, we fish, they fish, he fishes, she fishes, it fishes.

Fishes is the third person conjugation of the verb To fish in the simple present tense.

  • He fishes from his small boat every afternoon.

Bonus information about Fish

What do you call a group of fish swimming together in the same direction?
A group of fish swimming together is called a school of fish. We don’t say a “group of fish.”

  • A school of fish swam by me while I was scuba diving in Fiji.

Something is fishy
Something is fishy means that something appears suspicious and not right. (Informal)

  • That guy over there looks fishy. I’m sure he is planning to steal from someone.
  • Something doesn’t feel right. I’m sure something fishy is going on.

Did you know there are other words that don’t change in plural form?

  • 1 deer – 2 deer
  • 1 sheep – 2 sheep

In Summary

  • Fish – singular and plural form when counting individual fish
  • Fishes – refers to more than one species of fish

Unless you are a marine biologist, you will always use fish as the plural of fish.

Summary Chart

The plural of fish - Fish or Fishes?

Lesson tags: Collective Nouns, Common Mistakes, Fish, Irregular, Nouns, Plural
Back to: English Course > Countable & Uncountable Nouns

If you enjoy being out on the water, you might like to try catching some fish. Or is that “fishes? Although both are proper ways to spell the plural form of fish, there are rules about how to use them as both a noun and a verb. 

The word fish can describe an animal species, but also represents an action. Both fish and fishes are appropriate to use in both noun and verb form, but they have some specific rules. Let’s look at what this means and how fish and fishes should be used. 

What is the Plural of Fish in English?

Fish can be a plural form and singular form and is used when referring to a single group or collection of a specific species of fish. Fishes is a more scientific use when referring to types of fish in a group or collection. You can also conjugate fish to fishes when used as a verb. 

When to Use Fish

When used as a noun, fish describes as singular fish or multiple fish. It is a common, well-recognized word and does not require the addition of an “s” to make it plural. 

Use fish to describe one fish, a school of fish, or a specific fish species. For example:

  • The fish in Lake Ignace were not biting over the weekend.
  • We saw three Manta-Ray fish during our glass bottom ocean cruise.
  • My fish, Bob, was all alone in the fishbowl before I bought him a snail. 

As a verb, use fish to describe the action of catching or trying to catch a fish. It conjugates as a regular verb. For example:

  • I love to go fishing with my father. 
  • Every chance I get, I fish with my group of friends from High School. 
  • I fished that pond every day after school for a year. 

When to Use Fishes

As a noun, fishes is a scientific term that describes more than one species of fish in a group. Fish can be used in its stead, but fishes helps you recognize there is more than one type of fish being referred to. For example:

  • The biologist was studying the diversity of the fishes in the isolated mountain lake. 
  • We saw 15 different types of fishes on our trip. 

As a verb, fishes is the simple present conjugation of the word. For example:

  • He fishes with a unique cast that allows the fly to hover just above the water’s surface.
  • She fishes with her children every chance she gets. 

How to Use Fish in a Sentence

These fish emit distress signals that are picked up on by the mulloway.  [Fishing World]

The fish are then sold as salted dry or canned. [Food Science, Sari Edelstein]

No fish were registered on Upriver Lakes, where the season has now closed after the 90 percent harvest cap was reached on Sunday. [Fon du Lac Reporter]

How to Use Fishes in a Sentence

Those most in jeopardy were the smaller fishes with specialized eating and sheltering habits. [U.S. News & World Report]

Swim with the fishes at Factory Obscura’s latest art installation. [News 9]

Let’s Review

Fish and fishes are correct spellings and serve as a noun in both singular and plural forms or as a verb. Fish is an acceptable use to describe a single fish or any group of fish. Fishes is used to describe multiple species of fish collectively and is more scientific. 

As a verb, fish describes the action of fishing, and fishes is the simple present tense of the word. 

If you have ever wondered what the plural form of fish is and also are curious about more about the word fish, look no further. This article will not only cover the plural noun form but also cover the definition of fish, the history and origin of the word, how to use it correctly, synonyms, and examples of the word in context to help you fully understand the word.

What Is The Definition Of The Word Curriculum

As Merriam-Webster phrases it:

  • Noun
  • An aquatic animal – usually used in combination
    • Starfish
    • Cuttlefish
  • Any of numerous cold-blooded strictly aquatic craniate vertebrates that include the boy fishes and usually the cartilaginous and jawless fishes and that typically an elongated somewhat spindle-shaped body terminating in a broad caudal fin, limbs in the form of fins when present at all, and a 2-chambered heart by which blood is sent through thoracic gills to be oxygenated
  • The flesh of fish used as food 
    • We’re having fish for dinner 
  • A person who is caught or is wanted (as in a criminal investigation)
  • Fellow, person
    • An odd fish
  • Sucker
    • Felt sorry for the poor fish
  • Something that resembles a fish: such as 
    • Fish
    • Torpedo
    • The submarine’s fish hit the freighter
  • Fish out of water 
    • A person who is an unnatural or uncomfortable sphere or situation 
    • The country boy felt like a fish out of water in the big city
    • Fish to fry
    • Concerns or interests to pursue – usually used with other
    • Can’t deal with that problem now; we’ve got other fish to fry right now
    • Neither fish nor fowl
    • One that does not belong to a particular class or category
    • The movie is neither fish nor fowl – it’s not really a comedy, but it’s too light-hearted to be called a drama.
    • Verb
    • To attempt to catch fish
    • To seek something by roundabout means
    • Fishing for a compliment 
    • Fish for pearls
    • To engage in a search by groping or feeling
    • Fishing around in her purse for her keys

History And Origin Of The Word

If we look back to the Latin root of the word fish, you might not see much resemblance. Fish in Latin is piscis, however, when switching from the p to f while going from Latin to Germanic languages, it becomes more apparent. In German fish is Fisch and in Swedish fish is Fisk, so landing on fish for English should make a lot more sense.

What Is The Correct Plural Of Fish?

Fish is a word that is the same for both the plural and singular form. If you are referring to one fish, two, or ninety-nine fish you leave the word alone in the English language. Although we tend to want to add extra letters to words to make them in common plural form, there are more words than you probably realize in the English language that are the same for their regular plural or singular form.

Can You Say 2 Fishes?

So if there isn’t a plural form for an individual fish, why is it that you have probably heard people say fishes, perhaps you have even seen it used in your biology textbook. It is correct to assume that you would be wrong to use fishes to refer to two or more undetermined number of fish, however, fishes is also a word. Fishes is the correct way of referring to two or more different species of fish or different kinds of fish. You can also add an apostrophe (fish’s) to describe something about a particular fish.  

Synonyms

  • Angle – shape formed by two lines meeting at a point
  • Bait – something for luring
  • Bob – bounce up and down
  • Cast – a throw to the side
  • Chum – friend
  • Extract – physically remove, draw out
  • Extricate – get out of a situation; relieve of responsibility
  • Find – catch sight of, lay hands-on
  • Net – capture
  • Trawl – fish with a trawl net

Examples Of The Word In Context

  • Not only are the fish in these waters healthy, but they are big. There are currently 112 state records of fish (The types of fish: trout, catfish, salmon, tuna, sturgeon), crustaceans (crab and lobster), and mollusks (abalone). – USA Today
  • A fisherman reeling in a 450-pound Goliath grouper was suddenly pulled over the boat’s side, and in the process of holding on, he lost the fishing rod to the fish in a wild episode aptly called the “unforgettable fishing miracle,” as you’ll soon see why. – USA Today
  • “I couldn’t get a good shot – just fish silhouettes,” said Dr. Karen Osborn from the Smithsonian Institution. – BBC
  • A flying fishy not only has to protect themselves, but also a thousand of their eggs. Also, the male weedy sea dragon must take the female’s eggs to look after. – BBC
  • To ensure no one is buying plastic-laden fish, geolocation information will show the catch was far from populated coastlines, and inspection certifications can be uploaded to demonstrate that the product passed quality checks. – BBC
  • “Simply put, we are running out of fish,” says Daniel Pauly an ichthyologist, and a professor of fisheries at the Institute of Oceans and Fisheries at the University of British Columbia. “And the situation, the trend line, is getting worse every year.” – BBC
  • Every year since 1991 Fish Factor has selected “picks and pans” for Alaska’s seafood industry — a no-holds-barred look back at some of the year’s best and worst fishing highlights — and my choice for the biggest fish story of the year.  – Anchorage Daily News
  • Further, a team of U.S. researchers has found that exposure to oil impacts the developing hearts of larger predator fish, including tuna—which are plentiful in Mauritian waters—and also causes jaw defects, small eyes and other malformations. – Scientific American
  • The post-Civil War period spawned hunting excursions as a pastime for the well-to-do. Groups chartered railroad cars to travel to the Big Lake area for extended hunts in a time when there were no regulations, state or federal, on the taking of wild game. The trains that took out timber also provided transportation for the products of the market hunters–deer, ducks, and fish. – Arkansas Online

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Kevin Miller is a growth marketer with an extensive background in Search Engine Optimization, paid acquisition and email marketing. He is also an online editor and writer based out of Los Angeles, CA. He studied at Georgetown University, worked at Google and became infatuated with English Grammar and for years has been diving into the language, demystifying the do’s and don’ts for all who share the same passion! He can be found online here.

Plural of Nouns

как по английски рыба во множественном числе

In English, everything countable nouns * used both in the singular and in the plural.

* Countable Nouns denote items that can be counted (one, two, three, four, five, etc.): one apple, two apples, three apples; one story, two stories, three stories.

Countable and uncountable nouns

The main way of forming the plural

In English, the plural of nouns is formed by attaching an ending -s (-es) to a noun in the singular:

a pen — pens (handle — handles)

a book — books (book — books)

a box — boxes (box — boxes)

Features of attaching the ending -s (-es)

If a noun ends in -s, -ss, -sh, -ch, -tch, -z, -x, then the ending is added -Is:

a bus — buses (bus — buses)
a glass — glasses (glass — glasses)
a bush — bushes (bush — bushes)
a bench — benches (bench — benches)
a match — Played (match — matches)
a fox — foxes (fox — foxes)

If a noun ends in consonant + y, then -y changes to i, and added -Is:

a baby — babies (baby — babies)
a story — stories (story — stories)
a city — cities (city — cities)

If a noun ends in vowel + y, then the ending is simply added -s:

a toy — toys (toy — toys)
a tray — trays (tray — trays)
a monkey — m (monkey — monkeys)

If a noun ends in -f or -faiththen -f changes to -v, and added -Is:

a leaf — leaves (leaf — leaves)
a thief — thieves (thief — thieves)
a wife — wives (wife — wives)
a knife — knives (knife — knives)

But in some cases, nouns ending in -f, the ending is simply added -s:

a roof — roofs (roof — roofs)
a cliff — cliffs (rock — rocks)
a chief — chiefs (leader — leaders)
a dwarf — dwarfs (gnome — gnomes)

If a noun ends in -o, then the ending is added -Is:

a tomato — tomatoes (tomato — tomatoes)
a hero — heroes (hero — heroes)

In some cases, for nouns ending in -o, the ending is added -s:

a photo — beautiful photos (photography — photographs)
a kilo — kilos (kilogram — kilograms)
a piano — pianos (piano — multiple pianos)
a radio — radios (radio — multiple radio)
a video — videos (video — several videos)
a studio — (studio — studios)

There are also nouns on -o, the plural of which can be formed by adding -s or -Is, while the -es form is used more often:

a memento — mementoes / mements (souvenir — souvenirs)
a mosquito — mosquitoes / Mosquitoes (mosquito — mosquitoes)
a tornado — tornadoes / torandos (hurricane — hurricanes)
a volcano — volcanoes / volcanoes (volcano — volcanoes)
a zero — zeoroes / zeroes (zero — zeros)

Special plural forms of nouns

There are nouns in English, the plural of which must be remembered:

a man [mæn] — men (man — men)
a woman [ˈwʊmən] — women [ˈWɪmɪn] (woman — women)
a child [tʃaɪld] — children [ˈTʃɪl.

drən] (child — children)
a tooth [tuːθ] — teeth [tiːθ] (tooth — teeth)
a foot [fʊt] — feet [fiːt] (foot — feet)
a mouse [maʊs] — mice [maɪs] (mouse — mice)
a goose [ɡuːs] — geese [ɡiːs] (goose — geese)
a louse [laʊs] — face [laɪs] (louse — lice)
an ox [ɒks] — oxen [ˈⱰksn] (bull — bulls)

Remember also nouns in which the plural form coincides with the singular form:

one deer — two deer (one deer — two deer)
one fish — two fish (one fish — two fish)
one sheep — two sheep (one ram — two rams)
one series — two series (one episode — two episodes)
one species — two species (one kind — two kinds)
one aircraft — two aircraft (one plane — two planes)
one spacecraft — two spacecraft (one spaceship — two spaceships)
one salmon — two salmon (one salmon — two salmon)
one cod — two code (one cod — two cod)
one moose — two mosses (one moose — two moose)
one means — two means (one remedy — two remedies)
one offspring — two Offspring (one offspring — two offspring)

 Please note that the same noun can be either countable or uncountable, depending on its lexical meaning. For example, salmon (salmon) in the meaning of «kind of fish» is a countable noun, therefore, has the plural form:

I was very excited when I caught a salmon… — I was delighted when I caught the salmon.
I was very excited when I caught two salmon… — I was delighted when I caught two salmon.

Source: https://myefe.ru/reference/nouns/plurals

Countable or uncountable words «fruit» and «fish»? Fruit / fruits and fish / fishes?

как по английски рыба во множественном числе

In one of our topics (Countable and uncountable nouns. Using the article «a / an») we talked about the fact that the words «fruit» and «fish» can be both countable and uncountable nouns.

Let’s talk about these cases so that we know when to use the article and when not.

Fruit

1. So if you mean fruits as a kind of food, those. is a common collective name, then fruit is considered uncountable a noun that may have only form singularfruit, and consequently, used without article «A» / «an» and agrees with the singular verb.

Eg Fruit is very useful food. — Fruit is a very healthy food.

Сanned fruit. — Canned fruits.

2. However, if by fruit you mean some kind of fruit (e.g. citrus or seasonal), then fruit has only a plural form. h. — fruits and also used without article «a» / «an».

Eg

— What are the local fruits? — What fruits are especially common in the area?

— Mostly pears and apples. — Mainly pears and apples.

3. If it comes about the botanical term «fruit — fruits» any plant, then in this case it will be: a fruit — fruits

Eg These trees give very tasty fruits. These trees bear very tasty fruits.

4. The word «fruit» also has a figurative meaning — success, fruits of labor, those. the result of some activity. In this case, the word «fruit» will be in plural in combination with the definite article and the preposition of:

Eg

the fruits of learning — the fruits of learning,

the fruits of labor — the fruits of labor.

5. In American slang «A fruit» translated as «Strange type». Remember the Russian analogue: «He’s still that type!».

Eg He comes on a fruit. — He comes across as a strange type.

Fish

1. In its basic meaning «Fish» (ie some kind of fish) the word «fish» is a countable noun in which the singular form is and plural matches: a fish — two fish — many fish, i.e. in the singular, the article «a» / «an» is required.

Please note that the coincidence of unit forms. and many others. numbers will also be observed in fish species, i.e .:

a code (cod) — three cod (three cod) — many codes (a lot of cod)

a pike (pike) — two pike (two pikes) — many pike (many pikes)

2. If you use a word «Fish» means «different types of fish»then it is necessary to say fishes and coordinate the word with the plural verb, i.e. no article «a» / «an» is out of the question.

Eg

The Peter was given a colorful album on tropical fishes. — Petya was presented with a colorful album dedicated to tropical fish.

3. If the word «fish» is used as a food product, then «fish» is considered uncountable noun having only form singular… The article «a» / «an» cannot be used.

Eg

Fish is very helpful food. — Fish is a very healthy food.

4. If «fish» is used as a collective noun, i.e. you talk about fish as a class, then these words will be consistent with plural verb… and only have a form fish… The article «a» / «an» cannot be used.

Eg

How do fish breathe? — How does the fish breathe?

We also suggest you memorize a few phrases with the word «fish»:

Source: http://eduengl.ru/grammatika/imya-suschestvitelnoe/257-ischislyaemye-ili-neischislyaemye-slova-lfruitr-i-lfishr-fruitfruits-i-fishfishes.html

Mice and other plural exceptions

как по английски рыба во множественном числе

As you know, friends, in the English language there are a lot of exceptions to the general rules. This also applies to grammar and spelling and other sections of the language.

On our site, we have already examined in detail such a phenomenon as the plural of nouns in English. But today we would like to draw your attention to the very nouns — the exceptions that fall out of the general rule.

Remembering exceptions!

So, friends, let’s recall in detail and pay close attention to these very exceptions in the plural of nouns. It is very important to remember them both in written sentences, as well as in oral speech, not to make mistakes.

These are the exceptions (singular and plural) and their translation into Russian. Try to remember how each word is spelled, both singular and plural.

  • Man — men — man — men
  • Woman — women — woman — women
  • Child — children — child — children
  • Person — people — people — people
  • Tooth — teeth — tooth — teeth
  • Foot — feet — leg — legs
  • Mouse — mice — mouse — mice
  • Sheep — sheep — sheep — sheep
  • Fish — fish — fish — fish (fishes are also allowed)
  • Ox — oxen — bull — bulls
  • Goose — geese — goose — geese
  • Louse — lice — louse — lice

Note the sentences with some of these exceptions and their translations:

  • There are mice in that old house. “There are mice in that old house.
  • These women are my colleagues. “These women are my colleagues.
  • I sincere and frank people. — I like sincere and open people.
  • The oxen in this farm are very big. “The bulls on this farm are very large.
  • I have two children: a son and a daughter. — I have two children: a son and a daughter.

Exceptions and example sentences

Friends, it is worth noting that these exceptions persist in their derivative words. For example:

  • Children — schoolchildren — children — schoolchildren
  • Men — gentlemen, policemen, men-of-war — men — gentlemen, policemen, military
  • Women — women-writers — women — writers

And a few more words about «mice»

Now let’s talk about how other mice will be in English:

  • Bat — bats — bat — bats
  • Rat — rats — rat — rats

But! The following words are derived from «mouse», so they also take the form «mice» in the plural. Be careful:

  • White mouse — white mice — white mouse — white mice
  • Flittermouse — flittermice — bat — bats
  • Rearmouse — rearmice — bat — bats

In plural sentences, also remember to be in the correct form:

Flittermice live in deserted places. — Bats live in uninhabited places.

Now pay attention to a number of expressions in which you can find various «mice»:

  • Mouse-driven control
  • Mouse port
  • Left-click — left-click
  • The mice are at the cheese again — the mice are at the cheese again
  • Church mice; poor — church mice
  • Bats over conservation
  • The mice scurried back to their holes
  • The mice scampered away through a crack
  • Quiet mouse — as quiet / mum / mute / still as a mouse
  • Mouse trail — mouse trail

How easy and quick to remember exceptions?

And a few more exceptions

Fortunately, there are not so many of them to cram each exception for a long time and painfully. Write the singular and plural list of noun exceptions we provided above on colored stickers and post them in your room. Thus, they will always be before your eyes. Repeat them out loud until you memorize them.

Make up as many sentences as possible with them in writing and orally.

Use them in conversation, in conversation.

Finally, do grammar exercises on the Plural of English Nouns, focusing on exceptions.

Good luck, friends!

Source: https://englishfull.ru/grammatika/myshi-i-drugie-isklyucheniya.html

Pluralization of nouns in English

In English, the noun has singular and plural forms: dog — dogs, box — boxes.

The singular form is transmitted by the so-called. «Zero ending» — wall_ (wall — ending «missing»).

Methods for the formation of the plural

The most common way to form plurals is to add an ending -S by the way: cat — cats, wall — walls.

Another common way is to add an ending –Es.

1. The ending -es is appended to: to the stem of the word if it ends with –S, -ss, x, z, ch, tch, sh:

  • class — classes (class — classes);
  • bush — bushes (bush — bushes);
  • box — boxes;
  • inch — inches
  • fox — foxes (fox — foxes);
  • match — matches (match — matches, match — matches).

As a rule, in such words, the ending -s is pronounced as [iz].

2. To the stem of a word that ends with consonant + ywith the ending — at changes to –I:

  • army — armies (army — armies);
  • country — countries
  • duty — duties (debt — debts, tax — taxes).

The ending -es in this case is pronounced as [z].

3. If the word ends with a vowel + y, then we add to the base of the word  -s:

  • Boy — boys (boy — boys);
  • Toy — toys (toy — toys);
  • Day — days.

The ending -s in this case is pronounced as [z].

4. To the base that ends in -O In most cases:

  • hero — heroes,
  • potato — potatoes

But:

  • Zoo — zoos (zoo — zoos);
  • Photo — photos (photography — photos);
  • Solo — solos (solo);
  • Piano — pianos (piano);
  • Video — videos (video);
  • Radio — radios (radio).

12 nouns that end in –F or –Fe, the plural is formed by — it is. In this case, –F changing to –Vand the ending -es reads [z].

  • Calf — calves (calf — calves);
  • Half — halves (half — half);
  • Knife — knives (knife — knives);
  • Leaf — leaves (leaf — leaves);
  • Life — lives (life — lives);
  • Loaf — loaves (loaf — loaves);
  • Self — selves (personality — personalities);
  • Sheaf — sheaves;
  • Shelf — shelves
  • Thief — thieves (thief — thieves);
  • Wife — wives (wife — wives);
  • Wolf — wolves (wolf — wolves).

All other nouns ending in f are plural with the ending -s, which is pronounced [s]:

  • Chief — chiefs (chief — chiefs);
  • Cliff — cliffs;
  • Roof — roofs;
  • Kerchief — kerchiefs (kerchief — kerchiefs, kerchief — kerchiefs).

Exception words

A number of nouns form the plural in a special way that does not follow the rules, namely by changing the vowel at the base of the word. This is an old way of forming plurals of nouns, so the forms of these plural words need to be remembered:

  • Child — children (child — children);
  • Foot — feet (stora — feet);
  • Goose — geese (goose — geese);
  • Man — men (man — men, man — people);
  • Woman [‘wumən] [‘ wumen] — women [‘wɪmɪn] ([‘ wimn] woman — women);
  • Mouse — mice (mouse — mice);
  • Ox — oxen (bull — bulls);
  • Tooth — teeth (tooth — teeth);
  • Louse — lice (louse — lice).

Noun Mon often forms words with other nouns, usually denoting nationality or profession. In these cases, man becomes plural like this:

  • Englishman — Englishmen (Englishman — Englishmen);
  • Fireman — firemen (fireman — firefighters);
  • Businessman — businessmen (businessman — businessmen).

Matching singular and plural forms

There are nouns that have the same singular and plural forms (the plural is the same as the singular):

  • sheep (sheep — sheep),
  • swine (pig — pigs),
  • fish (fish — fish),
  • salmon (salmon — salmon);
  • trout (trout — trout);
  • deer (deer — deer)
  • works (factory — factories);)
  • carft (ship — ship);
  • aircraft (aircraft — aircraft);
  • means (means — means);
  • series (series — series).

These nouns also include the names of nationalities that end in –Ese and —ss, For example:

  • Chinese — Chinese, Chinese, Chinese
  • Japanese — Japanese, Japanese
  • Swiss — Swiss, Swiss.

The plural of nouns borrowed from Latin and Greek

Some words borrowed from Latin and Greek in the XNUMXth century retain their plural forms:

Latin words:

  • Antenna (antenna) — antennae;
  • Datum (given value) — data;
  • Erratum (typing error) — errata;
  • Formula (formula) — formulae;
  • Genius (spirit, demon) — genii;
  • Radius (radius) — radii;
  • Stimulus — stimuli.

Greek words:

  • Bacterium (bacteria) — bacteria;
  • Crisis (crisis) — crises;

Source: https://engfairy.com/obrazovanie-mnozhestvennogo-chisla-sushhestvitelnyh-v-anglijskom-yazyke/

Plural of nouns in English: the rule of education

In order to form plural nouns in English without mistakes, choose suitable verbs, pronouns and build sentences, it is not enough to know the rule. You need to be able to distinguish countable from uncountable nouns, to know the exceptions and different meanings of the same word. And of course it takes practice.

We will go in order so that you can get a good understanding of this topic from our tutorial.

The material is intended for beginners and learners of English from scratch, as well as for systematization of knowledge and repetition.

The concept of a noun (noun)

Recall that a noun (noun) is a part of speech that denotes an object, person, phenomenon or material structures. The noun answers the question “Who? What?»:

Who is this? — This is the boy.

Who is this? — This is a boy.

What is this? — This is my new furniture.

What is it? This is my new furniture.

What is this? — This is a coffee table.

What is it? — This is a coffee table.

Difference between countable and uncountable nouns

All English nouns (noun) are divided into two groups — countable (countable) and uncountable (uncountable), which in turn have both common features and exceptions.

It is important to learn to distinguish between countable and uncountable nouns, because plural forms only for countable nouns.

In simple terms, the difference between them is that countable nouns can be counted individually (one apple, two pencils, ten cars, etc.), and the uncountable are not subject to such an account (happiness, water, sand — do not count by the piece). Some examples of countable and uncountable nouns:

#Countable nounsUncountable nouns

1 Dog Water
2 OceanOcean Air
3 HouseHouse Earth
4 ThoughtThought Sand
5 GameGame Joy
6 Rule Happiness
7 Eye HonorHonor
8 LanguageLanguage The Sun

Source: https://englishplan.ru/grammatika/obrazovanie-mnozhestvennogo-chisla-sushhestvitelnyh

Exception words. Plural (English)

Details Category: PRE-INTERMEDIATE

: 18 August 2017

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Most recently, we have already analyzed the word-exceptions on the topic of «plural». But the English language has surpassed itself here too, since it has a number of nouns that have the same form for the singular and plural. And you may also come across words, the use of which is possible only in one form. Today we will talk about such non-standard cases.

Exception words. Plural not by the rules (English for advanced)

Let’s start with those words-exceptions, plural which is the same as the only one. English the language is not very rich in such units. But, nevertheless, they do occur, so it is worth paying attention to them. These words are shown below.

1.deer (deer) — deer (deer)

2.means (method) — means (methods)

3.sheep — sheep

4.swine (pig) — swine (pigs)

5.series (series, cycle) — series (series, cycles)

6.species — species

7.fish (fish) — fish (fish)

8.fruit — fruit

There are some nuances regarding points 7-8. If we are talking about different types of fish and fruits, then the plural of these nouns should be formed in a standard way.

examples:

There are different fruits on the table: bananas, apples, pine-apples, and peaches. — Various fruits on the table: bananas, apples, pineapples and peaches.

Where are you going? — I would to buy some fruit.

Where are you going? — I would like to buy some fruits (of the same type).

English singular and plural nouns

Now let’s look at english nounsthat are only in form the only number и only plural… Let’s start with the first group.

How did “news” end up in this list, after all, there is -S at the end? It’s very simple — this word is always used with singular verbs. Pay attention to the next sentence.

Is this news good or bad? — Is this news good or bad?

Words like money and hair do not fit into the standard rules either. It seems that in Russian it turns out to be a plural («money», «hair»), but in English money and hair are always used with verbs in the singular.

Her hair is beautiful but too short. — Her hair is beautiful, but too short.

Is this money yours? — Is this money yours?

There is also such a moment that if we mean a certain number of hairs, then we can say a hair (1 hair), three hairs (3 hairs), etc.

Look! There is a hair in my glass! — Look! There is a hair in my glass!

Now let’s learn nouns that only occur in the plural form.

Do not forget about uncountable nouns (concepts that cannot be counted). Such words are usually referred to the singular. What could it be? For example: water (water), sand (sand), patience (patience), love (love), snow (snow), etc.

Have you noticed that snow here melts very slowly? — Have you noticed that the snow here is melting very slowly?

How to remember the rules for the formation of the plural in English?

To begin with, we recommend, just in case, to familiarize yourself with the basic rules for the formation of the plural in English, which we have already analyzed. Write a few of your own sentences for each rule, form phrases with exceptions. Remember that the best way to remember grammar forever is to use it in speech. If you don’t have anyone to practice with, we can offer classes via skype at our school. To get started, fill out a simple form.

Good luck! 

Source: https://fluenglish.com/stati/studentam-na-zametku/pre-intermediate/479-slova-isklyucheniya-mnozhestvennoe-chislo-anglijskij.html

Chief plural in English. Plural in English: educational rules

When we talk about a subjectah, the phenomenons, peoples, we use the plural. In this article, we will analyze the general rules for the formation of the plural, give examples and indicate the exception words that do not lend themselves to the rules. And at the end of the article, you will find a detailed table in which we have collected all the rules, exceptions and many examples so that you always have a plural cheat sheet at your fingertips. Let’s start?

The basic rule for the formation of plural nouns

  1. The general rule is suitable for most nouns in English, and it sounds like this: you need to add to the word in the singular —sand we get plural.

    A Spoonspoons (spoon — spoons).
    A dogdogs (dog — dogs).

  2. sssshchtchzxthen we add —es.

    A brushbrushe’s (brush — brushes).
    A torchThuches (torch — torches).
    A matchmatches (match — matches).

  3. If a noun ends in —y (and —у reads like Russian / and /), then —y disappears and is added —ies.

    A countrycountries (country — countries).
    A cherryycherries (cherry — cherries).

  4. If a noun ends in —ayeyoy (-y at the end it reads as Russian / y /), then we just add —s.

    a boyboys (boy — boys).
    A toytoys(toy — toys).

  5. If a noun ends in —о, then add —es.

    a tomatootomatoyes (tomato — tomatoes).
    A herohere yes (hero — heroes).

    A pianogroundos (piano — multiple pianos)
    A kilokilos (kilogram — kilograms)
    A photophotos (photography — photographs)
    Emptyoemptyos (video — several videos)
    A flamingoflamingos (es) (flamingos — several flamingos)
    A Volcanovolcanoos (es) (volcano — volcanoes)

  6. If a noun ends in —f or —fe, then —f changes to —v and added —es.

    A loafloaves (loaf — loaves).
    A wifewives (wife — wives).

The plural of «incorrect» nouns

  1. Some nouns defy any rules. Unfortunately, we have no choice but to memorize the plural form of such nouns.
    • A man — men (man — men).
    • A person — people (person people).
    • A woman — women (woman’s woman).
    • A mouse — mice (mouse — mice).
    • A foot — feet (leg legs).
    • A child — children (children).
    • A tooth — teeth (tooth teeth).
    • A goose — geese (goose — geese).
    • An ox — oxen (bull — bulls).
  2. And then there are nouns that have the same forms, both in the singular and in the plural.
    • A fish — fish (fish — fish).
    • A fruit — fruit (fruit — fruit).
    • A deer — deer (deer — deer).
    • A sheep — sheep (sheep — sheep).
    • A Swiss — Swiss (Swiss — Swiss).
  3. Many words borrowed from Greek and Latin are also considered exceptions to the general rule. And their plural form also needs to be memorized. A few words are presented below. And we have collected a more complete list in the table at the end of the article.
    • A phenomenon — phenomena (phenomenon — phenomena).
    • A datum — data (information).
    • A formula — formulae (formula — formulas).
    • A genius — genii (genius — geniuses).

Let’s now see how a teacher Rebeccaс engvid explains this topic in English.

Even if you have a low level of English, you will in any case understand what she is saying, as she speaks slowly and uses words that we already know.

English plural uncountable nouns

All nouns in English can be divided into two groups: countable and uncountable. The nouns that we have analyzed so far in this article are considered countable — they are all plural. This means that they can be counted: one boy (the boy) — two boys (two boys), one man (to man) — three men (three men) etc.

But also in English there are nouns that are used only in the singular, they simply do not have a plural form. Such nouns are called uncountable. Russian also has similar words: information (information), coffee (coffee). Uncountable nouns in English include the following groups:

  • All bulk and liquid substances: water (water), cream (cream), rice (rice).
  • Abstract concepts: success (success), Happiness (happiness), love (love).
  • Words information (information), advice (advice), money (money), News (news), furniture (furniture).

What if we need to count the number of these uncountable nouns? In this case, we consider not the objects and phenomena themselves, but what they are measured by.

For example, we cannot say “two sugars”, but we can say “two kilogram sugar «,» two spoons sugar «,» two sachet sugar «- in all these cases, we count sugar using units of measurement of bulk solids.

By the way, note that in Russian in all examples, the word «sugar» is in the singular. Each of the uncountable nouns has its own units of measurement:

  • A bottle of milkTwo bottlesof milk (a bottle of milk — two bottles of milk).
  • A kilo of ricethree kilosrice (a kilogram of rice is three kilograms of rice).
  • A glass of juiceth glassesof juice (a glass of juice — ten glasses of juice).
  • We have dedicated a separate article «» to the words by which we measure uncountable nouns.

Without the rules for the formation of the plural, it is impossible to speak English competently, because this topic is closely related to the use of verbs, articles and other parts of speech. Therefore, it is so important to understand all the rules well. Do not forget to download the table by which you can always navigate and choose the correct plural.

And also take the test to better remember the rules.

Test

Plural of nouns in English

Today we will learn all about the formation of the plural in English. It would seem that it is enough to add -s to the end of the word, and the plural form of the noun is ready! But not everything is so simple. Let’s figure it out.

A noun is a part of speech that denotes an object (a chair), a person (a child — a child), an animal (a cat — a cat), a substance (milk — milk), a phenomenon (rain — rain) or an abstract concept (happiness — happiness).

It is important to remember that the plural or singular form of a noun is also important for the alignment of the subject (who? / What?) With the predicate (what does?). For countable nouns, we use the singular or plural form of the verb. And with uncountable nouns, we use the verb only in the singular.

Kids are curious. — Children curious.
My kid is curious. — My child curious.
The milk is too hot for me. — Milk too hot for me.

So that the rules for the formation of the plural are not forgotten, but firmly settled in the head, they need to be practiced in practice. To do this, sign up for.

Basic rules for the formation of the plural in English

There are several ways to form the plurality of countable nouns in English:

  1. The most common rule is to add the ending -s to the singular noun:

    an apple — apples a pen — pens

    a problem — problems

    We pronounce the ending -s as / z / after voiced consonants or vowels. For example: dogs / dɒɡz / (dogs), hands / hændz / (hands), keys / kiːz / (keys).

Source: https://chemistry-gid.ru/detstvo/chief-vo-mnozhestvennom-chisle-na-angliiskom-mnozhestvennoe-chislo-v-angliiskom.html

Pluralization in English, exceptions

As you know, English nouns can be singular or plural. Plural of nouns in English language, as well as in Russian, is used to designate two or more objects.

If unions can be good for the worker in the singular, then they are not always good for the worker in the plural. Especially when it comes to finding a job.

~ Amity Shlaes

The rules for the formation of the plural in English, in comparison with Russian, do not require memorizing a huge number of endings, alternating vowels or the loss of consonants. But, as in any other language, there are exceptions and peculiarities of use.

How to add a plural ending correctly, which English nouns do not form a plural according to the rules? This article will tell you about this and much more.

Plural formation in English

Reference Table: English Plural Formation

As you know, there are many more countable nouns in English than uncountable ones. Countable Nouns can be singular or plural.

Singular (eng. singular) is used to refer to one subject:

a pencil (Russian pencil)

a boy (Russian boy

a house (Russian house)

Plural (eng. plural) means that there are more than one items: two, three, four, many, few, etc:

two pencils

three boys

many houses

To use the plural noun correctly, you need to know the rules of education, of which there are not so many.

Plural rules ending -s

Nouns in English form the plural by adding the singular to the form endings –s.

The plural form of most English nouns is formed by the ending — (e) s, which is added to the noun in the singular.

The -s ending can be pronounced like [z] after voiced consonants and vowels or as [s] after voiceless consonants.

Examples of plurals with the ending -s

Singular Translation Plural Pronunciation

room room rooms [ruːmz]
pencil карандаш pencils [‘pensilz]
shoe shoe shoes [ʃuːz]
chair chair chairs [ʧɛəz]
book book books [bʊks]
map map

Source: https://ienglish.ru/blog/grammatika-angliiskogo-iazika/spravochnik-po-angliiskoi-grammatike/mnozhestvennoe-chislo-v-angliiskom

Plural of nouns. Exceptions

The plural of nouns in English is formed by adding -s (except for special cases — if a word ends in O, Y, a hissing or hissing sound — we considered the rules in the previous article). But there are words in the English language, the plural form of which is not formed according to the rules — they just need to be remembered. 

Man — men

This pair will bring the most difficulties to the Russian-speaking student. It is quite difficult for us to distinguish the difference between the sounds e and æ by ear — in Russian there is no sound æ. But don’t let this seem strange to you: in English, for example, there is no sound s. For an English-speaking person, the words «husband» and «mouse» sound the same.

Marvelous? Likewise, you surprise your English-speaking friends when you do not distinguish between where is man and where is men.
So, let’s try to figure it out. The sound e (the one in the words men, bed, pen — men, bed and pen) is closest to our E, for example, in the word «this».

The sound æ (the words man, bad, pan — man, bad and frying pan) is a cross between our E and A — take a closer look: even the icon that denotes the transcription consists of connected a and e.

«Twelve angry men»- is a brilliant movie about a Mon who was brave enough to doubt. «Twelve Angry Men» a brilliant film about a man who dared to doubt.

Woman — women

Everything is simple here — these two words are pronounced completely differently, it remains only to learn their pronunciation.

Women can see breasts anytime they want. You just look down, and there they are. How do you get any work done is beyond me. (Friends)

Child — children

Another exception to remember. Although, this word has been encountered so many times in various places that it is simply impossible not to remember it.

I music — from «Child In Time «by Deep Purple to»Children«By Robert Miles.

Person — people (person people)

Usually beginners bypass the word person — and in those cases when it is necessary to use the word “person”, they simply use “man”, for example, “every man knows that”. Not that you will not be understood, but this is not accepted. Or even more fun, «You are a good man, Sarah.»

Man is exactly a man, and women can take offense at such a remark — from “and we, they say, are they not people or something” to “who is this man here”. It is for such cases that the neutral word person exists.

Which in the plural becomes such a close and native word «people», in the sense of people.

Tooth — teeth

The next two exceptions are related to body parts. Let’s start with the teeth. One tooth is a tooth, several are teeth.

Foot — feet

Do not forget that the foot is not only a part of the body, but also a measure of length. And although it sounds to us like a unit of measurement from adventure novels and westerns, in America it is used all the time. It is equal, as you might guess, to the length of the average foot, i.e. about 30 cm.

Mouse — mice

A few more exceptions are the names of animals. Many people remember Mickey Mouse. Mouse is not a surname, it is who he is — a mouse, mouse. But you could hear the plural of this noun if you are not indifferent to American prose — by the title of Steinbeck’s novel «Of mice and men» (About mice and men).

I suspect a tricky question: what about computer mice? Computer mice or computer mouses? Even native speakers have not yet come to a common opinion — dictionaries allow both forms.

Sheep — sheep

And also a ram — rams — in English, animals of both sexes are called so.
There is little confusion in the English language between sheep — ship, with these long and short vowels, and also with the plural. It’s not an easy story. So you will count sheep before bed — be careful: one sheep, two sheep, three sheep.

How many sheep does it take to knit a sweater? Don’t be silly — sheep can’t knit!

Fish — fish, and sometimes fishes

Another exception — this time from the water element. One fish — one fish, five fish — five fish. As for the form of choosing between fish and fishes, fish is for fish of the same species, fishes for fish of different species. Please note that this fact is not known to all carriers, be prepared to be corrected if you say «While scuba diving I saw several fishes» (When I scuba dived I saw different types of fish).

Source: https://englishexplained.ru/plurals-exceptions/

4 plural problems in English ⋆ Speakingo

English singular and plural noun form is a fairly simple topic. Usually the fun starts when we start getting into details. We are faced with 4 problems of plural nouns in English.

We will start, however, without problem with the singular, and only later will we move on to the vicissitudes of the plural.

How do we create an English singular form?

We do not create! When we recognize the word, the dictionary is given in the singular! For example cat (cat), house (house) or car (car) they are singular, there is one such thing.

Also words that later turn out to be a little problematic, such as bus, party, wife, child, or love.

So what does the plural look like in English?

How do we create the English plural form?

Ha! The matter is very simple. Add the ending -s at the end of the word and that’s it. How difficult is Russian:

  • day-days → day-days,
  • cat-cats → cat-cats,
  • tree-trees -> tree-trees,
  • bank-banks → bank, banks

and so on.

Unfortunately, as I mentioned, this question gets more complicated when we look closely at the subject of the English plural. I would divide the problems here into four groups: with spelling, with pronunciation, with exceptions, and with uncountable nouns.

Why is the word pants (AmE) in the plural and a pair of pants in the singular? (By the way, the answer is simple — because in the sixteenth century «pants» or pantaloons consisted of two separate legs)

1. Problem with writing English plural

If we are not interested in writing, but speaking, this problem does not apply to us. However, most of us sometimes have to write something in English (email or test), so it’s worth dwelling on this topic.

Take, for example, the English penny, i.e. penny. It is pronounced like this:

and in the plural:

As you’ve probably noticed, the plural of the noun is penny to pennies, not pennys. Although what hear, it’s just the -s addition to penny, plural spelling unfortunately this is not just adding the letter -s

Fortunately, this thread has some simple and easy to remember rules:

The easiest way to remember is that if a word ends with -y (since ours is penny), we change the last letter -y to three others: -ies. From this it comes out:

  • penny-pennies
  • (obligation) duty — duties
  • (newborn) baby-babies
  • (strawberry) strawberry-strawberries
  • (party) party-parties

and so on.

Unfortunately, this is not the whole story. The above principle only works for words in which -y is written after a consonant. If a word ends with a combination of vowels (a, e, i, o, u) + y, that is, two vowels, we apply the general rule: (boy) boy-boys, (toy) toy-toys

Against all odds, it makes sense. Just listen, penny, duty, baby are endingvowel / y /. However, if we say boy or toy, there is no / y / there, most likely we hear two sounds / oj /. So just remember that we apply the principle to what we hear,
not what we see on paper.
Another benefit of learning through speech rather than grammatical theorizing!

The second such case is words ending in a sound (not necessarily a letter!) F.

As you know, in English it is often unknown how to read and pronounce a given word (because English really is a conglomeration of different languages, and each language has its own rules, but this is a completely different story). Therefore, for the following words, although we hear that we just add the letters -s at the end of the word, again the difference will be in spelling. For example:

  • (wife) wife-wives
  • (wolf) wolf-wolves
  • (knife) knife-knives
  • (elf) elf-elves
  • (life) life-lives

Of course, English would not be English if there were no exceptions. Roof, for example (roof-roofs) or dwarf (dwarf-dwarfs — although since Tolkien’s time, dwarves have become more popular).

But in general, everything is not so scary, right? What is the problem with pronunciation of plural English nouns?

2. The problem caused by the pronunciation of the English plural nouns

Well, we create a plural by adding -s at the end of the word. But what if the word already has the -s ending? Ha! If we add the second -s we will start to bob like a snake!

For example, a bus — how would that sound! One bus, two bussssss

Source: https://speakingo.com/ru/mnozhestvennoe-chislo-singular-plural-anglijskoe-edinstvennoe-chislo/

Singular and plural nouns in English. Irregular plural forms in English

This article talks about the nuances of plural education in English. Besides just adding the letter «s» to the singular noun, there are also exceptions and other rules. These rules will help you to better cope with grammar tasks in the USE and OGE tests. All examples are voiced by native speaker George Dol.

How to use the SINGLE AND PLUARY FORMS OF Nouns in English?

1. Plural by adding «s«

2. Plural for nouns ending in «sh«,»ch«,»x«,»s«,»ss«

3. Plural for nouns ending in «f» or «fe«

4. Plural for nouns ending in «y«

5. Other plural forms (child/children)

6. Plural from nouns of Latin or Greek origin (Datum/date)

7. The plural form of nouns coincides with the only (sheep/sheep)

8. Nouns ending in s/icsbut only used in the singular

9. Nouns that are used only in the plural (trousers,glasses)

10. Nouns that are used only in the singular (advice,money)

11. Collective nouns that are used only in the plural (polilce,military)

12. Collective nouns that are used both in the singular and in the plural (familyteam)

13. FORM A MULTIPLE FORM OF NONS (TEST # 1)

To form plural nouns in English, we add the ending “s«.

Read by George William Dole

If the word ends with deaf consonant [k, p, s, t, f, tʃ , ʃ , θ, h], then «s«Reads like»s«.

Read by George William Dole

If the word ends with vowel [i, e, a, y, u, o], or ringing consonant [b, v, g, d, z, l, m, n, r], «s«Voiced and read as»z«.

Read by George William Dole

If a noun ends in a hissing or hissing sound, namely letters sh, ch, x, s, ss, z then when adding to them “s» between sh, ch, x, s, ss, z and «s”Appears“e«

Read by George William Dole

EXCEPTIONS:

There is one exception to this rule. If the ending ch pronounced like ‘k‘then you add «s«Instead of»es«: 

If a noun ends in “f» or «fe«Then these endings change to»v«And between them and»s”Appears“e«

Read by George William Dole

Singular and plural nouns

In terms of numbers, it is mainly countable nouns that change. Uncountable nouns, as a rule, are used only in the singular form:

sugar — sugar, love — love, friendship — friendship.

In the plural, they are used only when the variety of species, concepts expressed by them is meant, or when they are used in another meaning in which they are already countable. For example:

air — air, movement — movement (as a general concept), music — music, milk — milk, knowledge — knowledge, hair — hair (on a person’s head).

BUT: air — aria, melody — »airs — arias, melodies, movement — movement (for example, political or dance) -> movements — movements (the same), hair — hair -» hairs — hairs, etc.

The plural of nouns is usually formed by adding an ending -s to the singular form:

book — book — »books — books, day — day -> days — days, house — house -> houses — houses.

Reading the ending «-s»:

after voiceless consonants — [s]: books [buks] after voiced consonants and vowels — [z]: friends [frendz], days [deiz]

after sibilants and sibilants (-es) — [iz]: boxes [‘boksiz]

Exception l. Nouns ending in the singular with letters o, s, ss, sh, ch, x (sibilants and sibilants, as they are called), plural ending -Is:

hero — hero -> heroes — heroes, kiss [kis] — kiss -> kisses — kisses, brush — brush -> brushes — brushes, bench — bench -> benches — benches, box — box -> boxes — boxes.

BUT: In words of foreign origin ending in o, only the ending is added to the noun in the plural -s:

piano — grand piano -> pianos — grand pianos, photo — photography — »photos — photos.

Exception 2. For nouns ending in y with a preceding consonant, y is dropped and the ending is added instead -ieswhich reads [-iz]:

country [‘kAntri] — country -> countries [kAntriz] — countries, city — city cities — cities, family — family families — families.

BUT: If there is a vowel in front of y, then the plural is formed according to the general rule, that is, by adding an ending -s:

day — day — »days — days, boy — boy -» boys — boys.

3. Twelve nouns ending in -f or -faith, in the plural lose these letters. An ending is added instead of -f or -fe -ves… These are nouns:

wife — wife, life — life, knife — knife, wolf — wolf, self — essence, human form, calf — calf, shelf — shelf, leaf — leaf (plants), loaf — loaf (bread), thief — thief, half — half, sheaf — pack (paper), etc.

For example: wife [waif] — wife — »wives [waivz] — wife, knife [naif] — knife -> knives [naivz] — knives, shelf — shelf -> shelves — shelves.

4. Some nouns are plural by changing the root vowel:

man — man -> men — men, woman — woman — »women — women, foot [fut] — leg feet [fi: t] — legs, tooth — tooth -» teeth — teeth.
HO: child — child -> children — children.

5. For compound nouns, the plural is formed by adding an ending -s to the second word:

armchairs — armchairs, bookcases — bookcases.

BUT: If these words are united by a preposition, then the first word is put in the plural: sisters-in-law — daughters-in-law.

Words borrowed from Greek or Latin languages ​​form a plural form according to the rules of these languages:

appendix — appendix — »appendices — appendices (to the book), crisis — crisis -> crises — crises, basis — base, bases — bases, radius — radius -> radii — radii.

Names Nouns used only in the singular

  1. Uncountable nouns (both real and abstract) are usually used only in the singular:

    iron — iron, salt — salt, milk — milk, sugar — sugar, love — love.

  2. Nouns advice (advice, advice), information (message, information), progress (success, success), knowledge (knowledge) are used only in the singular.

    He gave me some good advice. He gave me some good advice.
    My coach was satisfied with my progress. My coach was pleased with my progress

  3. The nouns news (news, news), money (money), fruit (fruits, fruits) are used in the singular. But, for example, the plural is used to denote different types of fruits — fruits.

    What is the news? What’s the news? It’s his money. This is his money.

    Fruit is cheap in autumn. In the fall, fruits are cheap.

  4. Among countable nouns, there are those that are used only (or mainly) in the singular form. These are the names of some animals, objects, etc.:

    two sheep — two sheep, six fish — six fish, ten swine — ten pigs, five deer — five deer.

Nouns Plural only nouns

  1. Nouns usually denoting paired objects:

    spectacles — glasses, trousers — trousers, scissors — scissors, scales — scales.

  2. The names of some objects, in contrast to the Russian language, are used in English only in the plural:

    clothes — clothes, goods — goods, contents — content, etc.

NOTE:

The noun people (peoples) in the plural means people (peoples), in the singular meaning people.

There were many people in the square. There were many people in the square.
There are many peoples in Russia. There are many peoples (lives) in Russia.

Source: https://catchenglish.ru/grammatika/chislo-sushchestvitelnykh.html

Plural of nouns in English

The plural of nouns in English is not a difficult topic, however, there are also some nuances that need to be paid attention to. Let’s thoroughly analyze all the rules for the formation of the plural in English.

Outline of the article.

Plural formation

All countable nouns in English can be singular or plural. Plural most nouns are formed by adding the ending -s or -es.

book — books, bush — bushes

Plural ending can have different pronunciations.

After voiceless consonants, the ending is pronounced softly [s] — [c]     

hook-hooks

After voiced consonants and vowels, the ending is pronounced voiced [z] — [z]

dog-dogs

After s, z, x, sh, ch, the ending is pronounced [iz] — [of]

boss-bosses, box-boxes

Ending -S or -ES?

Which ending should you choose? It depends on the final letter of the noun.

The ending -ES is added if the noun ends in S, Z, X, SH, CH:

box — boxes, brush — brushes, bench — benches, bus — buses, clutz — klutzes

In other cases, the ending -S is added.

Pay attention to plural formation the following nouns ending in Z, since in these 2 cases the doubling of Z occurs)

Quiz — quizzes (test — tests)

Fez — fezzes (fresco — frescoes)

Plural formation of nouns ending in O

Nouns with the ending O require special attention. They can take both endings. We will add the ending -S in the following cases:

  • when the final O is preceded by a vowel

bamboo — bamboos, kangaroo — kangaroos, embryo — embryos, zoo — zoos

Romeo –Romeos, Filipino — Filipinos

  • in abbreviations and abbreviated words

photo –photos (short for photograph), pro –pros (short for professional), kilo — kilos (short for kilogram)

  • in some borrowed words

piano –pianos, tobacco –tobaccos, concerto –concertos, solo — solos, dynamo –dynamos, tango — tangos, quarto — quartos

In other cases, you need to use the ending -ES:

potato –potatoes, Negro — Negroes, tomato — tomatoes, echo –echoes, embargo — embargoes

There is also a group of nouns ending in O, which can take any of two endings:

cargo — cargos or cargoes, banjo — banjos or banjoes, halo — halos or haloes.

Plural formation of nouns ending in U

If a noun ends in Y, then it takes the ending -ES. In this case, Y goes into I:

Source: http://grammar-tei.com/plural-number/

There are many creatures that live in the water. Some taste good, and some do not. Some have scales, and others have hard shells.

Fish are one group of these animals. Some English speakers aren’t sure how to refer to more than one fish. Should you use fish, or fishes? Read on to find out.

What is the Difference Between Fish and Fishes?

In this post, I will explore fish vs. fishes. I will use each word in a sentence to illustrate its proper use. Plus, I will show you a helpful trick to use when deciding which of these words to use in your own writing.

When to Use Fish

fish versus fishes What does fish mean? Fish can be either a noun or a verb.

As a noun, it refers to a group of aquatic vertebrate animals that use gills to breathe. Fish can be found in most bodies of water. Some are eaten, and some are kept as pets.

Fish can function as both a singular and plural noun. A popular example would be the well-known children’s book One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish. It also refers to fish as a food item, without regard to the amount of fish being consumed.

See the sentences below for examples of fish used as a noun.

  • Adelle saw a group of fish swimming in the pond.
  • Robert has a pet fish named Claire.
  • Let’s eat fish for dinner.
  • Tens of thousands of dead fish have closed Montana’s Yellowstone River and stirred new worries Monday about lasting impacts to the region’s lucrative outdoors industry. –The Washington Post

As a plural noun, fish is actually the newer term, but, according to the OED, it has been in use since at least 1300, and is now the more common plural form.

As a verb, to fish is to capture aquatic animals through any of several methods. Fishing is a popular pastime, an important industry, and in some parts of the world, a way of life.

Here are some examples,

  • Today, I will go to the river and fish for trout.
  • Some say that rainy days are the best days to fish.

When to Use Fishes

Definition of fishes definition and definition of fish definitionFishes can also be a noun or a verb.

As a noun, it is an alternative plural of fish. Although fishes is the older of the two plural forms, its use today is rare and idiomatic, as in the following phrases:

  • Jesus fed the crowd with five loaves and two fishes.
  • “Luca Brasi sleeps with the fishes,” Sal said.

It is also sometimes used when referring to more than one species of fish.

For example,

  • Perch and bass are two fishes hunted for sport in the American Midwest.
  • Fortunately, perceptions of these ancient fishes are slowly changing, as new research and renewed interest from anglers are garnering a more positive image of these misunderstood fishes. –National Geographic

As a verb, it is the third-person present tense of to fish, as in the following sentence:

  • Jermaine fishes for salmon, and shares it with his family.

Trick to Remember the Difference

Define fishes and define fishHere is a helpful trick to remember fishes vs. fish.

Using fish as a verb is fairly straightforward, but the same cannot be said of its use as a plural noun.

Unless you are using a specific idiom like those mentioned above, choose fish for most contexts, singular or plural. Fish is the most widely used plural form of the word in English today.

You can remember which word to use by reminding yourself that “fish is salty.” You would not use the phrase “fishes is salty,” so you should not choose fishes for general use.

Summary

Is it fish or fishes? Fish and fishes can both be used as either a verb or a plural noun. To fish is to capture aquatic animals, and as plural nouns, fish and fishes refer to more than one such animal.

You can use the phrase “fish is good” to remind yourself that fish should be used in most situations. If you still have trouble remembering when to use fishes or fish, you can check this article for extra help.

Contents

  • 1 What is the Difference Between Fish and Fishes?
  • 2 When to Use Fish
  • 3 When to Use Fishes
  • 4 Trick to Remember the Difference
  • 5 Summary

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