Plural Noun
In English, there are several rules for forming plurals and some exceptions to the rules. Therefore, it is essential to understand the rules and exceptions of plural nouns to use them correctly in written and spoken English. Here we will discuss its rules with examples in brief.
What is a Plural Noun?
Plural nouns are vital to English grammar; we use them in everyday speech. A word that designates more than one individual, location, object, or concept is called a plural noun.
Plural Noun Definition
A word that refers to multiple entities—a person, place, thing, or idea—is a plural noun. Plural nouns can also indicate possession, ownership, or a relationship between two or more nouns. You can form Plural Nouns by adding an -s or -es to the end of a singular noun. In some cases, the spelling of plural nouns may change, adding -en to the end of oxen or -ies to the end of puppies.
Plural Noun Examples
Some examples of plural nouns are:
- the plural of dog is dogs
- the plural of house is houses
- the plural of cat is cats
- the plural of a child is children
- the plural of the book is books
- the plural of a mouse is mice
Plural nouns are essential to constructing sentences and expressing ideas. Therefore, correctly knowing how to use plural nouns is critical to writing and speaking effectively in English.
How to Form Plural Nouns?
English grammar can be tricky, especially when forming plural nouns. But, with the proper guidance, forming plural nouns can be pretty straightforward. Here are some tips for forming plural nouns:
- The most common way to create a plural noun is to add -s or -es to the end of the singular noun.
- You can add- es for nouns with an s, sh, ch, x, or z end to make them multiple. For example, the bus becomes buses, and witch becomes witches.
- To make nouns that end in a consonant and y multiple, you can add the suffix -ies. For example, the party becomes parties, and the sky becomes the skies.
- For nouns that end in a vowel and y, you can add -s to make them plural. For example, the toy becomes a toy, and the tray becomes trays.
- For nouns that end in an f or fe, you can replace the f or fe with ves to make them plural. For example, the roof becomes the roof, and the wife becomes wives.
Plural Noun Example in Sentences
Overall, plural nouns are an essential part of English grammar, and they are used to refer to more than one person, thing, place, or idea.
Plural Noun Examples in Sentences are:
- The dogs barked all night.
- The houses were all painted in different colors.
- Cats are my favorite animals.
- Birds are a delight to watch as they fly through the sky.
Plural Noun Rules
While the rules for forming plurals can be complex, understanding the basics of plural nouns can help you communicate more effectively. First, add “s” to make a word multiple. Cats, for instance, is the plural of the word “cat.” However, there are several exceptions to this rule.
- For nouns that end in “s,” “z,” “x,” “ch,” or “sh,” you typically add “es” to form the plural. So, for example, the plural of “box” is “boxes,” and the plural of “church” is “churches.”
- It would be best if you dropped “y” and “ies” for nouns that end in “y” to form the plural. For example, the plural of “penny” is “pennies.” However, if a vowel precedes the “y,” you add an “s” to make the noun plural. For example, the plural of “toy” is “toys.”
- Nouns that end in “f” or “fe” typically require you to drop the “f” or “fe” and add “ves” to form the plural. For example, the plural of “knife” is “knives,” and the plural of “wife” is “wives.”
By understanding the rules of plural nouns, you can make sure you communicate in English. In addition, you will be better prepared to understand the meaning of unfamiliar words.
Irregular Plural Nouns
Irregular plural nouns are those nouns that do not follow the usual rules for forming plurals. Therefore, these nouns require special attention when writing in the plural form. Examples of irregular plural nouns are some animals (mouse – mice), some nouns that end in f or fe (calf – calves), some nouns that end in o (potato – potatoes), some nouns that end in y (toy – toys), some nouns that end in s or z (gas – gases), and some nouns that end in is (axis – axes).
In most cases, when forming an irregular plural, the final letter of the singular form is changed to an -es or -s.
When forming irregular plurals, it is essential to remember that not all nouns follow the same rules. For example, some nouns, like “sheep” and “deer,” don’t change when they become plural. On the other hand, some nouns modify in an unexpected way, such as “child,” which becomes “children,” and “ox,” which becomes “oxen.”
When in doubt, it is best to consult a dictionary to determine the correct plural form of a word. Remember that some nouns, like “water,” “air,” and “money,” don’t have a plural form.
Irregular plural nouns can be confusing, but with some practice and by consulting a dictionary, it is possible to master them. In addition, knowing how to form irregular plurals correctly will help make written work more accurate and professional.
Plural Nouns vs. Singular Nouns
A noun is a word you can refer to as a person, place, thing, or idea. While plural nouns relate to many, singular nouns, only refer to one specific person, place, thing, or idea. In addition, singular nouns typically take the form of the word itself, while plural nouns take a different state, usually by adding an -s or -es at the end. For example, the singular form of the word “book” is “book,” while the plural form is “books.”
Singular nouns are often used in the subject of a sentence, while plural nouns are in the object of a sentence. For instance, the issue is “cat,” a singular word, while the thing is “mouse,” a plural noun, in the sentence “The cat chased the mouse.”
In addition, singular nouns refer to a single person or thing, while plural nouns refer to more than one person or thing. For example, the particular form of the word “person” is “person,” while the plural form is “people.”
Plural Noun Quiz/Exercises
Q1. What’s the plural of a lady?
- Ladys
- Ladyes
- Ladies
Q2. What’s the plural of a bush?
- Bushs
- Bushes
- Bushies
Q3. What’s the plural of Goose?
- Geeses
- Geese
- Gooses
Q4. What’s the plural of Church?
- Churchs
- Church
- Churches
Q5. What’s the plural of shop?
- Shopps
- Shopes
- Shops
FAQ’s
Que 1. What is a plural noun?
Ans. A word that designates more than one individual, location, object, or concept is called a plural noun. Examples of plural nouns include books, dogs, cars, and bananas.
Que 2. What is an irregular plural noun?
Ans. A noun that does not construct the plural by adding -s or -es is said to have an irregular plural. Examples of irregular plural nouns include children, feet, geese, mice, oxen, and teeth.
Que 3. What is a plural noun example?
Ans. Plural noun examples include cats, dogs, birds, books, houses, cars, people, apples, chairs, and trees.
Pop quiz! Do you have any pets? Do you have any siblings? Do you have sore feet? Have you brushed your teeth today? Are you afraid of mice? Don’t worry, there are no wrong answers. As you took our silly quiz, you may have noticed something strange going on. Our little quiz used several different nouns, words we use to refer to people, places, and things. We use many different types of nouns, but the nouns in our quiz are all of the same type: plural nouns. If they are all plural nouns then why do some of them look so odd? Plural nouns are an especially tricky type of noun that don’t always play by the rules, so let’s take a moment to learn more about them.
What is a plural noun?
The word plural is used in grammar to mean “noting or pertaining to a member of the category of number, found in many languages, indicating that a word has more than one referent.” So, a plural noun is a noun that refers to more than one of something.
For example, the word cats is a plural noun because it refers to more than one animal. On the other hand, the word dog is not a plural noun because it only refers to a single animal. A noun that only refers to one of something is called a singular noun. For the most part, you should be able to identify most plural nouns if you remember that they refer to more than one of something. Notably, plural nouns cannot follow the articles a and an and always use plural verbs (such as are, were, and do).
What is a regular plural noun?
The general rule of plural nouns is that they are created by adding the letter S to the end of a singular noun. For example, you take the singular noun apple and add an S to make the plural noun apples. When comparing singular and plural nouns, we can often say that the plural noun is the “plural of X singular noun.” For example, the noun bugs is the plural of the singular noun bug.
For singular nouns that already end in S, we instead add the ending –es. For example, we add –es to the end of the singular noun bus to make the plural noun buses. You can see the same thing happening in words like guesses, dresses, biases, and losses.
We refer to plural nouns that follow these simple rules as regular plural nouns.
Some words are a bit trickier and don’t follow these rules exactly or may change spelling when made into a plural noun. For example, the plural of marsh is marshes, and the plural of baby is babies.
Take note that just because a noun ends in –s or -es doesn’t mean it is a plural noun. For example, the words James, glass, and bias are all not plural nouns.
Are you keeping up with the Jones … es … ? Find out how to pluralize all those confusing last names here.
What is an irregular plural noun?
Now we get to the plural nouns that love to cause everyone problems. Irregular plural nouns do not follow the rules mentioned above that most plural nouns follow. Instead, these troublesome nouns break the rules and you will need to simply learn and memorize them as you see them.
Irregular plural noun examples
While there is no one, single general rule that binds all irregular plural nouns together, we can separate them into some particular groups.
-f and -fe nouns
For these irregular plural nouns, we drop the final -f or -fe in the singular noun and replace it with the ending -ves.
- -f nouns: wolf becomes wolves, calf becomes calves, half becomes halves
- -fe nouns: wife becomes wives, knife becomes knives, life becomes lives
Frustratingly, not every singular noun ending in -f or -fe becomes an irregular plural noun. For example, the plural of roof is roofs and the plural of safe is safes. Thanks, English.
Vowel changes
Some singular nouns become plural nouns by changing vowels in the middle of the word. There is no rule or pattern that tells you when this happens. You will just have to learn which words do this as you discover them.
- man becomes men, goose becomes geese, tooth becomes teeth, foot becomes feet
Latin and Greek words
Singular nouns that come from Latin or Greek often change spelling when used as plural nouns.
- cactus becomes cacti, stimulus becomes stimuli, fungus becomes fungi
- bacterium becomes bacteria, referendum becomes referenda
- axis becomes axes, basis becomes bases, stasis becomes stases
Words that change completely
Some irregular plural nouns don’t follow any specific trends at all when compared to their corresponding singular noun versions.
- singular: mouse; plural: mice
- singular: louse; plural: lice
- singular: person; plural: people
- singular: ox; plural: oxen
- singular: child; plural: children
- singular: die; plural: dice
Words that don’t change at all
Some irregular plural nouns are identical to their singular noun counterparts. For these plural nouns, you must use context to determine if the word actually is a plural noun.
- fish, sheep, moose, tuna, deer, buffalo, shrimp, series, species, offspring, aircraft
List of regular and irregular plural nouns
Listed below are many different plural nouns that refer to people, places, and things. As you read them, think about what singular nouns would be used in their place and if they are regular or irregular plural nouns.
- people: clowns, bosses, actors, actresses, women, gangs, squads, enemies
- animals: goats, cows, chickens, swine, sheep, oxen, moose, salmon, trout, geese
- places: towns, villages, beaches, cities, communities, countries
- things: wallets, coins, cakes, lamps, keys, parties, foci, data, criteria, minutiae, insecurities, categories, insignia, athletics, pants
Now you are ready to take this quiz on regular and irregular plural nouns.
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What is singular noun?
The singular nouns are words that only refer to one person or thing. They can be used as a subject, direct object, indirect object, predicate nominative, or appositive.
For example: “I went to the store.” This sentence is about the speaker and their experience at the store. It’s also possible for a singular noun to be an appositive such as in this sentence: “Tina was wearing her best dress.”
Here, Tina is being described by what she was wearing which is called an appositive.
What is plural noun?
Plural nouns are words that refer to more than one person, place or thing. They are often used in sentences where we want to talk about a group of people, animals, or things.
Let’s take the sentence “I am teaching a class this semester.” We can change it around and say “The students have been working hard all semester long.” In the first sentence, “class” is singular and in the second sentence, “students” is plural. That means you need to use a proper noun (singular or plural) according to the situation.
It may not seem like much of a difference at first but it will make your writing sound awkward if you don’t get it right! The best way is to learn the rules of plural nouns.
We’ll break down the rules so you’ll never get your plural nouns wrong again.
Rule-1
We add ‘-s’ to the end of regular nouns to make them plurals. For examples,
Singular | Plural |
---|---|
Chair | Chairs |
Table | Tables |
Pencil | Pencils |
Book | Books |
Cat | Cats |
Rule-2
In some cases, we add suffix “-es” to the nouns ending in “o”. See examples below.
Examples
Singular | Plural |
---|---|
Tomato | Tomatoes |
Potato | Potatoes |
Mosquito | Mosquitoes |
Echo | Echoes |
Zero | Zeroes |
Rule-3
In some Latin or Greek words (foreign words) ending in “-o”, we add suffix ‘-s’. For example,
Singular | Plural |
---|---|
Avocado | Avocados |
Photo | Photos |
Video | Videos |
Studio | Studios |
Radio | Radios |
Rule-4
When singular noun ends in ‘-us’, we replace ‘-us’ with ‘-i’. Examples are,
Singular | Plural |
---|---|
Cactus | Cacti |
Fungus | Fungi |
Focus | Foci |
Nucleus | Nuclei |
Rule-5
In singular noun ending on ‘-y’ (when the letter before -y is vowel), we add ‘-s’ to the end to make the noun plural, for example,
Singular | Plural |
---|---|
Boy | Boys |
Alloy | Alloys |
Day | Days |
Ray | Rays |
Guy | Guys |
Rule-6
In singular noun ending on ‘-y’ (when the letter before -y is consonant), we replace ‘-y’ with ‘-ies’ to make the noun plural, for example
Singular | Plural |
---|---|
Lady | Ladies |
City | Cities |
Spy | Spies |
Penny | Pennies |
Army | Armies |
Rule-7
In some cases, the singular nouns ending in ‘-s’ or ‘-z’, the last letter is doubled plus we add ‘-es’ to the end. See the examples,
Singular | Plural |
---|---|
Gas | Gasses |
Quiz | Quizzes |
Fez | Fezzes |
Rule-8
In many cases, the singular noun ending in ‘-f’ or ‘-fe’, we replace the ‘-f’ or ‘-fe’ with ‘-ves’. For example,
Singular | Plural |
---|---|
Thief | Thieves |
Wife | Wives |
Loaf | Loaves |
Half | Halves |
Knife | Knives |
There are some exceptions where the rule does not apply, Examples are roof -> roofs, belief -> beliefs, cliff -> cliffs
Rule-9
In case the noun ends in ‘-on’, we replace ‘-on’ with ‘-a’ to make it plural, for example
Singular | Plural |
---|---|
Criterion | Criteria |
Phenomenon | Phenomena |
Rule-10
In case the singular noun is ending in ‘-is’, to make the noun plural, ‘-is’ is replaced with ‘-es’. For examples
Singular | Plural |
---|---|
Oasis | Oases |
Thesis | Theses |
Basis | Bases |
Crisis | Crises |
Diagnosis | Diagnoses |
Rule-11
If the nouns ends in ‘-um’, last letters ‘-um’ are replaced with ‘-a’ in plural form. Examples are
Singular | Plural |
---|---|
Datum | Data |
Agendum | Agenda |
Medium | Media |
Bacterium | Bacteria |
Memorandum | Memoranda |
Rule-12
In some case, the singular noun is ending in ‘-ex’ or ‘-ix’, the plural will end in ‘-ices’ Examples are given below:
Singular | Plural |
---|---|
Matrix | Matrices |
Index | Indices |
Vertex | Vertices |
Codex | Codices |
Rule-13
There are several singular nouns which do not follow any of the above rules while making them plural
Singular | Plural |
---|---|
Foot | Feet |
Child | Children |
Mouse | Mice |
Louse | Lice |
Man | Men |
Woman | Women |
Goose | Geese |
People | Person |
Alumnus | Alumni |
Genus | Genera |
Rule-14
Many nouns have the same singular and plural form. Fro example, plural nouns for sheep is ‘sheep’. See some more examples.
Singular | Plural |
---|---|
Fish | Fish |
Tuna | Tuna |
Salmon | Salmon |
Deer | Deer |
Gross | Gross |
Ice | Ice |
Species | Species |
Rule-15
Some nouns do not have plural forms. Examples are
- Love
- Hatred
- Lust
- Happiness
- Kindness
Types of Plurals
A lot of people don’t know about the types of plural nouns, but it’s important to understand that there are three types of plurals:-
- Regular Plurals
- Irregular Plurals
- Compound Words
The plural noun rule is one of those things that can trip you up when you’re writing sentences
Regular Plurals
Regular plurals end in s or es. For example, bag -> bags, toy -> toys, pen -> pens etc.
Irregular Plurals
Irregular plurals have a different spelling for their endings than they do for singulars. For example ox -> oxen, goose -> geese etc.
Compound Plurals
Compound words are made up of two words put together to make one word. For example, “bookcase” is a compound word with two parts – book and case. To form the plural form of this word, we would simply add an ‘s’ at the end (bookcases).
It’s easy to remember these rules if you think about them like this – just add an ‘es’ for regular plurals and an ‘s’ for irregular ones!
You can read here further: Regular and Irregular Nouns Rules with Examples
Singular Noun Example Sentences
- Fungus is vicious for human health.
- I need a knife to cut the apple.
- There is only one chair in the hall.
- Runabout is the most popular boat in the United States.
- Tom has been driving the same car for the last ten years.
- Do you think life is so easy?
- I love to eat continental food.
- Tina bought a new house in a colony near the forest.
- My room is spacious and well furnished.
- The chef baked a pie cake for the guests.
- Do you have a camera to record the action?
- The cat is sitting on the roof.
- I avoid junk food because it is unhealthy.
- They booked a table in the restaurant.
- The baby is crying with hunger.
- Do you still listen to radio programs?
- The rug was so dirty that I had to vacuum it.
- I can’t believe you left your clothes on the floor!
- You’re going to have to clean up after yourself if you want dinner tonight.
- In this game, players are given a singular noun and must use it in a sentence.
- It’s time to go home now, so I’ll see you later!
- The most common type of security system is a door alarm that will sound when someone opens your front door.
- I’m going to a party this weekend.
- Who is watching television?
- Our school was founded by a man named John Smith who wanted to create a safe space for children and teenagers who were bullied at their old schools.
Plural Nouns Example Sentences
The plural noun example sentences are often used when you want to refer to a group of people or things.
- Fungi are vicious for human health.
- There are fifty chairs in the hall.
- I avoid oily and high-calorie foods.
- Pakistan is the largest exporters of footballs all over the world.
- Jackson has a great collection of coins and stamps.
- All the friends agreed to spend a day in the jungle camp.
- There are many ways to whiten teeth naturally.
- A fleet of boats was sailing in the river.
- There are 195 countries in the world.
- Men and women are born with 12 pairs of ribs.
- She cut the pizza into equal halves.
- How many subjects have you completed in this syllabus?
- The costs of the new house are high.
- It’s important that you know what the words mean and when they can be used.
- The pencils are sharpened.
- The students have their assignments due tomorrow.
- I think both the computers need to be fixed.
- There is a lot of food for everyone to eat.
- We’ve been waiting on you guys forever!
- As a result of the recent increase in crime rates, many people are opting to buy home security systems.
- These alarms can be easily installed on existing doors with just a few screws and some wiring.
- You don’t need any special tools or equipment – all you’ll need is an electric drill and some patience.
- There are three cats in the yard.
- How many people work for your company?
- A group of students is waiting at the bus stop 30 minutes before school starts.
Worksheet for Singular and Plural Nouns
Following is a worksheet for singular and plural nouns. Answers are given at the end. Mention against each sentence whether highlighted/bold word is a singular or plural noun.
- This is my favorite pizza topping because they give me one every time I order one. (singular/plural)
- The sun is shining. (singular/plural)
- My mom’s favorite color is red. (singular/plural)
- A house has four walls, a roof, and a door. (singular/plural)
- Cars are typically rectangular in shape with sharp corners and flat surfaces. (singular/plural)
- A dog has fur on its back legs to keep it warm during winter months. (singular/plural)
- The cat is under the table. (singular/plural)
- My phone is on my desk. (singular/plural)
- The apple fell from the tree and landed in a pile of leaves. (singular/plural)
- I need to go back to my house because I left my wallet there. (singular/plural)
- That’s an interesting idea, but it won’t work for me. (singular/plural)
- I have two hands and five fingers. (singular/plural)
- You should come over to my place sometime, we’ll have fun together. (singular/plural)
- The books are on the desk. (singular/plural)
- Three dogs were playing outside. (singular/plural)
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Answers
- Singular Noun
- Singular Noun
- Singular Noun
- Singular Noun
- Plural Noun
- Singular Noun
- Singular Noun
- Singular Noun
- Singular Noun
- Singular Noun
- Singular Noun
- Plural Noun
- Singular Noun
- Plural Noun
- Plural Noun
Read also
- Singular and Plural Nouns for Kids
- Types of Noun with Examples
- Regular and Irregular Nouns
- Material Nouns
- Abstract Nouns
- Common Nouns
- Proper Nouns
- Countable and Uncountable Nouns
Plural definition: Plural form refers to a noun that includes more than one of a particular noun.
What does plural mean? Plural form is the non-singular form of nouns and pronouns. Plural form refers to more than one of a particular noun (whereas singular form refers to a single noun).
Examples of Plural Nouns
There are literally thousands of plural nouns, so we can’t exactly put an exhaustive list together, but here are a few examples of plural nouns in English.
- trees
- lakes
- movies
- umbrellas
- candies
- girls
- snacks
- burgers
- computers
- entries
Plural, Singular Forms of Nouns
What is the plural form? Most nouns have singular and plural forms. The singular form of the noun refers to one noun. The plural form of the noun refers to more than one of a single type of noun.
For most nouns, “-s” is added to the end of the sentence to create the plural form.
- dog > dogs
- cat > cats
When the word ends in “-y,” the “-y” is dropped and “-ies” is added to the end of the word to create the plural form.
- story > stories
- butterfly > butterflies
Examples of Singular/Plural Nouns
- tree/trees
- lake/lakes
- movie/movies
- umbrella/umbrellas
- candy/candies
- girl/girls
- snack/snacks
Count Nouns vs. Non-count Nouns
A count noun is a person, place, or thing that can have a singular or plural form. Most nouns have a singular and a plural form. Typically, by adding “s” to a noun, the plural form is made. A count noun can be counted.
- apple/apples
- bag/bags
- thought/thoughts
A non-count noun is a person, place, or thing that do not have a plural form. In a sense, a non-count noun cannot be counted.
- food
- luggage
- independence
Consider the last example, independence. The word independence cannot be made plural into “indepedences.”
Plural Agreement in Number
Plural nouns must appropriately agree agreement with all components in a sentence.
Plural Verb Agreement
Plural nouns require plural verbs. Using singular verbs with plural nouns (or vice versa) is unacceptable.
Examples with “to answer:”
- I answer. (singular)
- You answer. (singular and plural)
- He/She/it answers. (singular)
- We answer. (plural)
- They answer. (plural)
It is grammatically incorrect to state: You answers.
Plural Demonstrative Adjectives
Plural nouns require plural demonstrative adjectives. Using singular demonstrative adjectives with plural nouns (or vice versa) is unacceptable.
Examples:
- this pillow (singular)
- that pillow (singular)
- those pillows (plural)
- these pillows (plural)
It is grammatically incorrect to state: this pillows
Plural Possessive Adjectives
Possessive adjectives work with both singular and plural nouns.
Examples singular/plural:
- my bed/my beds
- your bed/your beds (singular)
- his/her/its bed AND his/her/its beds
- our bed/our beds
- your bed/your beds (plural)
- their bed/their beds
Exercises with Singular, Plural forms
Fill in the blank with the appropriate verb or demonstrative adjective to pair with the plural or singular nouns.
- She showed me that/those painting.
- They will visit/visits the library tomorrow.
- Remember this/these instructions.
- John, did you buy/buys bananas at the store?
- I should pack that/those pants for my trip.
See answers below.
Summary: What is a Plural Noun?
Define plural noun: the definition of plural noun is the form of a word that refers to more than one person or thing.
In summary,
- Plural nouns refer to more than one noun of a particular type.
- Singular nouns refer to only one noun of a particular type.
- Plural nouns must have correct agreement with their verbs and adjectives.
Answers:
- that
- visit
- these
- buy
- those
Contents
- 1 What is the Plural Form?
- 2 Examples of Plural Nouns
- 3 Plural, Singular Forms of Nouns
- 4 Examples of Singular/Plural Nouns
- 5 Count Nouns vs. Non-count Nouns
- 6 Plural Agreement in Number
- 7 Plural Verb Agreement
- 8 Plural Demonstrative Adjectives
- 9 Plural Possessive Adjectives
- 10 Exercises with Singular, Plural forms
- 11 Summary: What is a Plural Noun?
Plural of Nouns
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
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
- Uncountable nouns (both real and abstract) are usually used only in the singular:
iron — iron, salt — salt, milk — milk, sugar — sugar, love — love.
- 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 - 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.
- 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
- Nouns usually denoting paired objects:
spectacles — glasses, trousers — trousers, scissors — scissors, scales — scales.
- 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
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
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 (family, team)
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
Plural in English — online lessons for beginners
Read the entire lesson and do a short, easy listening exercise (a translation is shown after each assignment). In the second block of the exercise, you will be asked to write the same phrases under dictation, so listen and read carefully the phrases that you compose in the first block.
Start exercise
In most cases, the plural in English is formed very simply — the ending “-s» or «-Is«, which read differently depending on the consonant in front of it — voiced or voiceless:
For words ending in «s, ss, ch, tch, x» (hissing or whistling sounds), the ending «-Is«, Which reads loudly [of].
In a side-by-side exercise (see the main exercise below), an English noun is shown; to see it in the plural, just click on the word.
In the lesson exercise, beginners will be able to compose phrases on their own — click on the English words to translate the phrase proposed in Russian. A few words that we will meet in the exercise:
- to want [that uOnt] — to want (the verb following the verb «to want» requires the use of a particle «to«- I want to help you — I want to help you) to have [tu hEv] — to have one [uan] — one
Features of the use of plural nouns
Grammatical addition: in English, the plural can be in «countable nouns«. There are a number of nouns that are used only in the singular (we emphasize, in English; the use of words in Russian and English can both coincide and diverge, but we need to get out of the habit of making comparisons with the native language, and plunge into the logic of English):
- money [mani] — money hair [hea] — hair advice [adv] — advice
A number of other nouns are used only in the plural form:
- glasses [glAsiz] — glassesgoods [goodz] — goods trousers [trauzez] — trousers people [people] — people (singular, but implies the plural)
A number of English nouns form the plural in a special way:
- man — men [men] — [men] — man / men, people woman — women [umen] — [wiming] — woman / women (we prepare the organs of speech for pronouncing [y], but immediately pronounce the next sound) child — children [child] — [chIldren] — child / children
A separate lesson will be devoted to these features of the plural in English; now it is important for beginners to remember the basic rule for the formation of the plural.
Plural adjectives
Adjectives in english do not change in the plural and do not change by gender:
- good guy [good boy] — good boy good boys [good boys] — good boys good girl [good girl] — good girl good girls [good girls] — good girls
A noun before another noun can act as an adjective; in this case, it is not used in the plural:
- life situations — life situations
▲ Start online exercise
Next: Articles A, AN, THE and a bit of TO. • Tutor: preparation for the exam and exam, passing international exams.
• «My day» / «Working day» / «My day off»
• TEST elementary / intermediate
Source: http://english.prolingvo.info/beginner/plural.php
Plural of English nouns
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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
- The general rule of thumb is for most nouns in English, and it sounds like this: add -s to the singular, and we get the plural.
A Spoon — spoons (spoon — spoons).
A dog — dogs (dog — dogs). - If the noun ends in -s, -ss, -sh, -ch, -tch, -z, -x, then we add -es.
A brush — brushe’s (brush — brushes).
A torch — torches (torch — torches).
A match — matches (match — matches). - If a noun ends in -y (and -y is read like Russian / and /), then -y disappears, and -ies is added.
A country — countries (country — countries).
A cherryy — cherries (cherry — cherries). - If the noun ends in -ay, -ey, -oy (-y at the end reads like Russian / y /), then we just add -s.
a boy — boys (boy — boys).
A toy — toys (toy — toys). - If the noun ends in -o, then add -es.
a tomatoo — tomatyes (tomato — tomatoes).
A hero — heryes (hero — heroes).BUT!
A piano — pianos (piano — multiple pianos)
A kilo — kilos (kilogram — kilograms)
A photo — photos (photography — photographs)
Emptyo — videos (video — several videos)
A flamingo — flamingos (es) (flamingos — multiple flamingos)
A Volcano — volcanos (es) (volcano — volcanoes) - If the noun ends in -f or -fe, then -f is changed to -v and -es is appended.
A loaf — loaves (loaf — loaves).
A wife — wives (wife — wives).
The plural of «incorrect» nouns
- Some nouns defy any rules. Unfortunately, we have no choice but to memorize the plural form of such nouns.
- A man — men
- A person — people.
- A woman — women (woman — women).
- A mouse — mice.
- A foot — feet (leg — legs).
- A child — children.
- A tooth — teeth
- A goose — geese (goose — geese).
- An ox — oxen (bull — bulls).
- And then there are nouns that have the same forms, both in the singular and in the plural.
- A fish — fish
- A fruit — fruit.
- A deer — deer (deer — deer).
- A sheep — sheep.
- A Swiss — Swiss (Swiss — Swiss).
- 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.
- A datum — data (information).
- A formula — formulae.
- A genius — genii (genius — geniuses).
Let’s now see how the Rebecca teacher from 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 (a boy) — two boys (two boys), one man (a 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).
- The words information (information), advice (advice), money (money), news (news), furniture (furniture).
- You will find a detailed list of countable and uncountable nouns in this article.
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 milk — two bottles of milk (bottle of milk — two bottles of milk).
- A kilo of rice — three kilos of rice (a kilogram of rice is three kilograms of rice).
- A glass of juice — ten glasses of juice (a glass of juice — ten glasses of juice).
- We devoted a separate article «Partitive Expressions» to the words with 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.
↓ Download the table «Education of the plural in English». (* .pdf, 208 Kb)
And also take the test to better remember the rules.
Test
Plural of nouns in English
Source: https://engblog.ru/plural-of-nouns
Plural of words in English
: 4/5
It is believed that the grammatical topic “plural words in English«Is nothing complicated. And, indeed, in most cases, you just need to use the ending and that’s it. But the point is that there are several important exceptions and the same ending is not always added.
In addition, the ending itself is read differently, depending on what is in front of it. If we want our speech (both oral and written) to surprise us not by the number of mistakes, but by its correctness, let us remember once and for all what to do if you need to form a plurality of words in the English language.
Believe me, there is nothing super complicated in this!
The plural of words in English. The main rule
It is believed that plural words in English is formed with the ending -S. This is the basic rule that looks like this:
In our example, the ending should be pronounced rather loudly. Not as «es», but as «ez». This is because the word «orange» has a vowel at the end. According to the rule, the ending should sound voiced every time it is added to a vowel or voiced consonant.
examples:
bottle — bottles
«Bottle» — «bottles»
break (break) — breaks (breaks)
«Break» — «breaks»
Please note that if you add an ending to a word after -o, -s, -ss, -x, -ch, -sh, then you should use not one letter -S, but -ES. Such an ending is read loudly — «z» or «out».
Plural endings. English «nonsense»
What else could there be plural endings? English the language cannot but surprise with its logic and the presence of exceptions (we will talk about them a little later). Let’s consider the most popular «non-standard» cases of plural formation using the following examples.
1. If a word ends with -Y, then when adding –ES it changes to I.
2. The first rule does not work if before our -Y there is not a consonant, but a vowel.
3. If a noun ends in -F, then the plural is –VES.
Plural of nouns in English — exceptions
Now it’s time to study how it is formed plural nounsif we come across exceptions.
Let’s start with those words that just need to be remembered, since their plural forms cannot be explained in any way. The good news is that there are very few such units.
Sometimes you may come across polysyllabic nouns that are hyphenated. What should be done in this case? You must pluralize with the keyword, not just add -S or -ES at the very end. Here’s an example:
mother-in-law (mother-in-law) — mothers-in-law (mother-in-law)
If a compound word is written together, then you should use the standard rule:
housewife (housewife) — housewives (housewives)
Source: https://fluenglish.com/stati/studentam-na-zametku/beginner-elementary/478-mnozhestvennoe-chislo-slov-v-anglijskom-yazyke.html
Plural of nouns in English
Today we are dealing with the plural form of nouns in English. The topic is relatively simple and interesting. Let’s start!
Moving on to the rules for the formation of a plural noun in English, you should know that uncountable nouns, as a rule, are used only in the singular form:
Examples
sugar — sugar
love — love
friendship — friendship
The plural of nouns is usually formed by adding the ending (there are exceptions) -s to the singular form:
Examples
book — book books — books
day — day days — days
house — house houses — houses
The plural also uses words that are already countable in their meaning. For example:
Examples
air — air
movement — movement (as a general concept)
music — music
milk — milk
knowledge — knowledge
hair — hair (on the head of a person)
BUT:
Examples
movement Movement This may include political movement (s), dance movement (s), etc.
hair — hairs — hairs, etc.
Reading the ending «-s» in nouns
After voiceless consonants, the ending -s gives the sound [s]:
Examples
books [buks] — books
pens [pens] — pens
After voiced consonants and vowels, the ending -s gives the sound [z].
example
days [deiz] — days
Exception: When -s is not put, but the -es ending is put?
Nouns ending in the singular with the letters o, s, ss, sh, ch, x (hissing and sibilant, as they are called), in the plural have the ending -es, which conveys the sound [iz]:
Examples
hero — heroes — heroes
kiss — kiss kisses — kisses
brush — brush brushes — brushes
bench — bench benches — benches
box — box boxes — boxes
What else do you need to know about the formation of the plurality of nouns in English?
For nouns ending in -у with a preceding consonant, the ending -у is dropped and the ending -ies is added, which conveys the sound [-iz]:
Examples
Source: https://englishage.ru/grammar/plural-of-nouns
English grammar reference
Before the names of the seasons, months, and days of the week.
He always goes the South in summer… English classes are on Monday.
Pluralization of nouns
The main way of forming the plural of nouns is by adding an ending -s or -Is to the singular form of a noun.
-s | -Is |
a bag — bagsa cat — catsa rose — roses | a glass — glassesa fox — foxesa watch — watchesa bush — bushes |
Nouns ending in -y with a preceding consonant are plural by adding the ending -Is, and -y changing to -i. For example, a dictionary — dictionaries.
But:a boy — boys, a day — days (there is a vowel before -y). Some nouns ending in -f, -faith, become plural by changing -f on -v and adding an ending -Is.
a half — halvesa wolf — wolves
a wife — wives
But:roof — roofs, safe — safes.
A number of nouns form the plural in a special way.
units h. | many. h. |
manwomanfoottoothgoosemousechildsheepdeerdatumphenomenon | menwomenfeetteethgeesemicechildrensheepdeerdataphenomena |
Case of nouns
In modern English, a noun has two cases: general и possessive… A noun in the general case has no special endings, its relation to other words in a sentence is determined by the place in the sentence and the meaning.
The student asked the teacher.The student asked the teacher.
The teacher asked the student.The instructor asked the student.
Source: http://www.mystudy.ru/print/noun.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/
In great detail about the plural
Why VERY — you ask? What details can there be if there is nothing difficult in just adding the ending S to the word? Not everything is as simple as it seems. Do not forget that the spelling of a word can change and some nouns form a plural according to different rules.
First of all, I remind you that the plural (Plural) in English is formed only by nouns, that is, words that answer the question “Who? What?». Adjectives are not plural. Therefore, in order to say «Interesting articles», we will put in the plural only the word «articles» and get «interesting articles».
You’ve probably noticed that when studying the topic «Plurals» (as, in principle, and when studying many others), the word «exception» is constantly heard. There are, of course, exceptions. And the problem is that many textbooks mix them up for study, which complicates the process. In fact, most exceptions also obey certain rules and can be categorized into groups.
1. The first rule (everyone knows): add the ending -S to the noun
cat — cats girl — girls
pen — pens
2. Rule number two: if a noun ends in -S, -SS, -SH, -CH, -Z, -X, then add -ES
bus — buses dress — dresses match — matches
box — boxes
3. Does the letter Y change at the end of a word?
Remember that if Y is preceded by vowel, then nothing changes, but the ending -S is simply added:
boy — boys play — plays
monkey — monkeys
But if consonant before Y — then Y changes to I and -ES is added:
city - cities lady — ladies
country — countries
4. What to do with the letter -O at the end of a word?
a) The vast majority of nouns ending in O are plural by adding S:
photo — photos radio — radios
studio — studios
b) Some nouns that are considered exceptions add -ES in the plural:
potato — potatoes tomato — tomatoes hero — heroes torpedo — torpedoes echo — echoes embargo — embargoes
veto — vetoes
c) There is another group of nouns that can form the plural in two ways (-S or -ES). Here is some of them:
avocado — avocadoes / os buffalo — buffaloes / os cargo — cargoes / os domino — dominoes / os ghetto — ghettoes / os flamingo — flamingoes / os mango — mangoes / os mosquito — mosquitoes / os motto — mottoes / os tornado — tornadoes / os volcano — volcanoes / os
zero — zeroes / os
5. Nouns that end in -F and -FE can also be divided into three groups according to the same principle.
a) General rule: when forming a plural, F is changed to V and -ES is added.
shelf-shelves half-halves knife-knives leaf-leaves
wife-wives
b) There are also plural nouns don’t change -F to Vand just accept -S. These are words ending in -IEF, -FF and those with double vowels (OO, EE). Here are some examples:
belief — beliefs roof — roofs chief — chiefs cliff — cliffs proof — proofs safe — safes brief — briefs reef — reefs cuff — cuffs plaintiff — plaintiffs sheriff — sheriffs
whiff — whiffs
c) And the third group includes several nouns, which can have both forms: with -FS and -VES.
dwarf — dwarfs / ves hoof — hoof / ves scarf — scarfs / ves
wharf — wharfs / ve
EXCEPTIONS or IRREGULAR PLURALS
Nouns that are plural in other ways (not by adding -S) are called Irregular Plurals in English. We call them “exclusion”. However, it is also possible to group exceptions to make them easier for you to remember.
1. Formation of the plural by changing the vowels.
This group includes nouns in the plural of which only the root vowel (or vowels) changes.
man — men woman — women foot — feet goose — geese tooth — teeth mouse — mice
louse — lice
2. The plural ending -EN, although it is archaism, has been preserved in a few words.
child — children ox — oxen
brother — brethren
The -EN ending is still used but rarely, mainly in some regional dialects and literature.
3. The next category of nouns is those that have the same singular and plural forms. In English, they are called Zero plurals.
These include:
— names of fish and animals:
fish, salmon, sheep, deer, swine
— nouns that end in -S:
series, means, species
— names of nationalities ending in -ESE, as well as Swiss nationality:
Japanese, Chinese
— other words:
aircraft, spacecraft
4. A separate group — words of Latin and Greek pronunciation.
These are, of course, terms used in the sciences. In the endings of words, changes occur according to various principles.
-IS → -ES | analysis — analyzes basis — bases crisis — crises parenthesis — parenthesesthesis — theses |
-UM → -A | bacterium — bacteria datum — data medium — media forum — fora / forums |
-US → -I | alumnus — alumni focus — foci cactus — cacti / cactusesfungus — fungi |
-IX → -CES | index — indices / xes appendix — appendices / xesmatrix — matrices |
-A → -AE (or adding -S) | formula — formulae / las larva — larvae |
-ON → -A | criterion — criteria phenomenon — phenomena |
5. In the English language there is a group of words that have two plural forms that differ in meaning.
SINGULAR PLURAL
Antenna | antennas | antennas (radio, television) |
antennae | antennae in insects | |
brother | brothers | brothers (sons of the same parents) |
Brethren | brothers (by religion, belief) | |
cloth | clothes | types of fabrics |
clothes | clothes | |
index | indexes | pointers, catalogs |
Indices | in mathematics | |
penny | pennies | several coins for one penny |
pence | sum of pence (about value) |
How do we form plural compound nouns?
1. The ending S is added to the word that carries the main meaning.
Source: https://enginform.com/article/plural
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/
Plural of nouns in English
In English, as in Russian, nouns change in numbers. There are two forms: singular and plural.
Singular (singular) means one item: a cat, an apple, a boy, a cake.
Plural (plural) denotes two or more subjects: two students, three flowers, ten dogs.
How does the plural form in English?
In most cases, the plural of nouns in English is formed with the help of the ending -s.
Pay attention to how this ending is pronounced:
- after vowels and voiced consonants — like [z]: pens, boys, dogs;
- after voiceless consonants — like [s]: cocks, rats, cats;
- if the word ends with —s, -ss, -sh, —ch, —x, -z, need to add -es which reads [iz]: box — boxes, bus — buses, cage — cages.
There are some features of adding -s / es for some groups of nouns:
- If a noun ends with a letter -y, before which there is a consonant, then in the plural -y changing to i and the ending is added to the word -Is: lobby — lobbies, fly-flies Exceptions: proper nouns (the two Germanys, the Gatsbys) and compound nouns (stand-bys).
- If before the letter —y there is a vowel, then the plural is formed according to the general rule with the help of the ending —s, and the letter y remains unchanged: boy — boys, day — days.
- If a noun ends in —o, you need to add —is tomato — tomatoes, hero — heroes Exceptions: photos, memos, pianos, radios, studios, kangaroos, zoos and some other words of foreign origin.
- For nouns ending in -f or -fe, replace -f or -fe with -ves: wolf — wolves, leaf — leaves, life — lives. Exceptions: chiefs, beliefs, cliffs, cuffs, roofs, handkerchiefs.
All rules are summarized in the table:
When is the plural not formed according to general rules?
A number of nouns form the plural in a non-standard (supplerative) way:
Child — children | Children |
Woman — women | Woman’s woman |
Man — men | Man — men (man — people) |
Person — people | Person people |
Tooth — teeth | Tooth teeth |
Foot — feet | Foot — feet |
Mouse — mice | Mouse — mice |
Louse — lice | Louse — lice |
Ox — oxen | Bull — bulls |
Goose — geese | Goose — geese |
Plural and singular forms match
Some nouns have the same plural and singular forms. These include:
Deer — deer | Deer — deer |
Moose — moose | Elk — moose |
Series — series | Series (TV series) — Series (TV series) |
Species — species | Species, individuals — species, individuals |
Aircraft — aircraft | Aircraft — aircraft |
Salmon — salmon | Salmon — salmon |
Sheep — sheep | Sheep — Sheep |
Source: http://englishearly.ru/english-plural-nouns/
Plural of nouns. rules
Let’s talk about how the plural forms in English. If you say «what to talk about here — add -s at the end and you’re done», then in most cases you will be right. But let’s see where this straightforwardness can fail.
By the way, a lyrical digression: unlike the English language, the plural form in Russian is quite difficult. In addition to the proper plural of nouns, we have three (!) Different plural forms for this, when a specific number is indicated.
Let’s look at «cats», or rather, cats: without numbers — cats, with numbers — 100 cats, 101 cats, 102 cats — three or even four different shapes to denote a different number of fluffy pets.
(By the way, an exercise for those who think that a native teacher is always better than a Russian speaker — can you explain when which form is used?)
The basic rule
Compared to this confusion in English, everything is incredibly simple: 2, 10, 100, 101, 102, any number of cats. Just add -s at the end — and you’re done.
«Friends»Is my favorite TV show. My favorite TV show is Friends.
If you are just starting to learn English, then the addition -s Is ALL you need to know. If you are just comfortable with this, let’s look at special cases where you simply -s may not be enough.
Hissing sound at the end of a word
If at the end of the word there is already some hissing-whistling sound (and it will be there if the word ends with -s, -z, -sh, -ch, -x), then to form the plural, you need to add -Is… Which is quite logical — to say buses, foxes and churches is much easier and more pleasant than buss, foxs, churchs.
I’ll have to take tree buses, carrying those huge boxes! Oh no. It will be necessary to go on three buses, with three huge boxes! Oh no.
O at the end of a word
If a noun ends in a vowel -o, then some of them are formed simply by using -s, and part with the help -Is… Unfortunately, there are no special rules here.
Rather, there are, but such that it would be better not to have them — for example, if the word came to English recently, then we use -s, (tacos), if for a long time — then -Is (echoes). If before -o there is a consonant, then the plural is formed using -s (zoos).
Or, for example, if this is an abbreviation of a longer word, then we use -s (logos, photos, kilos). In addition, there are a number of words that can be written this way and that (volcanos and volcanoes, mosquitos and mosquitoes).
Let’s do it easier. Here are the most common words in which the plural is formed by adding —es: tomatoes, potatoes and heroes. If everyone else will write by adding -s, then in 99% of cases this will be the correct option.
There are three things in life I most of all — mashed potatoesfresh tomatoes and TV showHeroes». Three things I love the most — mashed potatoes, fresh tomatoes and Heroes.
Baby, let’s make a run for the border, I’ve got a hunger only tacos can stop. Baby let’s run overseas, only tacos will satisfy my hunger (South Park)
Y at the end of a word
With words ending in -y everything is more or less simple. If before -y there is a vowel, the plural is formed, as usual — with the help -s (days, toys). If before -y consonant, then the plural is formed by replacing -y on -ies… For example, party — parties, city — cities.
I to read stories about spies. I love reading stories about spies.
F and FE at the end of a word
In words ending in -f и -faith the plural is formed by replacing this ending with -ves… For example, wife — wives, leaf — leaves.
Knives are good, because they don’t make any noise, and the less noise they make, the more ly we are to use them. Makes it look we’re serious. Guns for show, knives for a pro. Knives are good because they don’t make noise. And the less noise from them, the sooner we will put them into action. It will look like we have serious intentions. Guns for show, knives for the pros (Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels)
There are a few exceptions to this rule — roofs, cliffs, etc.
So, the plural in English is formed by adding -s at the end of a word. The rules get more complicated if the word ends in a hiss, O, Y and F / FE.
In addition, there are exception words, the plural of which is formed across all the rules. We will talk about them next time.
And for a snack — entertaining plural education from the character of «The Lord of the Rings» Gollum. After a severe psychological trauma inflicted by the Ring of Omnipotence, and life in a cave, the grammar of his speech has changed markedly. For example, his plural is formed by adding immediately and -s и -Is.
Our precious. They stole it from us. Sneaky little hobbitses. Our Beauty. They stole her. Dastardly little hobbits.
Source: https://englishexplained.ru/plurals-rules/
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 Dog |
Water Water |
2 | Ocean Ocean |
Air Air |
3 | Home House |
Earth Planet Earth) |
4 | Thought Think |
sand Sand |
5 | Ranges Game |
Joy Joy |
6 | Rule Rule |
Happiness Happiness |
7 | Eye Eye |
Honour Honor |
8 | Language Language |
The Sun Sun |
Source: https://englishplan.ru/grammatika/obrazovanie-mnozhestvennogo-chisla-sushhestvitelnyh
Plural nouns are words used to indicate that there is more than one person, animal, place, thing, or idea. The difference between singular and plural nouns is simple once you know what to look for. Here, we take a look at singular and plural nouns, providing both singular nouns examples and plural noun examples to help you recognize plural nouns when you see them.
What is a Plural Noun
The answer is a relatively easy one, as grammar goes. A plural noun is a word that indicates that there is more than one person, animal place, thing, or idea. When you talk about more than one of anything, you’re using plural nouns. When you write about more than one of anything, you usually use the same word, simply adding an s, es, or ies to the end. There are a few exceptions to this rule, but not many – one of the best is that a single moose is a moose, and a group of moose are still moose.
Singular and Plural Nouns
The difference between singular and plural nouns is easy to spot. When a noun indicates one only, it is a singular noun. When a noun indicates more than one, it is plural.
Singular Noun Examples
The following sentences contain singular nouns examples.
- The boy had a baseball in his hand.
- My horse prefers to wear an English saddle.
- That cat never seems to tire of jumping in and out of the box.
- You stole my idea and didn’t give me any credit.
- Your mom is going to be upset about that broken lamp.
- It’s not difficult to grow a tree as long as you give it plenty of water.
- I can’t believe you let your dog stick his head out the window while you drive.
Plural Noun Examples
The following sentences contain plural noun examples.
- The boys were throwing baseballs back and forth between bases.
- Our horses are much happier wearing lightweight English saddles.
- Those cats never seem to tire of chasing one another in and out of those boxes.
- You stole my ideas and didn’t give me any credit.
- Our moms are going to be upset that we stayed out all night going to parties.
- It’s not too difficult to grow trees as long as you provide them with plenty of water.
- I can’t believe you allow your dogs to climb all over the seats while you are driving.
Singular – Plural Nouns Exercises
Transform each of the following words into plurals:
- Day
- Tax
- Taxi
- Lady
- Mountain
Answers 1-5:
- Days
- Taxes
- Taxis
- Ladies
- Mountains
Choose the correct plural for each of the words that follows:
- Choice
a. Choices b. Chosen c. Choiceies - Box
a.Boxs b. Boxies c. Boxes - Thief
a.Thiefies a. Thiefs c. Thieves - Army
a.Armys b. Armies c. Army - Owl
a.Owls b. Owlies c. Owelds
Answers:
- –a
- –c
- –c
- –b
- –a
Choose the best word to fit into each of the following sentences:
- The men sharpened their _____________ before throwing them at the targets.
A – knife B – knifes C – knives - Please eat the rest of your _____________.
A – pease B – Peas C – Peies - I’d like you to stop leaving your ________________ on the floor.
A – Socks B – Sockses C – Sox - We saw a lot of _________________ at the park.
A – Deers B – Deeries C – Deer - This recipe calls for a lot of _____________.
A – Tomatos B – Tomatoes C – Tomaties
Answers:
- –C
- –B
- –A
- –C
- –B
The Only Plural Nouns Guide You Need: Tips & Tricks to Master Every Form
In 1992, Dan Quayle was Vice President of the United States. During what should have been an uneventful appearance at an elementary school, something unexpected happened: he misspelled potato.
While younger generations won’t recall the event, this gaffe endured, and the details are easy to find: Quayle’s Wikipedia page includes the subheading “Potatoe” within the chronology of his Vice Presidency, and Quayle himself penned an entire chapter on the subject for his memoirs.
You can trace the Vice President’s mistake (which he has attributed to cue cards provided by the school) back to a mixup between singular and plural nouns. His incorrect potatoe was halfway to the plural noun potatoes.
This guide to plural nouns is here to help you go beyond merely learning to define plural noun, providing guidance on their rules for plural noun formation and define plural noun usage, as well.
Don’t forget: our paper checker can help you catch errors and typos and, with any luck, avoid large-scale public spelling embarrassments. Read on to answer, “What is a plural noun?” and to understand what does plural noun mean.
The definition of plural noun can be summed up as a word used for more than one person, place, thing, or idea. Click to read more about increasing numbers for other parts of speech. When answering, “What is a plural noun?,” you first need to understand this plural noun definition.
When a grammatical error occurs with this part of speech, the mistake is typically in the formation and lack of understanding of what plural noun means. Keep reading to learn the rules and see examples of regular and irregular structures.
Forming Regular Plural Nouns
Once you understand the plural noun definition, you’re ready to learn how to form regular and irregular plural nouns.
What is a regular plural noun example? Those considered regular follow standard rules (for the most part) to change their number.
Nouns Ending in Consonants
For nouns ending in most consonants, add an s. Here are examples of plural nouns with this formation:
- dog = dogs
- books = books
For those ending in s, sh, ch, z, or x, add es. See below for examples of plural nouns with this formation:
- dish = dishes
- box = boxes
Exception: if the ch sounds like a k, add only s: stomachs, lochs.
Nouns Ending in Y
For words ending in y preceded by a consonant, change the y to i and add es. See below for examples of plural nouns with this formation:
- country = countries
- fly = flies
For words ending in y preceded by a vowel, add an s. Here are two examples with this formation.
- monkey = monkeys
- toy = toys
Nouns Ending in F or Fe
For some words ending in f or fe, add an s. Here are two examples with this formation:
- roof = roofs
- chef = chefs
Other words ending in f or fe change the f to v before adding s or es. Here are two examples with this formation:
- knife = knives
- thief = thieves
Nouns Ending in O
For most words ending in o preceded by a vowel, add an s. Here are a couple of examples with this formation:
- studio = studios
- video = videos
Words ending in o preceded by a consonant usually change their number by adding es. See these two examples of this formation:
- potato = potatoes
- hero = heroes
Some words ending in o preceded by a consonant add only an s:
- sopranos = sopranos
- solo = solos
Finally, some words ending in o preceded by a consonant add either s or es, as both are considered correct. These examples are unique in that you learn their proper usage through language learning, and both are grammatically acceptable:
- mango = mangos/mangoes
- banjo = banjos/banjoes
For guidance on which to use in your academic or professional writing, check with your style guide. Our citation resources can help guide you in APA format and more styles.
Forming Irregular Plural Nouns
A plural noun definition simply means a noun changes in number, but its spelling can change considerably if it is formed irregularly. Now that we understand what is a plural noun, we have to ask: What are irregular plural nouns? Unlike their regular plural noun cousins, irregular plural nouns don’t follow any hard and fast rules in their formation. It’s best to just memorize the irregular plural nouns and their respective formations as part of understanding the definition of plural noun. There are, however, some patterns that they follow, as seen in these examples of irregular plural nouns.
Formation Patterns of Irregular Plural Nouns
Some nouns swap oo for ee, like these:
- goose = geese
- tooth = teeth
Some nouns swap a for e, such as these:
- man = men
- woman = women
Other nouns change considerably and must be learned in their specific usage:
- mouse = mice
- person = people
Exception: When referring to a computer mouse, use mouses, not mice.
Singular and Plural Nouns that Stay the Same
Some singular and plural nouns do not change at all to represent pluralization. With this type of plural noun, whether or not they are singular or plural nouns are determined through the context in which they are used.
- fish
- moose
- buffalo
Fish, for example, refers to one fish in the phrase caught a fish. In the phrase plenty of fish, however, it refers to many fish. Therefore, the term fish is a part of both singular and plural nouns grammatically. To define plural noun usage for both of these terms, pay close attention to the other parts of speech in the sentence, especially the verb.
For more examples of regular and irregular formation, see this.
Forming Plural Possessive Nouns & Examples of Plural Possessive Nouns
In this section, you’ll review examples of plural possessive nouns and learn how to form them, remembering to always ask, “What is a plural noun?” Plural possessive nouns are plural nouns first, possessive nouns second. Plural possessive nouns are modified at the end of plural nouns by adding specific punctuation. They are surprisingly quite common in both conversation and writing. However, the rules are crucial when writing, since that is what can be seen and judged accordingly.
The rules for forming plural possessive nouns can trip up even the most experienced writers. Luckily, they follow a short set of possible standards that can be quickly learned. If you’re ever unsure, consult with your style guide to define plural noun usage per the guide’s advice. In addition to our citation creator, we also have style guide resources for MLA format, and others, that can help.
For a plural noun that ends in s, add an apostrophe to show possession. Here are a few examples of plural possessive nouns with this formation:
- the dogs’ bones
- the knives’ blades
- the designers’ clothes
For a plural noun that does not end in s, add ‘s to show possession. Here are a few examples of plural possessive nouns with this formation:
- men’s clothing
- children’s room
- people’s beliefs
Forming Compound Plural Nouns
Increasing the number of a compound word is another area that can seem tricky at first but is easy to do once you learn the patterns that these words follow and recall the plural nouns definition as simply being more than one of any given noun.
Compound nouns written as one word change their number by adding s or es:
- spoonfuls
- leftovers
- letterheads
Compound nouns that are separated by spaces or joined by hyphens usually increase their number by adding an s to the primary word.
- runners-up
- poets laureate
- lieutenant governors
The primary word is the word that is modified. Notice in the first example, runners is the noun, while up is playing the role of an adverb. Laureate plays the role of an adjective, along with lieutenant in the last two examples.
If you’re unsure which word is being modified, you can figure it out by temporarily changing the number of all parts. Mother-in-law, for example, is a compound to name one person. To identify the primary word, you need to identify which word is being modified. Using the tip above, you would figure this out by increasing the number for both parts and comparing their meanings.
What does each plural noun mean? Mothers refers to more than one mother, while laws is referring to more than one law. Mothers-in-law, therefore, is the correct formation, indicating more than one mother-in-law.
Some compound words increase their number irregularly:
- drive-ins
- six-year-olds
- has-beens
Words that fall under the third rule are typically those with no apparent primary word. You’ll need to commit these outliers to memory, or else check a dictionary for help.
More Examples of Plural Nouns
Following the guidelines above will help you with the formation of most words in determining what is a plural noun in your own writing. There are also instances that require additional consideration.
Some foreign words are pluralized based on root patterns in their original language. These words help determine what is a plural noun example based on their Greek/Latin roots:
- phenomenon = phenomena
- analysis = analyses
- alumnus = alumni/alumnae
English rules are also commonly applied to foreign words. Here are a few plural noun examples that do not follow the rules of their original language:
- formula = formulas
- thesaurus = thesauruses
- index = indexes
Some foreign words can use both the English and foreign formation, so check your dictionary or style guide to determine which form is appropriate when you’re unsure.
Finally, numbers, letters, signs, and words can sometimes become plural nouns when ‘s is added.
While these may seem out of place, remember: what is a plural noun? An accurate plural noun definition requires identifying more than one person, place, thing, or idea. The plural noun examples below are in context for clarity:
Words:
- She used three and’s in this sentence.
Numbers:
- There are two 4’s and no 0’s in the answer.
Letters:
- To talk of two Mississippis, you’ll need five s’s and two p’s.
Signs:
- A company logo can cleverly incorporate several +’s in its design.
Published March 4, 2019. Updated June 17, 2020.
Pluralizing singular nouns (also known as making plural nouns) can be as easy as just adding s or es. Or adding letters to the noun, or replacing letters, or changing the entire spelling of the noun, or just leaving the word alone.
Okay, so perhaps “easy” isn’t really the way to describe the process of pluralization. Let’s go with “interesting” instead.
What Is a Plural Noun? (And How Is It Different Than a Singular Noun?
A noun is a word that represents a person, place, thing, or idea. This is true for both singular and plural nouns.
A singular noun is a noun representing a single (just one) person, place, thing, or idea. For example, the nouns drink, berry, and child are singular nouns.
Often, the determiners a or an are used with singular nouns:
- I’d like a drink, please.
- Would you like to try a berry?
- Stop acting like a child!
When you make plural nouns, you indicate that there is more than one of whatever it is the noun represents.
For example, drink becomes drinks, berry becomes berries, and child becomes children. You may use the determiners few, many, and several before a plural noun:
- We’d like to order a few drinks, please.
- I like to put lots of berries on my cereal.
- The schoolyard was filled with children.
You’ve probably noticed that the method of pluralizing each of those noun examples is different. That’s because some nouns are considered regular—they tend to follow some simple rules—and others are irregular. The irregulars basically make their own rules.
Grab yourself one of those drinks I just pluralized and we’ll investigate. You’ll thank me for the advice later!
How to Make Regular Plural Nouns
Regular nouns are generally straightforward when it comes to following the rules of pluralization. That’s why they are labeled as regular. For the most part, you pluralize them by adding s or es or by changing y to ies.
Of course, there are exceptions. You’ll notice a theme of exceptions throughout this study in pluralizing.
Pluralizing by Adding Letters
1. Just add s
This is probably the easiest rule of pluralization, and many nouns follow this rule.
Singular | Plural |
---|---|
cat | cats |
bed | beds |
baseball | baseballs |
2. Just add es
This rule is almost as easy, and just a little less common. It is used for nouns that end in ch, x, s (or s-sounds), sh, and z (with some special additions for the z and some s-sound-ending nouns)
Singular | Plural |
---|---|
lunch | lunches |
box | boxes |
kiss | kisses |
bush | bushes |
quiz | quizzes |
gas | gasses |
bus | busses |
Have you figured out the special additions for some s— and z-ending words? Sometimes it’s necessary to add an extra s or z to the noun before adding the pluralizing es.
There are a few other exceptions.
For example, the add es rule is pretty reliable for nouns ending in ch and sh, but not as reliable for nouns ending with x.
Singular | Plural |
---|---|
ox | oxen |
matrix | matrices |
vertex | vertices |
Some nouns that end in is or us don’t follow the just add es rule either.
Singular | Plural |
---|---|
analysis | analyses |
crisis | crises |
hippopotomus | hippopotami |
cactus | cactuses or cacti |
octopus | octopuses, octopi, octopodes |
With so many choices for octopus, which should you use?
3. Regular nouns ending in o
Once again, our regular nouns show their slightly rebellious side. The answer? It depends on the word. I told you you’d be happy to have that drink!
Singular | Plural |
---|---|
photo | photos |
taco | tacos |
tomato | tomatoes |
hero | heroes |
4. Regular nouns ending in y
If the nouns ends in a vowel + y, then just add s.
Singular | Plural |
---|---|
boy | boys |
essay | essays |
whiskey | whiskeys |
(And by the way, you can spell whiskey without the e as well, if it’s Scotch.)
If the noun ends in a consonant + y, you work under the replacing letters method.
Pluralizing Regular Nouns by Replacing Letters
When a noun ends in a consonant + y, the y becomes ies.
Singular | Plural |
---|---|
lady | ladies |
melody | melodies |
family | families |
Are there exceptions? Of course there are.
Nouns such as jealousy, electricity, flexibility end with a consonant + y but do not have a plural form because they are uncountable nouns. We’ll look at them more closely further down the post.
Nouns that end in f or fe also follow the replacing letters method for pluralization. The f becomes a v. If the singular noun ends in s, you add an es to that v. If it ends in fe, you just add the s.
Singular | Plural |
---|---|
thief | thieves |
shelf | shelves |
knife | knives |
life | lives |
And yes. There are exceptions. Say the words aloud and listen for the pattern in the exceptions.
Singular | Plural |
---|---|
roof | roofs |
chef | chefs |
safe | safes |
Congratulations! You’ve made it through the rules for the nouns that are called regular even though they have exceptions to the rules somewhat, well, regularly.
If you’re wondering why there are so many exceptions, it’s because the English language has a rich but complicated history and was formed through the integration of a variety of languages. Some of its words still follow rules from their original language.
Let’s move on to the irregular nouns. You might want to refill your drink.
How to Pluralize Irregular Nouns
Irregular nouns follow their own rules. They have no use for conformity, which is why they have been labeled irregular.
Pluralizing irregular nouns basically happens using one of two opposite methods: changing the singular-noun form almost entirely or not changing the singular-noun form at all.
There is no trick for determining which method to use. And knowing how to pluralize these nouns is not intuitive. In fact, it’s quite the opposite. If you’ve ever spoken to toddlers, you’ve probably heard them say things like this:
“I went to the pet store. I saw kitty cats, puppy dogs, and mouses.”
So cute, right?
We smile because they’ve said “mouses» which is adorable but incorrect. However, toddlers’ use of “mouses” is actually quite impressive as it shows they are adapting to and internalizing the rules of language. But “mouse” as a noun does not follow the rules and after a few months or years, the toddlers learn to use the far less intuitive “mice.”
Those same toddlers might tell you they’ve seen “sheeps” at the farm. Again, their instincts are right, it’s the noun “sheep” that breaks the rules.
For these irregular nouns, you really just need to learn and remember their pluralized forms and if you aren’t certain, consult your dictionary.
1. Pluralizing irregular nouns by changing the singular-noun form
Here are some examples of commonly used nouns whose plural forms are created by changing their singular forms.
Singular | Plural |
---|---|
child | children |
goose | geese |
mouse | mice |
person | people |
man | men |
woman | women |
foot | feet |
tooth | teeth |
2. Pluralizing nouns by changing absolutely nothing from the singular-noun form
Here are some examples of commonly used plural nouns spelled exactly the same as their singular forms.
Singular | Plural |
---|---|
sheep | sheep |
deer | deer |
moose | moose |
series | series |
species | species |
More Unique Plurals
We aren’t done yet! There are still more special pluralization situations: nouns that are only plural, uncountable nouns, and compound nouns.
Only-Plural Nouns
Some nouns do not have a singular form. They only exist in plural form. For example,
- pants: you can try on pants, but not a pant. You can, however, try on a pair of pants.
- clothes: you hang clothes in your closet. If you only have one shirt, you would say “I only have one shirt” not “I only have one clothe.”
- glasses: you wear glasses, or a pair of glasses, but you do not wear a glass. (If you’re talking about drinking glasses, then you can have just one glass.)
- shenanigans: you may get up to shenanigans, but are never just up to a shenanigan (what fun would just one shenanigan be anyway?)
Uncountable Nouns
The nouns we have pluralized so far have been countable nouns. Countable nouns are nouns we use for things we can actually count using numbers. You can use a/an or another determiner in front of them in their singular form or another determiner to answer “how many” in their plural form.
For example, you might have:
Singular | Plural |
---|---|
a dog | several dogs |
a sheep | seven sheep |
an island | many islands |
a foot | two feet |
Uncountable nouns are nouns that represent things we cannot count with numbers. It doesn’t make sense to use a/an or other determiners that show “how many.” Phrases that answer “how much” are used with them instead.
Uncountable nouns have only one form. There is no plural form for them.
For example:
- jealousy: They were filled with jealousy.
- electricity: We have no electricity.
- research: He did so much research for the project.
- information: Can you provide me with more information?
- knowledge: She has a great deal of knowledge on the subject.
- evidence: There is not enough evidence to convict the defendant!
- water: I’ll just have water. (If you ask for a specific number of servings of water, you would usually say “a glass of water” or “three bottles of water.”)
Compound Nouns
Compound nouns are nouns that comprise two or more words. They can be written in three different ways: one word, two words, or as a set of hyphenated words.
Most compound nouns that are made of two nouns follow the just add s method of pluralization. And, many compound nouns that comprise a noun and a non-noun also follow this method (but of course, there are exceptions).
1. One-word compound nouns
Singular | Plural | Parts of Speech |
---|---|---|
haircut | haircuts | noun + verb |
pancake | pancakes | noun + noun |
bookstore | bookstores | noun + noun |
blackboard | blackboards | adjective + noun |
2. Two-word compound nouns
Even though the noun consists of two separate words, those words work as one unit.
Singular | Plural |
---|---|
bus stop | bus stops |
dining room | dining rooms |
tennis court | tennis courts |
3. Hyphenated compound nouns
Like the two-word compound nouns, hyphenated compound nouns also work as one unit.
Singular | Plural |
---|---|
tip-off | tip-offs |
step-brother | step-brothers |
copy-editor | copy-editors |
You can see that the examples used so far all follow the just add s rule. You’re probably already thinking of other common compound nouns that don’t follow that rule.
For example,
Singular | Plural |
---|---|
passerby | passersby |
hanger-on | hangers-on |
runner-up | runners-up |
sister-in-law | sisters-in-law |
attorney-at-law | attorneys-at-law |
The easiest way to get these plurals right is simply to memorize them or look them up. However, there is a grammatical reason for their different methods of pluralization.
In passerby, hanger-on, and runner-up, the compound noun is made up of a noun with an er ending and an adverb. For that combination, the s is added to the noun part of the compound.
In sister-in-law and attorney-at-law, the compound noun is made up of two nouns connected by a preposition. For this combination, the first noun is pluralized.
Another way to think about this combination is to figure out which noun is the head noun. In other words, which noun is the most important (the head), and which noun just adds more information about that noun?
For sister-in-law, sister is the head noun. The in-law just tells us more about the type of sister we’re referencing. The in-law phrase works as an adjective. That same explanation applies to attorneys-at-law or attorneys general, another example of a two-word compound noun.
What happens if there is no obvious head noun?
If we say, “he’s just a good-for-nothing” do we pluralize that by saying, “They’re all good-for-nothings?”
If we say, “I had a serious back-and-forth with my family about our political differences,” do we pluralize that by saying, “I had some serious back-and-forths with my family about our political differences?”
Yes, we do. How do I know? I looked those compound nouns up! I had to check a few online dictionaries to verify the plural versions. These are phrases that we have adapted into use over time and it can take time for dictionaries to catch up.
A Few More Irregulars
Still with me? Good!
Since you’re here, take a look at this list of commonly used, or at least somewhat commonly used, nouns and their unique pluralization forms.
Singular | Plural |
---|---|
criterion | criteria |
phenomenon | phenomena |
datum | data |
curriculum | curricula |
stimulus | stimuli |
medium | media |
hypothesis | hypotheses |
emphasis | emphases |
Pluralize for Your Audience
Language is fluid, as the English language demonstrates in its own history, and changes continue to come. Along with consulting your dictionary when you’re uncertain about a word’s proper plural form, consider your audience as well.
Some methods of pluralization that used to be considered “improper” are now acceptable, at least in more casual situations.
For example, if you’re telling a friend you’d like “two tablespoonfuls of sugar in your iced tea” (that’s just too much, in my opinion), you’re fine! If you’re writing a fancy cookbook, then you might want to use the more formal “tablespoonsful.”
Pluralization: Use Resources!
Some methods of pluralization are straightforward, and many nouns adhere to those methods. These are the plurals that you know just because you know them. You don’t even have to think about them!
Other plural forms are less compliant and it’s worth it to work on memorizing them, especially the ones you will use often.
When it comes to the outliers that pop up unexpectedly, there’s no need to guess. Take a minute and consult your dictionary and then run your work through a final ProWritingAid grammar check for accuracy assurance.
With ProWritingAid, you’ll use the right noun form every time—and avoid hundreds of other grammar, spelling, and style errors.
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