Singular Noun
Nouns are the naming words. It not only denotes the name of a person, place or thing but also the emotions, feelings, idea, state of age , state of mind, etc. Examples : pain, love, care, Netherland , Nouns can be singular or plural
Singular are the ones which are single in nature while plural are the ones which are plural means more than one .
What is Singular Noun
Singular comes from the word single . Singular Nouns are the those which refers a single or one person, place or thing .
For example : boy, lady, man, calf, city, joy, happiness , etc.
Singular Noun definition
These are nouns which are singular in nature , it can be countable or uncountable both , it refers to one and only one person, material, place , etc.
Singular Noun Examples
Chair ( singular ) – chairs ( plural i.e. more than one )
Beach ( singular ) – beaches ( plural )
Hat ( singular ) – hats ( plural )
Island ( singular ) – islands ( plural )
Singular Noun Examples in sentences
Singular noun generally takes singular verb to fulfill the syntax
1. The boy is carrying a big box which consists of sweets
Here boy is singular and takes singular verb
2. Friday comes after Thursday
Friday is a day which is singular in nature and takes singular verb
3. Music is a kind of entertainment .
Music is singular noun takes singular verb
List of Singular Noun
There are different types of Singular nouns like place , person, idea, animals, things, objects, ideas, etc.
Singular Noun ( Person ) |
Singular Noun ( Animals ) |
Singular Noun ( Place ) |
Singular Noun ( Emotion ) |
Boy |
Deer |
Office |
Love |
Girl |
Fish |
College |
Care |
Child |
Ostrich |
Reception |
Happiness |
Citizen |
Owl |
Mussoorie |
Sadness |
Lad |
Rhino |
Shimla |
Jealousy |
Lady |
Bird |
Desert |
Bravery |
Man |
Parrot | Room | Hate |
Woman |
Swan | Kitchen | Smile |
Male |
Duck | Park | Worry |
Singular Countable Noun :
There are two ways to classify noun
a ) Countable
b ) Uncountable
Countable nouns are the ones which can be counted , of which we can make plural . Singular Countable nouns are the nouns which are single in nature but can be counted
For examples : device , house, hanky, bag, forest, plant, human being , etc.
Singular Possessive Noun :
Possessive nouns are the nouns that shoes the ownership or a direct connection and which is used as an apostrophe (‘s) letter at the end for example :
Cat – cat’s
John – John’s
Wheel – wheel’s
Train – train’s
Empire – Empire ‘s
Difference between Singular Noun and Plural Noun
1. Singular Nouns are the ones which are singular in nature or single or only one unit .
2. They can be countable or uncountable both for Examples
3. Passenger , mobile , hat, test, information , advice , career, profession , peace
4. Plural nouns are the ones which are plural in nature means more than one or more than one unit .
5. They can be countable only , we cannot make plural of uncountable nouns .
For example : passengers , mobiles , hats, tests , careers,
FAQ’s
Que 1. What are the ten examples of Singular Nouns ?
Answer- Let us understand Singular Noun with the given below examples-
1. This is the house which I always wanted to purchase. ( house is the singular noun )
2. She is the only lady who stands against odds. ( lady is the singular noun )
3. I have given you a piece of advice. ( Piece of advice is the singular noun )
4. They have transferred money to me. ( Money is the singular noun )
5. We had a loaf of bread to give to beggar. ( A loaf is a singular noun )
6. This is an instrument which can repair all the machines. ( Instrument is a singular noun )
7. Cabinet committee formulated a policy for handicapped. ( Policy is a singular noun )
8. They submitted a report. ( Report is a singular noun )
9. We all follow the regulation made by the warden. ( Regulation is a singular noun )
10. All should start a new venture. ( Venture is a singular noun )
Que 2. What is Singular Countable Noun ?
Answer- Singular Countable Noun is the one which is single or singular in nature and countable nouns are the one which can be counted like coin – coin, journey, task, job, shower, poem, dollar
Que 3. What is rule of Singular Noun?
Answer- Singular noun denotes a single person, place or object which generally doesn’t take s or es or ies with it for example resistance, hair, service, etc.
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)
Pin
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
Singular definition: The singular form is a type of noun that refers to just one person or thing.
What does singular mean? The singular form is the non-plural form of nouns and pronouns. Singular form refers to just one (a single) noun (versus plural, more than one, noun).
Examples of Singular Nouns
There are literally thousands of singular nouns, so we can’t exactly put an exhaustive list together, but here are a few examples of singular nouns in English.
List of Singular Nouns:
- a dog
- the cat
- a house
- the tree
- an apple
- a baby
- the city
- the song
- a computer
- a phone
Singular, Plural Forms of Nouns
What is the singular form? Most nouns have singular and plural forms. The singular form of the noun refers to just a single item. For instance, “an apple” refers to just one apple.
The plural form of the noun (apples) refers to more than one apple.
For most nouns, “-s” is added to the end of the sentence to create the plural form. 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 (see below).
Examples of Singular/Plural Nouns
- dog/dogs
- cat/cats
- house/houses
- tree/trees
- apple/apples
- baby/babies
- city/cities
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 both singular and plural forms. Typically, by adding “s” to a noun, the plural form is made. A count noun can be counted.
- boy/boys
- home/homes
- orange/oranges
A non-count noun is a person, place, or thing that does not have a plural form. In a sense, a non-count noun cannot be counted, and since it cannot be counted exactly, there is no plural form of count nouns.
- equipment
- storage
- courage
Consider the last example, courage. The word courage cannot be made plural into “courages.”
Singular Agreement in Number
It is critical that a singular noun has the appropriate agreement with all of its corresponding parts of speech.
Verb Agreement
Singular nouns require singular verbs. Using plural verbs with singular nouns (or vice versa) is unacceptable.
Examples with “to write:”
- I write. (singular)
- You write. (singular and plural)
- He/She/it writes. (singular)
- We write. (plural)
- They write. (plural)
It is grammatically incorrect to state: I writes.
Demonstrative Adjectives
Singular nouns require singular demonstrative adjectives. Using plural demonstrative adjectives with singular nouns (or vice versa) is unacceptable.
Examples:
- this cat (singular)
- that cat (singular)
- those cats (plural)
- these cats (plural)
It is grammatically incorrect to state: Those cat.
Possessive Adjectives
Possessive adjectives work with both singular and plural nouns.
Examples Singular/Plural:
- my house/my house
- your house/your houses (singular)
- his/her/its house AND his/her/its houses
- our house/our houses
- your house/your houses (plural)
- their house/their
Exercises with Singular, Plural Forms
Fill in the blank with the appropriate verb or demonstrative adjective.
- I want to buy this/those shoes.
- Where is/are your new shoes?
- Take that/these garbage out.
- He walk/walks to school every day.
- We take/takes the train on Mondays.
See answers below.
Summary: What is a Singular Noun?
Define singular noun: the definition of singular noun is the form of a word that refers to just one person or thing.
In summary,
- Singular nouns refer to just one noun.
- Plural nouns refer to more than one of a given noun.
- Singular nouns require singular agreement with their verbs and adjectives.
Answers
- those
- are
- that
- walks
- take
Contents
- 1 What is the Singular Form?
- 2 Examples of Singular Nouns
- 3 Singular, Plural Forms of Nouns
- 4 Examples of Singular/Plural Nouns
- 5 Count Nouns vs. Non-count Nouns
- 6 Singular Agreement in Number
- 7 Verb Agreement
- 8 Demonstrative Adjectives
- 9 Possessive Adjectives
- 10 Exercises with Singular, Plural Forms
- 11 Summary: What is a Singular Noun?
Nouns refer to the many people, places, and things around us. There are many different types of nouns that we use when talking about everything we see or experience. Sometimes, we are talking about one thing. For example, you may have only one pet, one sister, one house, one last slice of pizza, or one idea for a funny knock-knock joke. One is the loneliest number, so let’s try to cheer it up by introducing the term for the type of noun we use to refer to single objects: the singular noun.
What is a singular noun?
The word singular, when used in grammar, means “noting or pertaining to a member of the category of number found in many languages that indicates that a word form has one referent or denotes one person, place, thing, or instance.” A singular noun is a noun that refers to one, and only one, object or person. For example, the word girl is a singular noun but the word girls is not a singular noun because it refers to more than one person. Girls is a plural noun.
While singular nouns are usually simple to understand, sometimes things can get tricky. A collective noun, for example, is a singular noun that refers to a group of people or things as a single unit. Words like team, family, and pile are collective nouns. Even though these words refer to multiple people or things, they are still singular nouns because they refer to a single, distinct unit.
Also, some English words like to be difficult and sometimes function as singular nouns. Words like data, fish, and measles may or may not be singular nouns, so be careful! Don’t be surprised if you see some people use these words with a plural verb as in The data are showing a growth in sales or My fish swim really fast. Names and titles also like to be sneaky, so you will need to carefully use nouns like Bahamas and Star Wars. (Countries can be singular or plural depending on the sentence.)
Who knew nouns could be so complicated? It might help to visit this review of what a noun can be in more detail.
Singular noun examples
Of all of the different types of nouns we use, singular nouns are relatively easy to use. There aren’t any special capitalization or punctuation rules you need to remember when using them. The one thing you must remember is that singular nouns use singular verbs such as is, was, or does. Simply remember that a singular noun is a noun that refers to one person, place, or thing. Let’s take a look at examples of singular nouns.
People and animals
Singular nouns are used to refer to one person or one animal. Both generic and specific people and animals can be referred to with singular nouns.
- People: man, woman, firefighter, waiter, hero, Batman, Queen Elsa
- Animals: dog, cat, bird, bug, lion, tiger, bear, Mickey Mouse, Koko the Gorilla
Places
Just as before, we use singular nouns to refer to one place.
- beach, city, neighborhood, town, island, country, Mexico, France, China, Australia
Things
You can use singular nouns to refer to a lot of stuff you experience with your five senses.
- chair, computer, apple, cinnamon, trash, hat, wind, rain, Google, Twitter, Amazon
Ideas
We also use singular nouns to refer to ideas, emotions, philosophies, concepts, and other intangible things you can’t detect with your five senses.
- hunger, sadness, time, disease, government, religion, peace, science, Friday, October
List of singular nouns
Many of the other types of nouns can also be singular nouns. Let’s look at some examples of different types of nouns used as singular nouns.
Common nouns: kangaroo, clock, banana, backyard, baseball, toy
Proper nouns: Abraham Lincoln, Texas, Nintendo, Buddhism
Concrete nouns: desk, house, dirt, cake, monkey, lake, moon
Abstract nouns: war, happiness, confusion, poverty, unemployment
Countable nouns: cookie, cup, hat, hamster, cloud
Uncountable nouns: doubt, sand, music, entertainment, furniture
The difference between singular and plural nouns
To recap, a singular noun refers to one person, place, or thing. The type of noun that refers to more than one person, place, or thing is known as a plural noun. Singular nouns always use singular verbs (such as is, was, and walks) while plural nouns use plural verbs (such as are, were, and walk). Only singular nouns can use the articles a and an.
Plural nouns can be tricky to tell apart from singular nouns. Many plural nouns are created by simply adding the letter S to a singular noun as in the words cats, hamburgers, or ideas. However, many plural nouns do not follow this rule, so you need to keep an eye out. Always remember the rule that a singular noun is a noun that only refers to one person, place, or thing. Here are examples of the different ways that we use singular and plural nouns:
- A lady (singular noun) bought a dress (singular noun) from the store (singular noun).
- My brother (singular noun) collects stamps (plural noun).
- Math (singular noun) gives me headaches (plural noun).
- The shark (singular noun) had sharp teeth (plural noun).
- Chris didn’t meet the required criteria (plural noun!) for being a dancer (singular noun).
- I caught a really big fish (singular noun).
- Octopuses (plural noun) sometimes eat many fish (plural noun).
All the nouns, none of the errors
Did you know that singular also means “extraordinary, remarkable”? And you too can be a singular writer with the help of Thesaurus.com’s Grammar Coach™. This writing tool uses machine learning technology uniquely designed to catch grammar and spelling errors. Its Synonym Swap will find the best nouns, adjectives, and more to help say what you really mean, guiding you toward clearer, stronger, writing.
Whether you’re writing about a person, place, or thing, perfect grammar has never been easier!
Singular nouns and plural nouns are explained along with the definition, a lot of examples, plural noun rules, lists, etc.
Let’s explore Singular Nouns and Plural nouns! We have already learned singular implies single and it means only one. It may be one person, one animal, one place, one thing, or one idea, or anything which is only one number.
Plural means it is more than one. It may be two or more. Like two persons, two cows or two cities, etc. When the noun consists of a single number it is a singular noun and for more than one it is a plural noun. In many cases, we add ‘s’ or ‘es’ with singular nouns to make plural nouns.
- Like the plural noun of ‘cow’ is ‘cows’
- The plural noun of ‘cat’ is ‘cats’
But in many cases, there are no rules followed when we make plural nouns. For examples,
- The man changed into men
- Sheep don’t change, it means the plural of sheep will be sheep only.
These are known as irregular plurals or irregular plural nouns.
Singular Noun Definition and Examples of Singular Noun
Singular Noun Definition
When a noun consists of only one number, this noun is known as a singular noun.
Singular Noun Examples
- One no of tiger
- One no of computer
- One no of pen
- One no of horse
- One no of mobile
Sentence Examples
- The tiger was very hungry and run behind a bull
- I have one computer
- Rimi has a pen in her bag
- We have one dog, one horse, and one cat
- I have got an idea
- She is typing on a mobile
Singular Countable Nouns
We know, if any noun can be counted it is a countable noun. Noun, when we talk about one person or animal or place or thing or idea, we will call it a singular countable noun. There are lots of singular countable noun in our daily life, few are cited,
- Rumi
- bird
- computer
- mobile
- apple
- bus
- pen
- book
Check out our ANIMATED VIDEO!
Plural Nouns & Examples
Plural Nouns
Reba went to the zoo yesterday and she has seen five giraffes, two crocodiles, 3 tigers, 6 foxes, and many birds. If you observe, she has seen more than two giraffes, tigers, foxes, and birds. Hence, these numbers are more than two and are known as a plural noun.
- Two or more than two tiger = tigers
- Two or more than two giraffe = giraffes
- Two or more than two fox = foxes
- Two or more than two bird = birds
Here, tigers are plural nouns of tiger, giraffes are plural nouns of giraffe, birds are plural nouns of bird, and so on. Hence, tigers, giraffes, foxes, and birds, etc. are plural nouns.
Now, look at all examples, what we did here? We simply, add ‘s’ or ‘es’ at the end of the word and changed the singular noun into a plural noun. These plurals are normal plural nouns or regular plural nouns. When plural nouns are not based on specific rules, irregular plural nouns are formed.
Refer to our interesting articles, 100 Irregular Plural Noun List
Examples of plural noun
Thee are thousands of plural nouns used in our daily life, few of them are listed for examples,
- Two or more no of tiger = tigers
- Two or more no of computer = computers
- Two or more no of pen = pens
- Two or more no of horse = houses
- Two or more no of mobile = mobiles
Sentence examples
The following sentences contain plural noun examples.
- The boys are enjoying the game.
- We have many chocolates for girls.
- Tina has two bags
- We have seen two tigers fighting in the zoo.
- Ideas can change our life
Singular and Plural Noun Rules
Rule#1: When we make a plural form of a regular noun, simply add ‘s’ or ‘es’ at the end.
There are a lot of regular nouns in English Grammar we use in our daily life and we will simply add it to make plural nouns.
Add ‘s’
Singular | Plural | Remarks |
anaconda | anacondas | s’ is added at the end of anaconda |
apple | apples | s’ is added at the end of apple |
bat | bats | s’ is added at the end of bat |
ball | balls | s’ is added at the end of ball |
bell | bells | s’ is added at the end of bell |
boat | boats | s’ is added at the end of boat |
car | cars | s’ is added at the end of car |
camel | camels | s’ is added at the end of camel |
cat | cats | s’ is added at the end of cat |
computer | computers | s’ is added at the end of computer |
container | containers | s’ is added at the end of container |
cup | cups | s’ is added at the end of cup |
dog | dogs | s’ is added at the end of dog |
egg | eggs | s’ is added at the end of egg |
elephant | elephants | s’ is added at the end of elephant |
horse | horses | s’ is added at the end of horse |
house | houses | s’ is added at the end of house |
idea | ideas | s’ is added at the end of idea |
insect | insects | s’ is added at the end of insect |
lamp | lamps | s’ is added at the end of lamp |
mug | mugs | s’ is added at the end of mug |
plate | plates | s’ is added at the end of plate |
river | rivers | s’ is added at the end of river |
train | trains | s’ is added at the end of train |
tram | trams | s’ is added at the end of tram |
tree | trees | s’ is added at the end of tree |
window | windows | s’ is added at the end of window |
Rule#2 If any singular noun ends with ‘s’, ‘ss’, ‘ch’, ‘sh’, add ‘es’ to the end to make it plural.
There are a lot of regular nouns end with ‘s’, ‘ss’, ‘sh’, etc. in English Grammar we use in our daily life and we will simply add it to make plural nouns.
Singular | Plural | Remarks |
bus | buses | bus ends with ‘s’, hence, ‘es’ is added at the end |
church | churches | church ends with ‘ch’, hence, ‘es’ is added at the end |
address | addresses | address ends with ‘ss’, hence, ‘es’ is added at the end |
class | classes | class ends with ‘ss’, hence, ‘es’ is added at the end |
brush | brushes | brush ends with ‘sh’, hence, ‘es’ is added at the end |
arch | arches | address ends with ‘ss’, hence, ‘es’ is added at the end |
branch | branches | address ends with ‘ss’, hence, ‘es’ is added at the end |
flash | flashes | flash ends with ‘sh’, hence, ‘es’ is added at the end |
dish | dishes | dish ends with ‘sh’, hence, ‘es’ is added at the end |
dress | dresses | dress ends with ‘ss’, hence, ‘es’ is added at the end |
Rule#3 If any singular noun ends with ‘ch’, and sounds like k, add ‘s’ instead of ‘es’ to the end to make it plural.
Singular | Plural | Remarks |
stomach | stomachs | ch’ in stomach sounds ‘k’, hence, only ‘s’ will be added at the end instead of ‘es’ |
monarch | monarchs |
Rule#4 If any singular noun ends with ‘x’, or ‘z’, add ‘es’ to the end to make it plural.
Singular | Plural | Remarks |
blitz | blitzes | blitz ends with ‘z’, hence, ‘es’ will be added at the end |
box | boxes | box ends with ‘x’, hence, ‘es’ will be added at the end |
buzz | buzzes | |
fox | foxes | |
tax | taxes |
Rule#5 Few singular nouns ending with ‘s’ or ‘z’, require doubling this s or z before adding ‘es’ to make irregular plurals.
Singular | Plural | Remarks |
fez | fezzes | fez ends with ‘z’, here, z doubles, and ‘es’ is added. |
gas | gasses |
Rule#6: When the singular noun is ending with a consonant ‘y’ and prior to ‘y’ there is no vowel, then to make the plural, ‘y’ changed into ‘i’ and add es.
Singular | Plural | Remarks |
puppy | puppies | puppy ends with ‘y’, hence, ‘y’ changed into ‘I’ and ‘es’ is added in puppies |
baby | babies | baby ends with ‘y’, hence, ‘y’ changed into ‘i’ and ‘es’ is added in babies |
sky | skies | sky ends with ‘y’, hence, ‘y’ changed into ‘i’ and ‘es’ is added in skies |
library | libraries | library ends with ‘y’, hence, ‘y’ changed into ‘i’ and ‘es’ is added in libraies |
spy | spies | spy ends with ‘y’, hence, ‘y’ changed into ‘i’ and ‘es’ is added in spies |
enemy | enemies | enemy ends with ‘y’, hence, ‘y’ changed into ‘i’ and ‘es’ is added in enemies |
berry | berries | berry ends with ‘y’, hence, ‘y’ changed into ‘i’ and ‘es’ is added in berries |
university | universities | university ends with ‘y’, hence, ‘y’ changed into ‘i’ and ‘es’ is added in universities |
lobby | lobbies | lobby ends with ‘y’, hence, ‘y’ changed into ‘i’ and ‘es’ is added in lobbies |
fly | flies | baby ends with ‘y’, hence, ‘y’ changed into ‘i’ and ‘es’ is added in babies |
candy | candies | ies’ is modified in candies |
lady | ladies | ies’ is modified in ladies |
city | cities | ies’ is modified in cities |
country | countries | ies’ is modified in countries |
nappy | nappies | ies’ is modified in nappies |
dairy | dairies | ies’ is modified in dairies |
daisy | daisies | ies’ is modified in daisies |
dictionary | dictionaries | ies’ is modified in dictionaries |
Rule#7: When a singular noun is ending with a consonant ‘y’ and prior to y, there is a vowel, then after ‘y’ need to add ‘s’ only.
Singular | Plural | Remarks |
alloy | alloys | alloy ends with ‘y’ and prior to ‘y’, there is a vowel ‘o’. Hence, ‘s’ is added in alloys |
boy | boys | boy ends with ‘y’ and prior to ‘y’, there is a vowel ‘o’. Hence, ‘s’ is added in boys |
day | days | day ends with ‘y’ and prior to ‘y’, there is a vowel ‘a’. Hence, ‘s’ is added in days |
delay | delays | delay ends with ‘y’ and prior to ‘y’, there is a vowel ‘a’. Hence, ‘s’ is added in delays |
donkey | donkeys | donkey ends with ‘y’ and prior to ‘y’, there is a vowel ‘e’. Hence, ‘s’ is added in donkeys |
essay | essays | essay ends with ‘y’ and prior to ‘y’, there is a vowel ‘a’. Hence, ‘s’ is added in essays |
Key | keys | key ends with ‘y’ and prior to ‘y’, there is a vowel ‘e’. Hence, ‘s’ is added in keys |
monkey | monkeys | monkey ends with ‘y’ and prior to ‘y’, vowel ‘e’. Hence, ‘s’ is added in monkeys |
prey | preys | prey ends with ‘y’ and prior to ‘y’, vowel ‘e’. Hence, ‘s’ is added in preys |
toy | toys | toy ends with ‘y’ and prior to ‘y’, vowel ‘o’. Hence, ‘s’ is added in toys |
tray | trays | tray ends with ‘y’ and prior to ‘y’, vowel ‘a’. Hence, ‘s’ is added in trays |
turkey | turkeys | turkey ends with ‘y’ and prior to ‘y’, vowel ‘e’. Hence, ‘s’ is added in turkeys |
Rule#8: When a singular noun is ending with a consonant ‘y’ and it represents persons or places, simply add ‘s’.
Singular | Plural | Remarks |
Germany | Germanys | Germany ends with ‘y’ and it refers to a specific name of the place, hence, ‘s’ is added in Germanys. We can say, Germanys are very intelligent. (For example only) |
Chakraborty | Chakrabortys | Chakraborty ends with ‘y’ and it refers to the category os people, hence, ‘s’ is added in Chakrabortys. We say, So, many Chakrabortys are famous in the world. (For example only) |
Rule#9: When a noun ends with ‘f’ or ‘fe’, then ‘f’ is changed into ‘ve’ and add ‘s’.
Singular | Plural | Remarks |
calf | calves | calf ends with ‘f’. Hence, ‘f’ changed into ‘ve’ and add ‘s’ in calves |
dwarf | dwarves | dwarf ends with ‘f’. Hence, ‘f’ changed into ‘ve’ and add ‘s’ in dwarves |
half | halves | half ends with ‘f’. Hence, ‘f’ changed into ‘ve’ and add ‘s’ in halves |
leaf | leaves | leaf ends with ‘f’. Hence, ‘f’ changed into ‘ve’ and add ‘s’ in leaves |
life | lives | life ends with ‘fe’. Hence, ‘fe’ changed into ‘ve’ and add ‘s’ in lives |
loaf | loaves | loaf ends with ‘f’. Hence, ‘f’ changed into ‘ve’ and add ‘s’ in loaves |
knife | knives | knife ends with ‘fe’. Hence, ‘fe’ changed into ‘ve’ and add ‘s’ in knives |
scarf | scarves | scarf ends with ‘f’. Hence, ‘f’ changed into ‘ve’ and add ‘s’ in scarves |
self | selves | self ends with ‘f’. Hence, ‘f’ changed into ‘ve’ and add ‘s’ in selves |
shelf | shelves | shelf ends with ‘f’. Hence, ‘f’ changed into ‘ve’ and add ‘s’ in shelves |
There are some exceptions to this rule,
Singular | Plural | Remarks |
chef | chefs | s’ is added in chefs |
chief | chiefs | s’ is added in chiefs |
Cliff | Cliffs | s’ is added in cliffs |
cuff | cuffs | s’ is added in cuffs |
dwarf | dwarfs | s’ is added in dwarfs |
grief | griefs | s’ is added in griefs |
handkerchief | handkerchiefs | s’ is added in handkerchiefs |
kerchief | kerchiefs | s’ is added in kerchiefs |
proof | proofs | s’ is added in proofs |
roof | roofs | s’ is added in roofs |
safe | safes | s’ is added in safes |
Rule#10 When a singular noun ends with ‘o’, followed by a consonant, simply add ‘es’.
Singular | Plural | Remarks |
hero | heroes | hero ends with ‘o’, followed by consonant ‘r’, hence, ‘es’ is added in heroes. |
potato | potatoes | same |
tomato | tomatoes | same |
There few exceptions here,
Singular | Plural | Remarks |
halo | halos | Only ‘s’ is added as an exception |
memento | mementos | same |
photo | photos | same |
piano | pianos | same |
solo | solos | same |
Rule#11 When a singular noun ends with ‘o’, followed by a vowel, add ‘s’ to make plural.
Singular | Plural | Remarks |
cameo | cameos | cameo ends with ‘o’, followed by vowel ‘e’, hence, ‘s’ is added in cameos |
studio | studios | same |
portfolio | portfolios | same |
Rule#12 However, when the words have a foreign origin (e.g., Latin, Greek, Spanish, Mexico, etc.), we just add ‘s’ to make the plural.
Singular | Plural | Remarks |
taco | tacos | Taco is originated from Mexico, hence, only ‘s’ is added in tacos |
avocado | avocados | same |
maestro | maestros | same |
Rule#13 When a singular noun ends with ‘us’, replace this ‘us’ by ‘i’.
Singular | Plural | Remarks |
alumnus | alumni | alumnus ends with ‘us’, hence, ‘us’ changed into ‘I’ in alumni. |
cactus | cacti | same |
focus | foci | same |
fungus | fungi | same |
nucleus | nuclei | same |
octopus | octopi | same |
syllabus | syllabi | same |
Rule#14 When a singular noun ends with ‘um’, replace this ‘um’ by ‘a’.
Singular | Plural | Remarks |
bacterium | bacteria | bacterium ends with ‘um’, hence, ‘um’ changed into ‘a’ in bacteria. |
curriculum | curricula | same |
datum | data | same |
medium | media | same |
Rule#15 Few singular nouns end with ‘a’, replace this ‘a’ by ‘ae’.
Singular | Plural | Remarks |
alga | algae | alga ends with ‘a’, hence, ‘a’ changed into ‘ae’ in algae. |
alumna | antennae | same |
amoeba | amoebae | same |
antenna | antennae | same |
There are so many worksheets available for singular nouns and plural nouns.
Rule#16 When a singular noun ends with ‘is’, simply replace it with ‘es’.
Singular | Plural | Remarks |
analysis | analyses | analysis ends with ‘is’, hence, ‘is’ changed into ‘es’ in analyses |
axis | axes | same |
diagnosis | diagnoses | same |
ellipsis | ellipses | same |
hypothesis | hypotheses | same |
parenthesis | parentheses | same |
Rule#17 When a singular noun ends with ‘on’, replace it with ‘a’.
Singular | Plural | Remarks |
criterion | criteria | criterion ends with ‘on’, hence, ‘on’ changed into ‘a’ in criteria |
phenomenon | phenomena | same |
Rule#18 When a singular noun ends with ‘ex’ or ‘ix’, replace it with ‘ices’.
Singular | Plural | Remarks |
appendix | appendices | appendix ends with ‘ix’, hence, ‘ix’ changed into ‘ices’ in appendices |
index | Indices | index ends with ‘ex’, hence, ‘ex’ changed into ‘ices’ in indices |
matrix | matrices | same |
vertex | vertices | same |
Rule#19 Few singular nouns end with ‘o’, replace it by ‘i’.
Singular | Plural | Remarks |
concerto | concerti | concerto ends with ‘o’, hence, ‘o’ changed into ‘i’ in concerti |
graffito | graffiti | same |
virtuoso | virtuosi | same |
Conclusion
Hence, we have got a basic idea about singular nouns and plural nouns. Please note that you are always welcome to upgrade or modify our posts and always welcome to our study.