Word ends with s plural

There are far too many useful words ending with “-s” to list, so this is mainly a list of words ending in “-es” and “-ies”. However, it also includes words that take “-s” in the plural because the singular already endings in “-e” but which have an “iz” pronunciation like “-es” endings. There is also a short list of the most useful words ending in “-s” which are always plural.

There is a similar list of irregular plurals in the article How to Teach Irregular Plurals. 

Plurals that take es with an “iz” pronunciation and one added syllable (listed by level)

Elementary

  • buses
  • churches
  • classes
  • contact lenses
  • eyelashes
  • glasses
  • sandwiches
  • actresses
  • faxes
  • peaches
  • princesses
  • waitresses

Pre-Intermediate

  • beaches
  • boxes
  • brushes
  • businesses
  • dishes
  • dresses
  • inches
  • watches

Intermediate

  • bonuses
  • bosses
  • branches
  • foxes
  • kisses
  • losses
  • pitches
  • speeches
  • switches
  • taxes
  • viruses
  • weaknesses
  • wishes
  • witches
  • witnesses

Upper Intermediate

  • affixes
  • arches
  • atlases
  • benches
  • biases
  • bunches
  • bushes
  • circuses
  • coaches
  • cockroaches
  • crashes
  • crosses
  • gases
  • guesses
  • illnesses
  • matches
  • passes
  • prefixes
  • punches
  • radishes
  • remixes
  • riches
  • sketches
  • sketches
  • successes
  • suffixes
  • torches
  • wishes

Advanced

  • abscesses
  • approaches
  • batches
  • blemishes
  • blotches
  • blushes
  • breaches
  • brooches
  • buttresses
  • carcasses
  • censuses
  • choruses
  • clutches
  • complexes
  • congresses
  • crutches
  • dispatches
  • ditches
  • excesses
  • finches
  • flashes
  • fortresses
  • goddesses
  • harnesses
  • hutches
  • irises
  • lasses
  • launches
  • leeches
  • marches
  • marshes
  • masses
  • mattresses
  • mistresses
  • parishes
  • patches
  • pluses
  • porches
  • pouches
  • presses
  • rashes
  • recesses
  • reflexes
  • scratches
  • searches
  • sexes
  • skirmishes
  • splashes
  • stitches
  • stresses
  • thicknesses
  • trenches
  • winches

Plurals with just -s added but “iz” pronunciation and an added syllable (listed by level)

Elementary

  • bookcases
  • colleges
  • fridges
  • garages
  • houses
  • nurses
  • oranges
  • pages
  • palaces
  • pencil cases
  • sausages
  • spices
  • suitcases
  • teleconferences
  • video conferences

Pre-Intermediate

  • advantages
  • ages
  • ambulances
  • blouses
  • bridges
  • chances
  • changes
  • choices
  • conferences
  • dances
  • differences
  • disadvantages
  • diseases
  • excuses
  • exercises
  • experiences
  • faces
  • horses
  • images
  • increases
  • languages
  • necklaces
  • nieces
  • noises
  • offices
  • phrases
  • pieces
  • places
  • promises
  • responses
  • services
  • sizes
  • stages
  • surprises
  • text messages
  • uses
  • villages
  • wages

Intermediate

  • acquaintances
  • appearances
  • audiences
  • cabbages
  • carriages
  • cases
  • clauses
  • coincidences
  • compromises
  • conferences
  • courses
  • databases
  • divorces
  • expenses
  • finances
  • hostages
  • ounces
  • packages
  • pauses
  • performances
  • preferences
  • prices
  • prizes
  • purposes
  • purses
  • references
  • romances
  • shoelaces
  • sledges
  • slices
  • spaces
  • sponges
  • terraces
  • voices
  • voyages
  • workplaces

Upper Intermediate

  • absences
  • abuses
  • advances
  • alliances
  • allowances
  • appliances
  • assurances
  • auspices
  • averages
  • badges
  • beverages
  • braces
  • bruises
  • cages
  • carriages
  • causes
  • charges
  • circumstances
  • consequences
  • cottages
  • cruises
  • damages
  • devices
  • discharges
  • distances
  • disturbances
  • doses
  • edges
  • enterprises
  • entrances
  • exchanges
  • fences
  • forces
  • fragrances
  • franchises
  • fringes
  • fuses
  • glances
  • grievances
  • hedges
  • hinges
  • impulses
  • inferences
  • influences
  • injustices
  • instances
  • interfaces
  • invoices
  • licenses
  • marriages
  • masterpieces
  • messages
  • mortgages
  • moustaches
  • notices
  • occurrences
  • paces
  • passages
  • percentages
  • phases
  • pledges
  • poses
  • practices
  • prejudices
  • privileges
  • provinces
  • purchases
  • releases
  • residences
  • resources
  • ridges
  • roses
  • sacrifices
  • senses
  • sequences
  • sources
  • substances
  • surfaces
  • traces
  • urges
  • utterances
  • vases
  • verses
  • vices
  • warehouses

Advanced

  • accomplices
  • aces
  • allegiances
  • appendages
  • bandages
  • barges
  • bases
  • blockages
  • breezes
  • bronzes
  • caches
  • cartridges
  • collages
  • condolences
  • conveniences
  • creases
  • crevices
  • curses
  • disappearances
  • dispatches
  • embraces
  • essences
  • forges
  • furnaces
  • gauges
  • glimpses
  • gorges
  • greenhouses
  • guises
  • haunches
  • hoses
  • imbalances
  • impedances
  • lapses
  • leakages
  • ledges
  • licenses
  • lineages
  • linkages
  • lodges
  • midges
  • miscarriages
  • muses
  • novices
  • nuances
  • nuisances
  • outrages
  • partridges
  • pilgrimages
  • porpoises
  • pretences
  • prototypes
  • purges
  • racehorses
  • reassurances
  • recurrences
  • refuges
  • reminiscences
  • remittances
  • resonances
  • reverses
  • savages
  • sieges
  • silences
  • stances
  • stoppages
  • summonses
  • surges
  • synapses
  • syringes
  • tolerances
  • tortoises
  • typefaces
  • variances
  • vestiges
  • voltages
  • wedges

List of plurals ending in ies by level

Elementary

  • babies
  • batteries
  • butterflies
  • celebrities
  • cherries
  • dictionaries
  • documentaries
  • factories
  • French fries
  • hobbies
  • libraries
  • nationalities
  • photocopies stories
  • strawberries

Pre-Intermediate

  • accessories
  • activities
  • apologies
  • buddies
  • cities
  • copies
  • countries
  • emergencies
  • enquiries
  • ladies
  • memories
  • parties
  • raspberries
  • similarities
  • television personalities

Intermediate

  • abilities
  • allergies bodies
  • bullies
  • categories
  • centuries
  • charities
  • difficulties
  • disabilities
  • discoveries
  • duties
  • galleries
  • injuries
  • necessities
  • opportunities
  • personalities
  • replies
  • responsibilities
  • salaries
  • spies
  • strategies
  • studies
  • subsidiaries
  • supplies
  • tries
  • universities
  • varieties
  • worries

Upper Intermediate

  • allies
  • anxieties
  • authorities
  • casualties
  • ceremonies
  • commodities
  • communities
  • controversies
  • counties
  • currencies
  • deliveries
  • democracies
  • economies
  • enemies
  • facilities
  • ferries
  • flies
  • galleries
  • industries
  • inequalities
  • lorries
  • luxuries
  • ministries
  • minorities
  • mysteries
  • obituaries
  • policies
  • priorities
  • properties
  • puppies
  • quantities
  • queries
  • redundancies
  • remedies
  • societies
  • theories
  • victories

Advanced

  • abnormalities
  • adversaries
  • agencies
  • ambiguities
  • amenities
  • analogies
  • annuities
  • anomalies
  • antibodies
  • antiquities
  • armies
  • arteries
  • atrocities
  • autobiographies
  • beauties
  • beneficiaries
  • boundaries
  • capabilities
  • capacities
  • cemeteries
  • certainties
  • colonies
  • commentaries
  • competencies
  • constituencies
  • contemporaries
  • contingencies
  • curiosities
  • daisies
  • deficiencies
  • deformities
  • deities
  • delicacies
  • dependencies
  • deputies
  • destinies
  • diaries
  • dignitaries
  • discrepancies
  • disparities
  • distilleries
  • eccentricities
  • embassies
  • emissaries
  • entities
  • entries
  • equities
  • estuaries
  • eventualities
  • extremities
  • fairies
  • fantasies
  • fatalities
  • ferries
  • festivities
  • fisheries
  • follies
  • forgeries
  • formalities
  • functionaries
  • galaxies
  • hippies
  • identities
  • ideologies
  • idiosyncrasies
  • impurities
  • inaccuracies
  • inadequacies
  • inconsistencies
  • indignities
  • inefficiencies
  • insecurities
  • intermediaries
  • ironies
  • irregularities
  • laboratories
  • liabilities
  • localities
  • loyalties
  • luminaries
  • melodies
  • mercenaries
  • mercies
  • methodologies
  • miseries
  • missionaries
  • monasteries
  • monopolies
  • municipalities
  • nannies
  • nappies
  • necessities
  • novelties
  • obscenities
  • oddities
  • ovaries
  • pansies
  • pastries
  • peculiarities
  • penalties
  • philosophies
  • ponies
  • poppies
  • possibilities
  • principalities
  • prophecies
  • qualities
  • rarities
  • refineries
  • repositories
  • robberies
  • rubies
  • sensibilities
  • sensitivities
  • signatories
  • specialities
  • specialties
  • subsidies
  • sympathies
  • symphonies
  • tapestries
  • tendencies
  • territories
  • tragedies
  • treaties
  • tributaries
  • utilities
  • vacancies
  • vagaries
  • wellies

List of plurals ending in ys by level

Elementary

  • boys
  • days
  • holidays keys
  • toys

Pre-Intermediate

  • ashtrays
  • essays

Intermediate

  • birthdays
  • deejays
  • delays
  • highways
  • journeys
  • monkeys
  • plays
  • trays
  • ways
  • weekdays

Upper Intermediate

  • alleys
  • attorneys
  • buoys
  • cowboys
  • displays
  • guys
  • homestays
  • motorways
  • screenplays
  • surveys
  • trolleys
  • turkeys
  • valleys

Advanced

  • abbeys
  • alleyways
  • alloys
  • archways
  • arrays
  • bays
  • bellboys
  • castaways
  • chimneys
  • choirboys
  • cockneys
  • convoys
  • decoys
  • donkeys
  • doorways
  • driveways
  • dual carriageways
  • envoys
  • fairways
  • homeboys
  • jerseys
  • jockeys
  • joys
  • kidneys
  • lackeys
  • medleys
  • ospreys
  • pageboys
  • paperboys
  • passageways
  • pathways
  • paydays
  • playboys
  • ploys
  • pulleys
  • quays
  • relays
  • runways
  • schoolboys
  • sickbays
  • slipways
  • stingrays
  • storeys
  • stowaways
  • strays
  • sunrays
  • tomboys
  • volleys
  • walkways
  • washdays
  • waterways

List of plurals ending in oes by level

Note that there are many other possible -oes plurals that I probably wouldn’t teach, usually because an -os plural is also possible.

Elementary

  • potatoes
  • tomatoes

Pre-Intermediate

  • heroes
  • superheroes

Intermediate

  • zeroes

Upper Intermediate

  • echoes
  • volcanoes

Advanced

  • buffaloes
  • embargoes
  • torpedoes
  • vetoes
  • weirdoes

Words ending in s that are always plural (with no singular form without –s, listed by level)

The words below always take a plural form of the verb (“The jeans are…”). They are therefore different from singular and uncountable words ending in “-s” which take third person S such as “The news is…” and also different from words which end in “-s” in the both the singular and plural such “The series is/ are…”

Elementary

  • clothes
  • glasses (meaning spectacles)
  • jeans
  • pajamas/ pyjamas
  • scissors
  • shorts
  • stairs

Pre-Intermediate

  • congratulations
  • headquarters
  • pants
  • trousers

Intermediate

  • binoculars
  • crossroads
  • leggings
  • stockings
  • tights

Upper Intermediate

  • contents
  • goggles
  • kitchen scales
  • outskirts
  • spectacles
  • toiletries
  • tongs
  • tweezers

Advanced

  • barracks
  • bellows
  • dregs
  • dungarees
  • flares
  • forceps
  • fumes
  • gallows
  • hot pants
  • overalls
  • pincers
  • pliers
  • quarters
  • shears
  • slacks
  • vespers

Related articles:

  • How to teach English plurals — Teaching tips, games and other classroom activities for regular and irregular plural nouns.
  • How to Teach Irregular Plurals — Teaching tips and classroom activities for plurals without -s like «children», «sheep» and «alumni»

Spelling Plurals Ending in -s

To make the plural form of a noun, we add -s

Singular (1) Plural (2+)
book books
tree trees

Singular and Plural

There are different rules for words ending in ‘y’ depending on the letter before the ‘y’

Words With Consonant + ‘y’

If the word ends with a consonant + ‘y’, you remove the ‘y’ and add -ies.

Singular (1) Plural (2+)
baby babies
fly flies

Nouns Ending in Consonant + ‘y’

Words ending in consonant + ‘y’ usually have an /iː/ or an /аɪ/ sound.

Words With Vowel + ‘y’

If the word ends in a vowel + ‘y’, we just add -s.

Singular (1) Plural (2+)
tray trays
toy toys

Nouns Ending in Vowel + ‘y’

Vowels are the letters ‘a’, ’e’, ‘i’, ‘o’, and ‘u’. All other letters are consonants.

Words Ending in ‘sh’, ‘ch’, ’s’, ‘x’, and ‘z’

For words ending in ‘sh’, ‘ch’, ’s’, and ‘x’, we add -es

Singular (1) Plural (2+)
brush brushes
church churches
kiss kisses
box boxes

Nouns Ending in ‘sh’, ‘ch’, ’s’, and ‘x’

For words ending in ‘z’, we double the z and add -es.

Singular (1) Plural (2+)
quiz quizzes

Nouns Ending in ‘z’

Words Ending in ‘o’

For some words ending in ‘o’ we add -s and for some we add -es.

Singular (1) Plural (2+)
piano pianos
casino casinos

Nouns Ending in ‘o’ with -s

Singular (1) Plural (2+)
potato potatoes
tomato tomatoes

Nouns Ending in ‘o’ with -es

For words ending in a vowel + ‘o’, we always add -s.

Singular (1) Plural (2+)
stereo stereos
studio studios

Nouns Ending in vowel +‘o’

If you are not sure whether to add -s or -es, check your dictionary.

Words Ending in ‘f’ or ‘fe’

For many words ending in ‘f’ and ‘fe’, we remove the ‘f’ or ‘fe’ and add -ves.

Singular (1) Plural (2+)
leaf leaves
wife wives

Nouns Ending in ‘f’ and ‘fe’

For some words ending in ‘f’, we just add -s

Singular (1) Plural (2+)
cliff cliffs
proof proofs

Nouns Ending in ‘f’ and ‘fe’

If you are not sure whether to add -s or -ves, check your dictionary.

Irregular Plurals

These spelling rules only work for regular plural nouns. See the irregular plurals list to learn how to spell irregular plurals.

Second only to the use of the Oxford comma, the creation of possessives for words ending in S and the S sound is one of the most hotly debated grammar topics in the English language.

The issue isn’t as cut and dried as some grammar rules, such as what punctuation is used to end a declarative sentence. (A period. Why can’t all grammar rules be this simple?) Instead, when it comes to possessives, we have a motley mix of differing guidelines issued by stylebooks, grammarians, and grade school teachers. 

There’s a word for the S sound that trips so many up: sibilant. It stems from the Latin word meaning “hissing.” It can also be used to describe other letters when they make that same S sound, such as ch, sh, z, and zh. These sibilant sounds throw people for a loop when they come at the end of a word, with many doing linguistic gymnastics trying to avoid the awkward possessive.  

Looking back in history doesn’t help settle the matter either, as the correct use of the apostrophe has always been ambiguous. The word apostrophe first appeared around 1580–90, stemming from the Greek word apostroph?, meaning “a turning away,” which makes sense as it was first used in English to represent missing letters in a word. Once it started to be used to show ownership, however, there was never any consensus as to how it should be done properly, and we live with that legacy today. 

So let’s take a look at some of the various approaches people take when addressing this possessive.

Singular nouns ending in S

Rule 1: In general, you form a possessive singular noun (both proper and common) by adding an apostrophe and the letter S to the end of the word.

  • the flower’s petals
  • Riley’s car

That’s simple enough. It’s when the car belongs to a person named Chris, or we’re talking about the petals of a crocus that the rules get blurry. Most experts and guides say you should add an apostrophe and an S to both proper and common nouns to make them possessive even when they end in S. So, using the examples above, it would be:

  •  Chris’s car
  • the crocus’s petals 

Not everyone agrees with this method, however, and some, such as the Associated Press Stylebook, nod in favor of adding only an apostrophe to make a proper noun possessive, such as:

  • Chris’ car
  • Dickens’ novels

To add even more confusion, AP Style also has an exception if the word following the possessive starts with an S, stating that in those cases only the apostrophe should be added. So it would be:

  • Texas’s people
  • Texas’ streams 

In 2019, the AP raised quite the ruckus when they tweeted that they were considering adding an S after the apostrophe for singular proper nouns, as in Mavis Staples’s album or Martha Reeves’s concert. To date, no changes have been made, but as you can see, it’s an ever-evolving, highly volatile topic. 

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Plural nouns ending in S

Rule 2: Plural nouns, on the other hand, generally don’t get an extra S, just an apostrophe. Most experts suggest you form the plural form of the word first, then add the apostrophe.

For example: 

  • the Joneses’ house 
  • the classes’ rules

Most say possessive words should generally read as you would speak them. 

The one-syllable rule

When it comes to historical proper names or those found in the Bible, however, there is another rule many choose to follow.

Rule 3: According to some, those words with two or more syllables typically just get an apostrophe after the final S, while one-syllable words getting both an apostrophe and an S.

For example:

  • Jesus’ teachings
  • Zeus’s temper

Some people apply it to more recent names as well, such as Dr. Seuss’s writings or Kenny Rogers’ songs, while others believe they all should also get an additional S

Singular nouns in plural form

Rule 4: When it comes to singular nouns that are plural words, they typically just get the apostrophe.

For example, the Beatles is a singular noun, but it’s in the form of a plural word. So, it would be:

  • The Beatles’ album

For the sake of …

Rule 5: Whether a noun ends in an S or not, if it’s followed by the word sake, most say it just gets an apostrophe.

For example:

  • for goodness’ sake
  • for conscience’ sake 
  • for appearance’ sake

Others, such as the Chicago Manual of Style, say if the word before sake ends in an S, then it should just get an apostrophe. Others should get an apostrophe and an S. So, it would be:

  • for goodness’ sake
  • for conscience’s sake 
  • for appearance’s sake

Kill the apostrophe all together?

There’s also a camp that says we should make like George Bernard Shaw and do away with apostrophes all together, be it for possessives, contractions, or anywhere else they may live. He called apostrophes “uncouth bacilli” (rough translation: “awkward bacteria”), and while we’re not sure we’d go that far, this apostrophe anarchy is admittedly a bit unnerving for those who like hard and fast grammar rules.

The bottom line is this: if what you’re writing must follow a specific stylebook, follow the rules stated there. If you’re a student, follow the rules your teacher dictates. If you’re just writing to write, then choose a method and stick to it. Consistency is the best rule. And if anyone has a problem with it, distract them with a debate about the Oxford comma.

Hi Teachers and Visitors to this website. This is a re-post from an earlier entry. We felt it got lost there so here it is again. Enjoy!

Plural ‘s’ in English.

In English plural countable nouns are nouns we add an ‘s’ to express that there is more than one. For example a cup (one cup), two cups, a bag (one bag), three bags, an apple (one apple), four apples, an orange (one orange), five oranges.

English generally has three ‘s’ sounds when it comes to plural countable nouns. These are /s/ /z/ and /ɪz/.

When describing English sounds, we usually say /s/ is voiceless (a slight whistling air comes out your mouth as you make the sound) and /z/ is voiced (you feel a stronger vibrating sound in your throat). This is illustrated below:

/ɪz/ is also voiced because it has /z/ in it.

The general rule for knowing when plural ‘s’ (the last letter ‘s’ you see in plural countable nouns like cups, herbs, oranges) is that:

  • If the final letter of the word is a voiceless sound the plural ‘s’ sound is /s/. Remember voiceless  + voiceless.
  • If the final letter of the word is a voiced sound, the plural ‘s’ is /z/. Remember voiced + voiced.

You can see this with the chart below (which you can also download for free to use with the ELE Flashcard Flipbook):

Plural S Teacher's Pronunciation Key

DOWNLOAD Plural S Teacher’s Pronunciation Key

Based on the above you can see that most words in English end with a /z/ sound. That’s because all vowels in English are voiced and most of the consonant sounds are voiced too (you can read our blog about English sounds here).

Words which end with voiceless sounds are: cup /p/, hat /t/, sock /k/, cliff /f/ and moth /θ/. As a result, any word which ends with these sounds will have /s/ in their plural form.

As for /ɪz/ this is the sound for plural countable nouns ending with the following sounds:

  • /s/ which you can hear in the letters ‘c’, ‘x’. For example ‘fence, fences‘ and ‘box boxes‘.
  • /z/ which you can hear in the letters ‘s’ and ‘z’. For example ‘cheese cheeses‘ and ‘maze mazes
  • /ʃ/ which you can hear in the letters ‘sh’. For exampled ‘dish dishes‘.
  • /ʧ/ which you can hear in the letters ‘ch’ and ‘tch’. For example ‘watch watches‘.
  • /ʤ/ which you can hear in letters ‘j’ and ‘g’. For example ‘jumper’ and ‘orange oranges‘. (We will write a seperate blog on this sound because in English it can be difficult o know when ‘g’ is /g/ or /ʤ/).

Any word which ends with those sounds will usually have /ɪz/ in their plural form.

REMEMBER This rule is for COUNTABLE NOUNS. This rule also applies to VERBS. For example:

  • I cook      He cooks /s/
  • I dig         She digs /z/
  • I wash     He washes /ɪz/

Why is this important?

For many speakers this is not a big problem and generally does not effect communication. However, this is an interesting feature of English pronunciation and practising this will help speakers who struggle with ending sounds in English.

This is especially noticeable with Vietnamse and Thai speakers who tend to leave many English words open (without an ending sound). By using this interesting pronunciation feature of English teachers can help their pupils and students become more accurate with their pronunciation of plural countable nouns and also encourage their pupils and students to pronounce English words in full with the ending sounds.

Give it a try and see if your pupils and students pronunciation improves over time.

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Plural of Nouns

как образуется множественное число в английском языке

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

как образуется множественное число в английском языке

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Reading the ending «-s»:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

armchairs — armchairs, bookcases — bookcases.

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

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

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

Names Nouns used only in the singular

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Nouns Plural only nouns

  1. Nouns usually denoting paired objects:

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

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

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

NOTE:

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

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

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

Pluralization in English, exceptions

как образуется множественное число в английском языке

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 (familyteam)

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

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

Read by George William Dole

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

Read by George William Dole

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

Read by George William Dole

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

Read by George William Dole

EXCEPTIONS:

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

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

Read by George William Dole

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

  1. 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).

  2. 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).

  3. 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).

  4. 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).

  5. 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)

  6. 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

  1. 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).
  2. 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).
  3. Many words borrowed from Greek and Latin are also considered exceptions to the general rule. And their plural form also needs to be memorized. A few words are presented below. And we have collected a more complete list in the table at the end of the article.
    • A phenomenon — phenomena.
    • 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, -shchx, -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

    When students learn how to form the plural of countable English nouns, they realize they have to memorize a lot of irregular plural nouns. At least if the word is regular, they only have to add -s. Or do they? Some English words ending in certain letters take -es instead of -s. Are there any rules we can teach our students to make English plurals a little easier to learn?

    Adding -s

    Most regular count nouns take the -s ending to form the plural. Students learn this at an early level, and while it’s a fairly straightforward rule, there are some tricky exceptions such as irregular plural forms (but that’s a post for another day).

    • book → books
    • dog → dogs
    • movie → movies

    Do we add -s or -es to words ending in the vowel ‑o? Most of these words follow the normal pattern and take the -s plural ending.

    • radio → radios
    • photo → photos
    • kangaroo → kangaroos

    Adding -es

    When do we add -es to form the plural? We usually write -es to demonstrate a change in pronunciation. It would be too difficult to pronounce an -s ending after certain similar-sounding consonants (-s, -z,, ‑x, ‑sh, and ‑ch), which is why we need to add an extra syllable. This syllable is written as -es and pronounced as /əz/.

    • kiss → kisses /ˈkɪs əz/
    • quiz → quizzes /ˈkwɪz əz/
    • box → boxes /ˈbɑks əz/
    • dish → dishes /ˈdɪ ʃəz/
    • watch → watches /ˈwæ tʃəz/

    What about a word like “potatoes”? Some words ending in -o must take -es. There aren’t too many of these types of words, but some common ones include:

    • potato → potatoes
    • tomato → tomatoes
    • hero → heroes

    Adding -s or ‑es

    What about words that can take either -s or -es? Many words ending in the vowel -o fall into this category, where either plural ending is acceptable and correct. In almost all of these cases, dictionaries list the -es form as the slightly more common form.

    • mango → mangoes/mangos
    • mosquito → mosquitoes/mosquitos
    • zero → zeroes/zeros
    • volcano → volcanoes/volcanos
    • tornado → tornadoes/tornados

    For these cases, should we teach our students one rule (i.e., to always add -s or always add -es) or to use the most common dictionary form? This question came up while we were developing our new Famous Things lesson on Volcanoes—we had to decide if we should use volcanos or volcanoes in the lesson.

    Both volcanoes and volcanos are acceptable, correct spellings. We chose to use volcanoes since most dictionaries, such as Merriam-Webster and Oxford, list volcanoes as the main entry and volcanos as the variant. Though -s may be the “easier” rule, we felt it was important to teach the most common plural form to students.

    Conclusion & Other Rules

    There is good news for students! The list of words ending in ‑o that take only -es is very short, with potatoes and tomatoes being the most common words. This means that if students can’t remember if a word takes -s or -es more often (such as mosquitos/mosquitoes), they can add only -s and there’s a high chance it will be an acceptable, correct spelling. Remind students, though, that it’s best to use the more common spelling and to look it up when they can.

    Some other rules that might be helpful for your students include:

    1. If a word ends in -oe, add -s (e.g., toe → toes, shoe → shoes).
    2. If the letter before the final -o is a vowel, add -s (e.g., patio → patios, video → videos).
    3. If the word ending in -o is short for a longer word (e.g., photograph → photo, automobile → auto), add -s (e.g., photos, autos).

    Related

    • Singluar & Plural Nouns
    • Regular & Irregular Plural Nouns
    • Volcanoes
    • Tornadoes
    • Confusing Possessive Plurals
    • Forming the Possessive of Words Ending in -s
    • Count & Non-Count Nouns

    The material below describes the rules of adding the ending s/es to the final consonants and vowels of nouns and verbs.

    The ending s/es is added to nouns to form regular plural forms of nouns (a book – books). Formation of irregular plural forms of nouns is described in Irregular Plural Nouns in the section Writing.

    The ending s/es is added to verbs to form the third person singular in the Simple Present Tense (he, she, it works). Examples of the use of the third person singular form in sentences can be found in Key to Present Tenses in the section Grammar.

    The rules of adding s/es to nouns and verbs are mostly the same. In most cases, the ending S is added. The choice of the ending S or ES depends on the sound or letter to which the ending is added.

    Pronunciation of s/es

    The ending s/es has three variants of pronunciation depending on the sound or letter after which it stands. (The mute letter E at the end of the word is not taken into consideration in this rule.)

    After a voiceless consonant: [s] – parks, takes, lacks, streets, writes, cats, sits, myths, truths, ropes, tips, jumps, laughs, safes, cuffs, puffs.

    After a voiced consonant or a vowel: [z] – legs, reads, robs, leaves, saves, girls, rooms, tons, chairs, clothes, boys, keys, cows, toes, ties, studies.

    After the letters s, z, x, ch, tch, sh, ce, dge, ge: [iz] – classes, gases, releases, loses, prizes, quizzes, boxes, fixes, churches, matches, dishes, prices, bridges, oranges, garages.

    Adding the ending S

    In most cases, the ending S is added to nouns and verbs without any change of the letter to which it is added.

    Nouns:

    lake – lakes;

    street – streets;

    cloth – cloths;

    drop – drops;

    rug – rugs;

    name – names;

    table – tables;

    toe – toes;

    tie – ties;

    cow – cows;

    camera – cameras;

    flea – fleas.

    Verbs:

    take – (he) takes;

    sit – (he) sits;

    pick – (he) picks;

    puff – (he) puffs;

    lead – (he) leads;

    run – (he) runs;

    give – (he) gives;

    care – (he) cares;

    see – (he) sees;

    lie – (he) lies.

    Adding the ending ES

    After s, z, x, ch, tch, sh, the ending ES is added (pronounced [iz]). If the word ends in mute E after the above letters (or ends in ce, dge, ge), the ending S is added (pronounced [iz]). (Or one can say that the final mute letter E is dropped in this case, and the ending ES is added.)

    Nouns:

    class – classes;

    rose – roses;

    quiz – quizzes;

    fax – faxes;

    ax, axe – axes;

    church – churches;

    match – matches;

    dish – dishes;

    price – prices;

    bridge – bridges;

    orange – oranges;

    garage – garages.

    Verbs:

    kiss – (he) kisses;

    release – (he) releases;

    lose – (he) loses;

    choose – (he) chooses;

    buzz – (he) buzzes;

    relax – (he) relaxes;

    teach – (he) teaches;

    catch – (he) catches;

    wash – (he) washes;

    judge – (he) judges;

    manage – (he) manages;

    rouge – (he) rouges.

    Names:

    If names or family names end in s, z, x, ch, tch, sh, the ending ES is added to form the plural; the ending S is added to the final mute E after these letters and to ce, dge, ge. The ending s/es is pronounced [iz] in these cases.

    For example: Morris – two Morrises; Max – three Maxes; the Douglases (family members whose last name is Douglas); the Joneses (members of the Jones family); the Foxes; the Hooches; the Nashes; the Chases; the Royces; the Hodges.

    Note: Usually, the surname in the plural with the definite article «the» is used to refer to husband and wife. (See Articles with People’s Names in the section Grammar.)

    Adding S to final Y

    If the final Y in nouns and verbs doesn’t form a syllable (Y stands after a vowel letter), Y doesn’t change, and the ending S (pronounced [z]) is added.

    day – days;

    ray – rays;

    play – plays;

    say – says;

    key – keys;

    monkey – monkeys;

    toy – toys;

    boy – boys;

    employ – employs;

    buy – buys.

    Adding ES to final Y

    If the final Y forms a syllable (Y stands alone after a consonant letter), the ending ES (pronounced [z]) is added, and Y changes to I.

    Nouns:

    story – stories;

    lady – ladies;

    family – families;

    sky – skies;

    try – tries;

    fly – flies.

    Verbs:

    study – (he) studies,

    copy – (he) copies;

    try – (he) tries;

    fry – (he) fries;

    deny – (he) denies;

    rely – (he) relies.

    Note: In the case of names or family names ending in Y, the ending S is added to form the plural, and the letter Y doesn’t change. For example: Mary – two Marys; Tony – two Tonys; the Crosbys (family members whose last name is Crosby); the Rileys (members of the family by the name Riley).

    Adding s/es to final O

    If a verb ends in O, the ending ES (pronounced [z]) is added in all cases.

    go – (he) goes;

    do – (he) does;

    veto – (he) vetoes;

    echo – (he) echoes.

    If a noun ends in O, the ending S (pronounced [z]) is added in a number of cases.

    kilo – kilos;

    kimono – kimonos;

    logo – logos;

    metro – metros;

    photo – photos;

    piano – pianos;

    portfolio – portfolios;

    radio – radios;

    scenario – scenarios;

    silo – silos;

    solo – solos;

    soprano – sopranos;

    studio – studios.

    If a noun ends in O, the ending ES (pronounced [z]) is added in some other cases.

    echo – echoes;

    embargo – embargoes;

    hero – heroes;

    Negro – Negroes;

    potato – potatoes;

    tomato – tomatoes;

    torpedo – torpedoes;

    veto – vetoes.

    In some cases, both spelling variants are considered standard. The first spelling variant indicated in the dictionary is usually the most common.

    cargo – cargoes, cargos;

    halo – halos, haloes;

    motto – mottoes, mottos;

    tornado – tornadoes, tornados;

    volcano – volcanoes, volcanos;

    zero – zeros, zeroes.

    Note: If a verb or a noun ends in OO, the ending S (pronounced [z]) is added in all cases: boo – boos; moo – moos; cuckoo – cuckoos.

    Nouns ending in F, FE

    Some nouns that end in F or FE in the singular form the plural by changing F, FE to «ves» (pronounced [vz]).

    leaf – leaves;

    loaf – loaves;

    half – halves;

    calf – calves;

    wolf – wolves;

    self – selves;

    shelf – shelves;

    elf – elves;

    thief – thieves;

    sheaf – sheaves;

    life – lives;

    wife – wives;

    knife – knives.

    But some nouns that end in F, FE form the plural in the regular way by adding the ending S (pronounced [s]).

    belief – beliefs;

    chief – chiefs;

    handkerchief – handkerchiefs;

    dwarf – dwarfs;

    goof – goofs;

    proof – proofs;

    roof – roofs;

    safe – safes;

    gulf – gulfs.

    Several nouns have two plural variants.

    scarf – scarfs, scarves;

    wharf – wharves, wharfs;

    hoof – hoofs, hooves;

    turf – turfs, turves.

    Nouns that end in FF add the ending S to form the plural: sheriff – sheriffs; tariff – tariffs; cliff – cliffs; cuff – cuffs; puff – puffs. Exception: staff (in the meaning stick, rod, pole) – staves, staffs.

    Note:

    Verbs ending in F, FE, FF do not change when adding the ending S: to knife – (he) knifes; to loaf – (he) loafs; to wolf – (he) wolfs; to surf – (he) surfs; to bluff – (he) bluffs; to puff – (he) puffs.

    Note the verbs «prove, halve, shelve» and their third person singular form: to prove – (he) proves; to halve – (he) halves; to shelve – (he) shelves.

    Adding s/es to compound nouns

    In most cases, the plural ending s/es is added to the last component of the compound noun according to the rules described above.

    greenhouse – greenhouses;

    mailbox – mailboxes;

    stepmother – stepmothers;

    grown-up – grown-ups;

    take-off, takeoff – take-offs, takeoffs;

    fruit juice – fruit juices;

    train station – train stations;

    computer monitor – computer monitors.

    But in some hyphenated compound nouns and in some compound nouns written as two words, the plural ending s/es is added to the first component (i.e., to the main noun in these compound nouns).

    aide-de-camp – aides-de-camp;

    attorney general – attorneys general;

    commander-in-chief – commanders-in-chief;

    coup d’etat – coups d’etat;

    court martial – courts martial;

    governor-general – governors-general;

    man-of-war – men-of-war;

    mother-in-law – mothers-in-law;

    passer-by – passers-by.

    Some compound nouns have a peculiar way of forming the plural.

    woman doctor – women doctors;

    still life – still lifes.

    Прибавление окончания s/es к существительным и глаголам

    Материал ниже описывает правила прибавления окончания s/es к конечным согласным и гласным существительных и глаголов.

    Окончание s/es прибавляется к существительным для образования правильных форм множественного числа (книга – книги). Образование неправильных форм мн. числа существительных описывается в статье «Irregular Plural Nouns» в разделе Writing.

    Окончание s/es прибавляется к глаголам для образования 3 лица единственного числа в Простом настоящем времени (он, она, оно работает). Примеры употребления формы 3 лица ед. числа в предложениях можно найти в статье «Key to Present Tenses» в разделе Grammar.

    Правила прибавления s/es к существительным и глаголам в основном одинаковы. В большинстве случаев прибавляется окончание S. Выбор окончания S или ES зависит от звука или буквы, к которой прибавляется это окончание.

    Произношение s/es

    Окончание s/es имеет три варианта произношения в зависимости от звука или буквы, после которых оно стоит. (Немая буква E в конце слова не принимается во внимание в этом правиле.)

    После глухого согласного звука: [s] – parks, takes, lacks, streets, writes, cats, sits, myths, truths, ropes, tips, jumps, laughs, safes, cuffs, puffs.

    После звонкого согласного звука или гласного звука: [z] – legs, reads, robs, leaves, saves, girls, rooms, tons, chairs, clothes, boys, keys, cows, toes, ties, studies.

    После букв s, z, x, ch, tch, sh, ce, dge, ge: [iz] – classes, gases, releases, loses, prizes, quizzes, boxes, fixes, churches, matches, dishes, prices, bridges, oranges, garages.

    Прибавление окончания S

    В большинстве случаев прибавляется окончание S к существительным и глаголам без изменения буквы, к которой оно прибавляется.

    Существительные:

    озеро – озёра;

    улица – улицы;

    тряпочка – тряпочки;

    капля – капли;

    ковёр – ковры;

    имя – имена;

    стол – столы;

    палец ноги – пальцы ноги;

    галстук – галстуки;

    корова – коровы;

    фотоаппарат – фотоаппараты;

    блоха – блохи.

    Глаголы:

    брать – (он) берёт;

    сидеть – (он) сидит;

    выбирать – (он) выбирает;

    пыхтеть, дунуть – (он) пыхтит;

    вести – (он) ведёт;

    бежать – (он) бежит;

    дать – (он) даёт;

    заботиться – (он) заботится;

    видеть – (он) видит;

    врать, лгать – (он) врёт, лжёт.

    Прибавление окончания ES

    После букв s, z, x, ch, tch, sh, прибавляется окончание ES (произносится [iz]). Если слово оканчивается на немую E после этих букв (или оканчивается на ce, dge, ge), прибавляется окончание S (произносится [iz]). (Или можно сказать, что конечная немая E отбрасывается в этом случае, и прибавляется окончание ES.)

    Существительные:

    класс – классы;

    роза – розы;

    тест – тесты;

    факс – факсы;

    топор – топоры;

    церковь – церкви;

    спичка – спички;

    блюдо – блюда;

    цена – цены;

    мост – мосты;

    апельсин – апельсины;

    гараж – гаражи.

    Глаголы:

    целовать – (он) целует;

    выпускать – (он) выпускает;

    терять – (он) теряет;

    выбирать – (он) выбирает;

    жужжать – (он) жужжит;

    расслабляться – (он) расслабляется;

    преподавать – (он) преподает;

    ловить – (он) ловит;

    мыть – (он) моет;

    судить – (он) судит;

    управлять – (он) управляет;

    накладывать румяна – (он) накладывает румяна.

    Имена:

    Если имена или фамилии оканчиваются на s, z, x, ch, tch, sh, прибавляется окончание ES для образования мн. числа; окончание S прибавляется к конечной немой E после этих букв и к ce, dge, ge. Окончание s/es произносится [iz] в этих случаях.

    Например: Morris – two Morrises (два Мориса); Max – three Maxes (три Макса); the Douglases (члены семьи, фамилия которых Дуглас); the Joneses (члены семьи Джоунз); the Foxes; the Hooches; the Nashes; the Chases; the Royces; the Hodges.

    Примечание: Обычно, фамилия во мн. числе с определённым артиклем «the» употребляется в отношении мужа и жены. (См. Articles with People’s Names в разделе Grammar.)

    Прибавление S к конечной Y

    Если конечная Y в существительных и глаголах не образует слог, (Y стоит после гласной буквы), Y не изменяется и прибавляется окончание S (произносится [z]).

    день – дни;

    луч – лучи;

    играть – играет;

    сказать – говорит;

    ключ – ключи;

    обезьяна – обезьяны;

    игрушка – игрушки;

    мальчик – мальчики;

    нанимать – нанимает;

    покупать – покупает.

    Прибавление ES к конечной Y

    Если конечная Y образует слог, (Y стоит одна после согласной буквы), прибавляется окончание ES (произносится [z]), а Y меняется на I.

    Существительные:

    рассказ – рассказы;

    дама – дамы;

    семья – семьи;

    небо – небеса;

    попытка – попытки;

    муха – мухи.

    Глаголы:

    изучать – (он) изучает;

    копировать – (он) копирует;

    пытаться – (он) пытается;

    жарить – жарит;

    отрицать – (он) отрицает;

    полагаться – (он) полагается.

    Примечание: В случае, если имена или фамилии оканчиваются на Y, прибавляется окончание S для образования мн. числа, а буква Y не изменяется. Например: Mary – two Marys (две Мери); Tony – two Tonys (два Тони); the Crosbys (члены семьи, фамилия которых Кросби); the Rileys (члены семьи по фамилии Райли).

    Прибавление s/es к конечной O

    Если глагол оканчивается на O, окончание ES (произносится [z]) прибавляется во всех случаях.

    идти – (он) идёт;

    делать – (он) делает;

    налагать вето – (он) налагает вето;

    отдаваться эхом – (он) отдаётся эхом; вторит.

    Если существительное оканчивается на O, в ряде случаев прибавляется окончание S (произносится [z]).

    кило (ед. ч.) – кило (ед. ч.);

    кимоно (ед. ч.) – кимоно (мн.ч.);

    логотип – логотипы;

    метро (ед. ч.) – метро (мн. ч.);

    фотография – фотографии;

    пианино (ед. ч.) – пианино (мн. ч.);

    портфель – портфели;

    радиоприемник – радиоприемники;

    сценарий – сценарии;

    силосная яма – силосные ямы;

    соло (ед. ч.) – соло (мн. ч.);

    сопрано (ед. ч.) – сопрано (мн. ч.);

    студия – студии.

    Если существительное оканчивается на O, в некоторых других случаях прибавляется окончание ES (произносится [z]).

    эхо (ед. ч.) – эхо (мн. ч.);

    запрет, эмбарго – запреты;

    герой – герои;

    негр – негры;

    картофелина – картофель (мн.ч.);

    помидор – помидоры;

    торпеда – торпеды;

    запрет, вето – запреты.

    В некоторых случаях, оба варианта написания считаются нормой. Первый вариант написания, указанный в словаре, обычно самый распространённый.

    груз – грузы;

    ореол – ореолы;

    девиз – девизы;

    смерч, торнадо – смерчи;

    вулкан – вулканы;

    нуль – нули.

    Примечание: Если глагол или существительное оканчивается на OO, окончание S (произносится [z]) прибавляется во всех случаях: boo – boos; moo – moos; cuckoo – cuckoos.

    Существительные с окончанием F, FE

    Некоторые существительные, которые оканчиваются на F или FE в ед. числе, образуют мн. число изменением F, FE на «ves» (произносится [vz]).

    лист – листья;

    буханка, батон – батоны;

    половина – половины;

    телёнок – телята;

    волк – волки;

    сам – сами;

    полка – полки;

    эльф – эльфы;

    вор – воры;

    пучок – пучки;

    жизнь – жизни;

    жена – жёны;

    нож – ножи.

    Но некоторые существительные, которые оканчиваются на F, FE, образуют мн. число обычным путем, прибавляя окончание S (произносится [s]).

    вера, убеждение – убеждения;

    начальник – начальники;

    носовой платок – носовые платки;

    гном – гномы;

    оплошность – оплошности;

    доказательство – доказательства

    крыша – крыши;

    сейф – сейфы;

    залив – заливы.

    Несколько существительных имеют два варианта мн. числа.

    шарф – шарфы;

    причал – причалы;

    копыто – копыта;

    дерновая дорожка – дерновые дорожки.

    Существительные, которые оканчиваются на FF, прибавляют окончание S для образования мн. числа: sheriff – sheriffs; tariff – tariffs; cliff – cliffs; cuff – cuffs; puff – puffs. Исключение: staff (в значении палка, жезл, шест) – staves, staffs.

    Примечание:

    Глаголы, оканчивающиеся на F, FE, FF, не изменяются при прибавлении окончания S: to knife – (he) knifes; to loaf – (he) loafs; to wolf – (he) wolfs; to surf – (he) surfs; to bluff – (he) bluffs; to puff – (he) puffs.

    Обратите внимание на глаголы «prove, halve, shelve» и их форму 3 лица ед. числа: to prove – (he) proves; to halve – (he) halves; to shelve – (he) shelves.

    Прибавление s/es к сложным существительным

    В большинстве случаев, окончание мн. числа s/es прибавляется к последнему компоненту сложного существительного по правилам, описанным выше.

    теплица – теплицы;

    почтовый ящик – почтовые ящики;

    мачеха – мачехи;

    взрослый – взрослые;

    взлёт (самолета) – взлёты;

    фруктовый сок – фруктовые соки;

    вокзал – вокзалы;

    монитор компьютера – мониторы компьютеров.

    Но в некоторых сложных существительных, которые пишутся через дефис или раздельно, окончание мн. числа s/es прибавляется к первому компоненту (т.е. к главному существительному в этих сложных существительных).

    адъютант – адъютанты;

    генеральный прокурор – ген. прокуроры;

    главнокомандующий – главнокомандующие;

    государственный переворот – гос. перевороты;

    военный суд – военные суды;

    генерал-губернатор – генерал-губернаторы;

    военный корабль – военные корабли;

    тёща, свекровь – тёщи, свекрови (мн.ч.);

    прохожий – прохожие.

    Некоторые сложные существительные образуют множественное число своеобразно.

    женщина-врач – женщины-врачи;

    натюрморт – натюрморты.

    Most nouns make their plurals by simply adding –s to the end (e.g. cat/cats, book/books, journey/journeys). Some do change their endings, though. The main types of noun that do this are:

    Nouns ending in -y

    If the noun ends with a consonant plus -y, make the plural by changing -y to -ies:

    If the noun ends with -ch, -s, -sh, -x, or -z, add -es to form the plural:

    There’s one exception to this rule. If the -ch ending is pronounced with a ‘k’ sound, you add -srather than -es:

    Nouns ending in -f or -fe

    With nouns that end in a consonant or a single vowel plus -f or -fe, change the -f or -fe to -ves:

    Nouns which end in two vowels plus -f usually form plurals in the normal way, with just an -s

    Nouns ending in -o

    Nouns ending in -o can add either -s or -es in the plural, and some can be spelled either way.

    • As a general rule, most nouns ending in -o add -s to make the plural:
    • Those which have a vowel before the final -o always just add -s:
    • Here’s a list of the most common nouns ending in -o that are always spelled with -es in the plural:
    singular plural
    buffalo buffaloes
    domino dominoes
    echo echoes
    embargo embargoes
    hero heroes
    mosquito mosquitoes
    potato potatoes
    tomato tomatoes
    torpedo torpedoes
    veto vetoes
    • Here are some of the common nouns ending in -o that can be spelled with either -s or -es in the plural:
    singular plural
    banjo banjos or banjoes
    cargo cargos or cargoes
    flamingo flamingos or flamingoes
    fresco frescos or frescoes
    ghetto ghettos or ghettoes
    halo halos or haloes
    mango mangos or mangoes
    memento mementos or mementoes
    motto mottos or mottoes
    tornado tornados or tornadoes
    tuxedo tuxedos or tuxedoes
    volcano volcanos or volcanoes

    Plurals of foreign nouns

    The plurals of words which have come into English from a foreign language such as Latin or Greek often have two possible spellings: the foreign plural spelling and an English one. For example, you can spell the plural of aquarium (from Latin) as either aquaria (the Latin plural) oraquariums (the English plural).

    Words of Latin origin

    Here’s a list of some words that came into English from Latin which can form their plurals in two ways:

    Word Latin plural English plural
    antenna antennae antennas
    appendix appendices appendixes
    cactus cacti cactuses
    curriculum curricula curriculums
    formula formulae formulas
    index indices indexes
    millennium millennia millenniums
    referendum referenda referendums
    stadium stadia stadiums
    terminus termini terminuses
    thesaurus thesauri thesauruses
    vortex vortices vortexes

    Note that there are a few nouns which have come into English from Latin which should always form their plural in the Latin way. Most of these are scientific or technical terms. The most common ones are:

    Remember too, that the plural form of octopus should always be octopuses and never octopi. This is because the word came into English from Greek, not Latin, and so the usual rules for Latin plurals don’t apply.

    Words of Greek origin

    Nouns which end in -is usually come from Greek. Their plurals are made by changing the -is to -es:

    Words of French origin

    Certain words which have come into English from French have two possible plural forms: the original French plural and an English one. These words end in the letters -eau, for example:

    Word French plural English plural
    bureau bureaux bureaus
    chateau chateaux chateaus
    gateau gateaux gateaus
    trousseau trousseaux trousseaus

    Words of Italian origin

    Most words which have come into English from Italian form their plurals with an -s, as if they were English words. For example, the Italian plural of cappuccino is cappuccini, but when the word is used in English, its plural form is cappuccinos. Here are some more examples:

    Word Italian plural English plural
    espresso espressi espressos
    pizza pizze pizzas
    risotto risotti risottos
    fresco freschi frescos or frescoes

    A notable exception to this is the word paparazzo, which keeps the Italian plural form paparazzi in English.

    There’s also a group of Italian words which have entered English in their plural forms – these are typically the names for various kinds of pasta. For example:

    spaghetti; tagliatelle; tortellini; cannelloni; lasagne.

    Although these words are already in their Italian plural forms, they can take an -s to form English plurals in certain contexts. For example:

    They ordered three spaghettis and two cannellonis.

    Here, the meaning is ‘a dish or serving of spaghetti’ rather than ‘a kind of pasta’.

    Note that in British English, you should spell lasagne with an e at the end. In American English it’s spelled with an -a at the end, i.e. lasagna (which is the Italian singular form, though this is rarely if ever used in Italian itself).

    Words that have come into English from foreign languages are known as loanwords. Some of these loanwords have developed plural (or singular) forms in English that are regarded as grammatically incorrect because they go against the grammar of the original language.

    source: http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/

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