A singular noun refers to just one person, animal, thing or
place.
E.g.: Boy, school, apple
A plural noun represents more than one person, animal, thing or
place.
E.g.Boys, schools, apples
Ways of forming plurals
Rule #1: "S"
The plural of a noun is usually formed by adding ‘s’ to the
singular.
Examples
|
Singular
|
Plural
|
|
Girl
|
Girls
|
|
Eye
|
Eyes
|
|
Table
|
Tables
|
|
Cat
|
Cats
|
|
House
|
Houses
|
|
bottle
|
bottles
|
|
desk
|
desks
|
|
window
|
windows
|
|
Sticker
|
stickers
|
Rule #2: "-ES"
By adding ‘es’ to the singular. Noun ending in ch, sh, o, x and
z form their plural in this way.
|
watch
|
watches
|
|
Church
|
Churches
|
|
Dish
|
Dishes
|
|
Pass
|
Passes
|
|
Hero
|
Heroes
|
|
Fox
|
Foxes
|
|
Waltz
|
Waltzes
|
Exceptions:
|
Piano
|
Pianos
|
|
Dynamo
|
dynamos
|
|
Bamboo
|
bamboos
|
|
memento
|
mementos
|
|
eskimo
|
eskimos
|
|
photo
|
photos
|
Rule #3: Words that end with a CONSONANT + "Y"
If a
noun ends in ‘y’, preceded by a consonant, then it forms the plural by changing
the ‘y’ to ‘I’ forms the plural by changing the ‘y’ to ‘I’ and adding ‘es’.
|
summary
|
summaries
|
|
lady
|
ladies
|
|
fly
|
flies
|
|
company
|
companies
|
|
family
|
families
|
|
story
|
stories
|
Rule #4: Words that end with a VOWEL + "Y"
If a
vowel comes immediately before the final ‘y’ an ‘s’ is added and the ‘y’ is
unchanged.
|
kidney
|
kidneys
|
|
day
|
days
|
|
toy
|
toys
|
|
monkey
|
monkeys
|
|
guy
|
guys
|
|
journey
|
journeys
|
Rule #5: Words that end with "O" - The tricky rule
Some
words add "-es" while some add "-s". Most nouns ending in
"O" preceded by a consonant is formed into a plural by adding
"-es".
|
Singular Noun
|
Plural Noun
|
|
CONSONANT + O
|
-ES
|
|
motto
|
mottoes
|
|
potato
|
potatoes
|
|
hero
|
heroes
|
|
volcano
|
volcanoes
|
Most
nouns ending in "O", preceded by a vowel, is formed into a plural by
adding "-s"
|
Singular Noun
|
Plural Noun
|
|
VOWEL + O
|
-ES
|
|
folio
|
folios
|
|
cameo
|
cameos
|
|
studio
|
studios
|
|
portfolio
|
portfolios
|
Rule #6 : Nouns ending in "-F" or "-FE" -
also tricky!
The
plural of a noun ending in ,f, or ‘fe’ is formed by dropping ‘f’ or ‘fe’ and
adding ‘ves’
|
life
|
lives
|
|
thief
|
thieves
|
|
shelf
|
shelves
|
|
wife
|
wives
|
|
leaf
|
leaves
|
|
wolf
|
wolves
|
Exceptions:
|
chief
|
chiefs
|
|
proof
|
proofs
|
|
dwarf
|
dwarfs
|
|
gulf
|
gulfs
|
Irregular
plurals
|
man
|
men
|
|
woman
|
women
|
|
mouse
|
mice
|
|
tooth
|
teeth
|
|
child
|
children
|
|
goose
|
geese
|
|
foot
|
feet
|
|
louse
|
lice
|
|
ox
|
oxen
|
Some nouns are same in the singular and plural form:
Deer, Sheep, Scenery, Stationery, Swine, Score, Information,
News,Staff, Paint, medicine, Soap, Athletics, economics, gymnastics,
linguistics, mathematics, mechanics, measles, mumps, physics,
politics and pyrotechnics ,Aircraft , Corps, etc
Some nouns are always singular:
Gold, Silver, Wheat, Corn, Sugar
Some nouns are always used in the plural form:
Scissors, Shears, Bellows, Trousers, Measles, People, Poultry,
Cattle, caroms, Billiards, Means, police, Jeans, Shorts,Spectacles
A pair of" can be used
with the above plural nouns and take a singular verb.
· This
pair of purple trousers does not match your yellow jacket.
· These
knives do not cut well. A new pair of stainless steel scissors is what I need.
Here
are some plural forms of words borrowed from Greek, Latin and other languages.
|
Bandit
|
Banditti
|
|
Radius
|
Radii
|
|
Formula
|
Formulas/formulae
|
|
Axis
|
Axes
|
|
Oasis
|
Oases
|
|
Crisis
|
Crises
|
|
Terminus
|
Termini
|
|
Vertebra
|
Vertebrae/vertebras
|
|
Fungus
|
fungi
|
|
Medium
|
Media
|
|
Datum
|
Data
|
|
Agendum
|
agenda
|
|
Alumnus
|
alumni
|
|
Analysis
|
analyses
|
|
Bacterium
|
bacteria
|
|
Basis
|
bases
|
|
Appendix
|
appendices/ Appendixes
|
|
Synopsis
|
synopses
|
|
Thesis
|
theses
|
|
Phenomenon
|
phenomena
|
|
Stimulus
|
stimuli
|
|
Parenthesis
|
Parentheses
|
|
Erratum
|
Errata
|
|
Focus
|
Foci/ Focuses
|
|
Criterion
|
Criteria
|
|
Genus
|
genera
|
|
Genie
|
genii, genies
|
|
Aquarium
|
Aquaria
|
|
Stratum
|
Strata
|
Here
are some plural compound nouns:
|
son-in-law
|
sons-in-law
|
|
passer-by
|
passers-by
|
|
step-daughter
|
step-daughters
|
|
man-servant
|
men-servants
|
|
on-looker
|
on-lookers
|
|
cupful
|
cupfulls
|
|
commander-in-chief
|
commanders-in-chief
|
|
court-martial
|
courts-martial
|
|
looker on
|
lookers on
|
|
basketful
|
basketfuls
|
|
spoonful
|
spoonfuls
|
|
major-general
|
major-generals
|
|
bystander
|
bystanders
|
|
hanger-on
|
hangers-on
|
|
Dining room
|
Dining rooms
|
|
Runner-up
|
Runners- up
|
|
Governor-general
|
Governors- general
|
|
Woman student
|
Women students
|
|
Grown-up
|
Grown-ups
|