Post on 13-Sep-2014
description
Nouns
Singular Plural
lady -- ladies star -- stars
kiss -- kisses wife -- wives
buy -- buys Sheep -- fish
The Rules
Exercises
Most places and teachers will tell you that there are just a few rules for spelling nouns.
Well, wait and see.
Spelling Rules -- Making Noun Plurals
Rule 1: To form the plural of most English words that don't end in -s,-z, -x, -sh, -ch, or -ss, add an -s to make a plural of most words.
1. star --- stars
2. pencil --- pencils
3. book --- books
4. slab --- slabs
5. step --- steps
6. pad --- pads
7. bra --- bras
8. stem --- stems
Rule 2: To form the plural of most English words that end in -s, -z, -x, -ch, -sh, and -ss add an -es to the word.
1. bus --- buses
2. buzz --- buzzes
3. box --- boxes
4. match --- matches
5. church --- churches
6. kiss --- kisses
Some Exceptions to Rule 2: Note that the -z is doubled
1. quiz -- quizzes 2. fizz -- fizzes 3. whiz -- whizzes
Rule 3: To from a plural of most English words that end in a vowel plus -y add an -s to the word
1. day - days 2. pulley - pulleys 3. boy - boys 4. buy - buys
Rule 4: Singular nouns ending in silent "s" do not change their forms in the plural. However, the "s" ending is pronounced when the plural from is used. See below.
1. one corps - two corps 2. one rendezvous -- two rendezvous
Rule 5: To form a plural of most English words that end in a consonant plus a -y, change the y to an i and add an -es.
1. theory -- theories
2. lily -- lilies
3. empty -- empties
4. lady -- ladies
5. candy -- candies
6. penny -- pennies
Rule 6: For words that end in -is. change the -is to -es to make the plural
1. thesis -- theses 2. oasis -- oases 3. analysis -- analyses
Rule 7: Some words that end in -f or -fe have plurals that end in -ves.
1. elf - elves 2. calf - calves 3. shelf - shelves 4. wife - wives
Some exceptions to rule 7 of words that end in -f that don't follow the rule.
1. oaf - oafs 2. chef - chefs 3. cliff - cliffs 4. belief - beliefs 1. tariff - tariffs 2. bailiff - bailiffs 3. roof - roofs 4. chief - chiefs
Rule 8: Many words that have come into English from other languages follow their original methods of constructing plurals
1.alumnus - alumni
2. analysis - analyses
3. cherub - cherubim
4. diagnosis - diagnoses
5. focus - focuses of foci
6. fungus - fungi or funguses
7. index - indexes or indices
8. radius - radii
Rule 9: The plurals of words ending in -o can be formed by adding either -s or -es. Many words can be formed either way. You need to check a dictionary. Three helpful rules with a table can help.
Rule 9A: All words that end in a vowel plus an -o (-ao, -eo, -io, -oo, -uo) have plurals that ends in just -s.
1. studio --- studios
2. duo --- duos
3. trio --- trios
4. stereo --- stereos
5. tattoo --- tattoos
Rule 9B: All musical terms ending in -o have plurals in just -s.
1. piano --- pianos
2. cello --- cellos
3. solo --- solos
4. banjo --- banjos
5. alto --- altos
6. soprano --- sopranos
Rule 9C: Some plural forms ending in -o end in -os or -oes. Some may use either. See Table below.
Only -os Only -oes Either -os or -oes albinos
armadillos
autos
bravos
broncos
casinos
combos
gazebos
infernos
kimonos
logos
maraschinos
ponchos
sombreros
tacos
torsos
tobaccos
typos
echoes
embargoes
heroes
potatoes
tomatoes
torpedoes
vetoes
avocados/oes
buffaloes/os
cargoes/os
desperadoes/os
dominoes/os
ghettos/oes
grottoes/os
hoboes/os
innuendoes/os
lassos/oes
mangoes/os
mosquitoes/os
mottoes/os
mulattos/oes
noes/os
palmettos/oes
peccadilloes/os
tornadoes/os
volcanoes/os
zeros/oes
Rule 10: The plurals of single capital letters, acronyms and Arabic numerals (1, 2, 3,) take an 's' without an apostrophe:
Z (the capital letter Z) --- Zs
POS (Point Of Sale) --- POSs
ATM (Automatic Teller Machine) --- ATMs
7 (the Arabic numeral 7) --- 7s
Rule 11: Of course you cannot make a plural of an uncountable noun. Some examples are:
information blood paint harm cattle
Rule 12: Some nouns by a quirk of fate exist only in the plural. Some examples are:
pajamas
scissors
spectacles
Rule 13: Some nouns by a quirk of fate exist only in pairs. Some examples are:
a pair of scissors
a pair of pants
Rule 14: Some nouns by a quirk of fate are the same for singular and plural. Some examples are:
deer
sheep
moose
fish
Rule 15: Some nouns by a quirk of fate appear as singular and plural but are actually separate words. Some examples are:
due - dues
pant - pants
spectacle - spectacles
Rule 16: Some nouns exist both as pairs and without pairs. Some examples are:
glasses (eye glasses) - pair of glasses
spectacles (eye glasses) - pair of spectacles
Question: Some people refer to their children as a pair of twins.
If twins are two people is a pair of twins four people? And those with two pairs of twins 8 people?
Rule 17: The plurals of some nouns are formed by the change of letters within.
woman -- women
man -- men
foot -- feet
tooth -- teeth
goose -- geese
mouse -- mice
Rule 18: A few plurals of some words end in en or ren.
ox -- oxen
child -- children
Rule 19: When a compound noun is a solid word, pluralize the final element in the compound as if it stood alone. See Table below.
printout -- printouts
flashback--flashbacks
Wineglass--wineglasses
hatbox -- hatboxes
eyelash -- eyelashes
strawberry--strawberries
bookshelf--bookshelves
standby -- standbys
birthday -- birthdays
photocopy-- photocopies
grandchild-- grandchildren
foothold -- footholds
forefoot -- forefeet
toothbrush-- toothbrushes
mousetrap-- mousetraps
workman -- workmen
BUT-passerby-- passersby
BUT-talisman-- talismans
Rule 20: The plurals of hyphenated or spaced compounds are formed by pluralizing the chief element of the compound. See Table below.
father-in-law -- fathers-in-law
senator-elect -- senators-elect
looker-on -- lookers-on
runner-up -- runners-up
grant-in-aid -- grants-in-aid
bill of lading -- bills of lading
editor in chief -- editors in chief
rule of thumb -- rules of thumb
letter of credit -- letters of credit
leave of absence-- leaves of absence
attorney at law -- attorneys of law
deputy chief of staff -- deputy chiefs of staff
Lieutenant general-- lieutenant generals
BUT - time-out -- time-outs
BUT - chaise lounge-- chaise lounges
Rule 21: When the hyphenated compound does not contain a noun as one of its elements, simply pluralize the final element. See below.
go-between—
go betweens
get-together –
get-togethers
hang-up -- hang-ups
hand-me-down –
hand-me-downs
tie-in -- tie-ins
fade-out -- fade-outs
come-on -- come-ons
show-off -- show-offs
run-through –
run- throughs
two-by-four –
two-by-fours
shoo-in -- shoo-ins
has-been -- has-beens
have-not -- have-nots
know-it-all -- know-it-alls
so-and-so -- so-and-sos
do-it-yourselfer –
do-it-yourselfers
shoot-'em-up –
shoot-'em-ups
no-see-um -- no-see-ums
Rule 22: Some compound have two recognized plural forms. The first plural forms shown below is preferred because it adds the plural sign to the chief element of the compound. See below.
court-martial -- courts-martial -- court-martials
notary-public -- notaries-public -- notary-publics
attorney general -- attorneys general -- attorney generals
Rule 23: When the first element of a compound is a possessive, simply pluralize the final element. See below.
collector's item -- collector's items
traveler's check -- traveler's checks
rabbit's foot -- rabbit's feet
proofreaders' mark -- proofreaders' mark s
rogues' gallery -- rogues' galleries
witches' brew -- witches' brews
finder's fee -- finder's fees
visitor's permit -- visitor's permits
Rule 24: From the plural of most abbreviations by adding "s" to the singular. See below.
bldg. -- bldgs.
vol. -- vols.
par. - pars.
No. -- Nos.
Dr. -- Drs.
Bro. -- Bros
Rule 25: The abbreviations of many customary units of weights and measure, however, are the same in both the singular and plural. See below.
oz -- ounce or ounces
deg -- degree or degrees
bbl -- barrel or barrels
ft -- foot or feet
in -- inch or inches
mi -- mile or miles
km -- kilometer or kilometers
ml -- milliliter or milliliters
cg -- centigram or centigrams
kg -- kilogram or kilograms
kl -- kiloliter or kiloliters
kW -- kilowatt or kilowatts
kt -- knot or knots
pt -- pint or pints
qt -- quarts or quarts
tsp -- teaspoon or teaspoons
yd -- yard or yards
tbsp -- tablespoon or tablespoons
Rule 26: The plurals of a few single-letter abbreviations (such as p. for page and f. for the following page) consist of the single letter doubled. See below.
p. 64 page 64
pp. 64-72 -- pages 64 through 72
pp. 291 f. -- page 291 and following page
pp. 291 ff. -- page 291 and following pages
l. 23 -- line 23
ll. 23-24 -- lines 23 through 24
n. 3 -- note 3
nn. 3-4 -- notes 3 and 4
Rule 27: Capital letters and abbreviations ending with capital letters are pluralized by adding "s" alone. See below.
three Rs
four Cs
five VIPs
six CPUs
CEOs
IQs
PTAs
YWCAs
V.P.s
M.D.s
LL.B.s
Ph.D.s
Rule 28: For the sake of clarity, uncapitalized letters and uncapitalized abbreviations are pluralized by adding an apostrophe plus "s". See below.
doting the i's p's and q's four c.o.d.'s wearing pj's
Rule 29: Numbers expressed in figures are pluralized by the addition of "s" alone. See below.
in the 1920s sort the W-2s Catch-22s Temperature in the 20s
one - ones two - twos three - threes
six - sixes Twenty -
twenties
twenty-five
twenty-fives
Numbers expressed in words are pluralized using normal rules. See below.
Put in the correct form of the plural. Example: car - ___
Answer: car - cars
Try this simple exercise on plurals.
1) ox -
2) roof -
3) potato -
4) party -
Answers
1) ox - oxen
2) roof - roofs
3) potato - potatoes
4) party - parties
5) deer -
6) chief -
7) photo -
8) series -
9) wife -
10) brother-in-law -
5) deer
6) chiefs
7) photos
8) series
9) wives
10) brothers-in-law
Answers
Instructions: Choose the correct plural.Q1 - Child
ChildsChild'sChildren
Q2 - Half
HalfsHalves
Q3 - Potato
PotatosPotatoesEither
Q4 - Fish
FishFishesEither
Q5 - Goose
GeesesGeeseGoosesGoose
Q6 - Aircraft
AircraftAircrafts
Q7 - Church
ChurchsChurchChurches
Answers
Q8 - Woman
WomenWomans
Q9 - Fly
FlysFlies
Q10 - Sheep
SheepSheep'sSheeps
Q11 - Foot
FootFootsFeet
Q12 - Ox
OxOxesOxen
Q13 - Box
BoxBoxesBoxen
Q14 - Mouse
Mouse'sMousesMice
Answers
The link below is to some worksheets that you can use for class work, home work, or for yourself.
Plural Noun Work Sheets
http://www.keepandshare.com/doc5/7714/plural-nouns-worksheet-zip-1-1-meg?da=y
http://www.teach-nology.com/worksheets/language_arts/plurals
/
http://www.agendaweb.org/grammar/plural-exercises.html
Thank you!
I hope this will help you, a little.
Any questions, comments, advice, and / or wishes – you can email me at amerenglish64@gmail.com