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