Singular and Plural Nouns

Making Plural Nouns in English:

Spelling Rules for Adding the Plural S to Singular Nouns

A.The general plurals rule:

1. Usually add the letter s to the end of a singular noun to make it plural.

Singular Plural Singular Pluralbook books car carscat cats bicycle bicyclesmat mats room rooms

2. In compound nouns, add s only to the main noun.

This family uses one air- conditioner and one washing machine . Their neighbours use three air- conditioners and two washing machines .

I have one son-in-law; my friend Frieda has three sons-in-law.

3. Add es to a noun ending with a whistling sound ( s,sh,ch,x,z) to make it plural.

one bus – three buses, a church – many churches, a box – boxes, a buzz – buzzes

4. If the singular noun ends with a consonant + y, drop the y, replace with an i and add es. Don’t drop the y, if the y is preceded by a vowel.

Yes: one city – two cities, a baby – babies, a country – countriesNo: a toy – toys, a day – days

5. If the singular noun ends with a consonant + o, add es. If the o is preceded by a vowel, only add s to make the plural form.

Yes: a potato – five potatoes, a hero – heroes, an echo – echoesNo: a radio – radios, a studio – studios, a kangaroo – kangaroos

B. Singular Nouns Ending with f/fe

Some nouns ending with f, fe, drop this ending and add ves to make the plural form. There

may be alternative spelling.

Yes : a knife – knives, one half – two halves, my life – their lives, a wolf – wolves.No : one roof – roofs, a cliff – many cliffs, a safe – safesBoth : a dwarf – the seven dwarfs/ dwarves, one wharf – a few wharfs/ wharves

C. One Form for Singular & Plural

Many nouns have identical forms for both singular and plural.

a sheep – sheep, a deer – deer, a moose – moose

a fish – fish (fishes, if used for different species of fish)

a dozen – two dozen roses, a hundred – several hundred men

( but: dozens of roses, hundreds of people)

D. Special Singular - Plural Cases

Plural-Only Nouns

Some nouns only have a plural form, ending with s or without.The police are looking for the robbers.I like these pants / jeans / shorts.Use either scissors or nail clippers.Binoculars are stronger than any glasses

Other nouns ending with s only have a plural form only with certain meanings.customs (at the airport, not practices), guts (courage, not intestines)quarters (lodgings, not 1/4s), clothes (garments, not fabrics)goods (merchandise, not the opposite of bad), arms (weapons, not limb)

E. Singular Nouns with an S Ending

Some nouns end with s but are usually singular. They take a singular verb with an s ending in the Present Simple.

diseases: measles, rabies.fields of study and occupation: economics, ethics, linguistics, politics, physics, gymnastics.games: dominoes, darts, cards

SECTION A

Choose the best word to complete the sentences.

1. There were two _______ playing in the yard last night.

A. caties B. cat C. cats D. cates

2. We watched a _________ at the cinema yesterday.

A. movie B. moves C. movies D. movy

3. I borrowed some ________ from the library.

A. bookies B. books C. book D. bookes

4. I went fishing at the _________ last week.

A. ponde B. pondes C. ponds D. pond

5. How many ________ are on the picnic table?

A. ant B. ante C. ants D. antes

6. There were two __________ on the lake at sunset.

A. boates B. boats C. boat D. boaties

7. I found seven ________ in the chicken coop.

A. egges B. egg C. eggs D. eges

8. Azlan had three _________ for breakfast this morning.

A. pancake B. pancakes C. pancakees D. panscake

9. Zureen played with her two best ___________ during recess.

A. frieds B. friend C. friendes D. friends

10. There is a _________ on the dining table.

A. dish B. dishs C. dishes D. dashes

11. Munir ate three _________ for a snack.

A. peach B. peaches C. peachs D. peache

12. Amiruddin found two old _____________ in his bathroom.

A. toothbrushes B. toothbrush C. teethbrush D. teethbrushes

13. The postman brought a _________ to the house.

A. boxen B. boxes C. box D. boxs

14. The genie granted Aladdin’s three _______because he freed him from the bottle.

A. wish B. wishes C. wishs D. wishe

15. Haikal hid behind his father when an ______ approached him at he zoo.

A. oxs B. oxen C. oxes D. ox

16. Hidayah’s mother removed a _______ from her hair.

A. lice B. louse C. louses D. lices

17. There are some ___________ in Pak Abu’s farm.

A. goose B. gooses C. geese D. geeses

18. Many __________ are playing at the new playground there.

A. children B. childs C. childrens D. child

19. The dentist extracted Firdaus’s rotten _________.

A. teeth B. teeths C. tooth D. tooths

20. When faced with danger, many lizards shed their tails to escape from their _______.

A. enemy B. enemys C. enemyes D. enemies

21. The farmer set a ________ in his field to catch the cranes.

A. traps B. trap C. trapes D. trapies

22. Puan Ika is having lunch with her children in the ___________.

A. dining rooms B. dinings room C. dining room D. dinings rooms

23. ________ takes in passengers and vehicles.

A. Ferrys B. Ferries C. Ferry D. Ferryes

24. Amir helped the librarian to arrange the book on some _______________.

A. bookshelve B. bookshelves C. bookshelf D. bookshelfs

25. Hazalina’s class performed a ______ at the concert.

A. dances B. dancies C. dancees D. dance

26. There is a __________ nibbling a piece of cheese in the kitchen.

A. mice B. mices C. mouse D. mouses

27. Some _____________ were controlling the traffic because there was an accident

ahead.

A. policemen B. policeman C. policemans D. policemens

28. Kamarul stumbled and hurt his left ___________.

A. feets B. feet C. foots D. foot

29. Giraffes have __________ on their body.

A. patches B. patch C. patche D. patchies

30. The _______ is sleeping soundly on the bed.

A. babie B. baby C..babies D. babys

31. My family and I are very happy because we have moved to our beautiful _________.

A. bungalows B. bungalowes C. bungalow D. bungalowies

32. There are five __________ in that big book.

A. story B. storie C. storys D. stories

33. The ________ who was squatting by the sea was building a sandcastle with his

sister.

A. boys B. boye C. boy D. boies

34. Tigers have stripes on their ___________.

A. bodies B. body C. bodys D. bodie

35. Afifah decorated her scrapbook with coloured pens and _______________.

A. fancy stickers B. fancies stickers C. fancies sticker D. fancy sticker

36. Athirah boils an egg and toasts some __________ for breakfast.

A. breads B. bread C. breadies D. breades

37. Puan Amira uses ______________ to wrap the nasi lemak.

A. bananas leaf B. banana leaf C. bananas leaves D. banana leaves

38. ______________ live in the savannah which is an open, grassy and sandy area.

A. Ostrich B. Ostrichs C. Ostriches D. Ostriche

39. Nisa is taking some ___________ of the animals at the zoo.

A. photographs B. photographes C. photograph D. photographies

40. Pak Amin rears many chickens and he keeps them in his two ______________.

A. chickens coop B. chicken coops C. chickens coops D. chicken coop

41. There were many _________ at the book fair last weekend.

A. booths B. boothes C. booth D. beeth

42. The dog is looking for its three ____________.

A. puppie B. puppy C. puppys D. puppies

43. She went to a few __________ in order to get her favourite red velvet cake.

A. bakery B. bakeries C. bakeri D. bakerys

44. There are two __________ in this our new house.

A. bathrooms B. bathroom C. batherooms D. batheroom

45. I have two __________ in my room.

A. radio B. radioes C. radios D. radioies

46. My niece loves to read the storybook entitled Snow White and the Seven _________.

A. Dwarfs B. Dwarf C. Dwarves D. Dwarvs

47. The pupils could see many ____________ there.

A. church B. churchs C. churchies D. churches

48. You have to write two_________ in answering the paper.

A. essays B. essay C. essayes D. essays

49. The firemen drove quickly and saw a row of __________ on fire.

A. factorys B. factory C. factories D. factoryes

50. Encik Wan prefers taking trains to _________ as they are fast and comfortable way

to travel.

A. taxy B. taxis C. taxies D. taxys