Forming the Singular and Plural of Nouns WK

• The noun shoe is singular. It stands for only one shoe. The noun
shoes is plural. It stands for more than one shoe.

• When a noun stands for one person, place, or thing, it is singular.

• When it stands for more than one person, place, or thing, it is

plural.

FORMING PLURALS:
The first two rules below cover most English nouns. The other five rules deal
with words that you use frequently.

1. To most singular nouns, add s to form the plural:

ropes boots books desks

2. When the singular form ends in s, sh, ch, x, or z, add es:

glasses bushes coaches boxes buzzes

3. When a singular noun ends in o, add s to make it plural:

rodeos studios photos Eskimos solos pianos

For a few words ending in o, preceded by a consonant, add es:

potatoes heroes cargoes echoes tomatoes

4. When the singular noun ends in y with a consonant before it,

change the y to I and add es:

city—cities lady—ladies country—countries

If the y is preceded by a vowel ( a, e, I, o, u ) , do not change the y to i.

Simply add s:

toy—toys play—plays day—days

5. When a noun ends in f, simply add s:

Beliefs chiefs dwarfs handkerchiefs

When words end in f or fe, change the f to v and add es or s. Since there is
no rule to follow, these words have to be memorized. Here are some
examples of such words:

thief—thieves leaf—leaves life—lives

shelf—shelves half—halves calf—calves
loaf—loaves wife—wives knife—knives

6. Some nouns have the same form for both singular and plural.
Memorize these:

deer salmon trout sheep moose

tuna cod pike bass elk

7. Some nouns form their plurals in special ways:

child—children goose—geese man—men

mouse—mice ox—oxen woman—women

Below is a the dictionary entry for the word knife. Notice that the entry shows
the plural, knives. Most dictionaries show the plurals of nouns If the plurals are
formed in an irregular way.

knife ¦nīf¦
noun ( pl. knives ¦nīvz¦)
a cutting instrument composed of a blade and a handle
into which it is fixed, either rigidly or with a joint.
• an instrument such as this used as a weapon.
• a cutting blade forming part of a machine.

When you are in doubt about plurals, consult a dictionary.

Examples: Write the plural of each of these nouns. Then use your dictionary
to see if you are right.

1. church 6. dish
2. brush 7. elk
3. elf 8. sheep
4. wish 9. fox
5. potato 10. tooth
Exercise A: Follow the directions from the examples on the previous page.

1. company 6. baby
2. watch 7. city
3. bookshelf 8. mouse
4. chimney 9. witch
5. lady 10. radio

Exercise B: All but one of the following sentences has at least one error in
the spelling of the plural. Write the sentences correctly.

11. We places all of the dishs on the benches in the hallway.

12. Several different companys make CB radioes.
13. The thieves took several loaves of bread.
14. The babys were getting new tooths.
15. Several companys sell frozen mashed potatos.
16. First, cut the loafs in halves.
17. The deers were eating the green shoots on the bushs.
18. Use these brushs to pain the bookshelfs.
19. The larger boxes had scratchs on them.
20. My blue jeans are covered with patchs.

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