Basic Grammar Skills
Lesson 2: Spelling
How to Form Plural Nouns?
In this section you will be learning how to make nouns plural.
Adding s
For the most part, when you make a noun plural, you just need to add an s to a singular noun.
Let's look at these examples:
1. dog + s = dogs
2. cat + s = cats
3. toy + s = toys
4. bird + s = toys
5. girl + s = girls
All of these words are singular nouns. To make them plural you just need to add an s.
Adding es to singular nouns.
When a singular noun ends in s, ch, sh, x, or z, then you add es to the ending.
Let's look at these examples:
dress + es = dresses
church + es = churches
brush + es = brushes
fox + es = foxes
buzz + es = buzzes
These words all need to have an es added to the singular noun.
Nouns ending in f.
If you have a singular noun that ends in f or fe, then you need to change the f to a v and add es.
Here are some examples:
1. knife = knives
2. half = halves
3. leaf = leaves
4. wife = wives
However, here are a couple of exceptions to this rule. For example, bluff = bluffs and waif = waifs.
Adding s to a word ending in y with a vowel before it.
When you add s to a word that ends in a y, and the letter before it is a vowel, you just add the s.
Lets look at these examples:
1. toy = toys
2. boy = boys
3. key = keys
4. turkey = turkeys
Making a word plural that ends in y with a consonant before it.
When you have a word that ends in y and there is a consonant before it, then you drop the y and add ies.
Lets look at these examples:
1. puppy = puppies
2. dictionary = dictionaries
3. penny = pennies
4. try = tries
5. cry = cries
6. fly = flies
7. twenty = twenties
8. forty = forties
9. spy = spies
10. army = armies
Irregular Plural Nouns
There are several irregular plural nouns. That means that these words are either singular or plural words such as sheep, or the plural form is changed such as foot to feet. Here are a few more of the irregular plural nouns.
1. foot = feet
2. alga = algae
3. woman = women
4. die = dice
5. child = children
6. alumna = alumnae
7. man = men
8. ox = oxen
9. deer = deer
10. buffalo = buffalos, buffaloes, or buffalo
Exercises
Just for practice, how would you change these words into plurals?
1. dog =
2. animal =
3. toy =
4. book =
5. puppy =
6. potato =
7. tomato =
8. cookie =
9. baby =
10. child =
11. woman =
12. horse =
13. man =
14. girl =
15. mouse =
16. tooth =
17. scarf =
18. sheep =
19. goose =
20. foot =
21. nose =
22. shoe =
23. deer =
24. alga =
25. dwarf =
26. swine =
27. crisis =
28. cactus =
29. fish =
30. moose =
For more information on how to form plurals of nouns, check out pages 28-31 in the book "Scholastic Guides Checking Your Grammar" by Marvin Terban. This book is not required for the course.
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