Spelling of Plural Nouns in English
English spelling can be tricky. Luckily, spelling does follow certain patterns which can help you to learn more easily.
In English grammar, a noun is a person, place or thing. When you refer to one noun, it is considered singular. When you refer to more than one noun, it is considered plural.
The chart below shows the usual changes needed to make nouns plural in English. Please note there are always exceptions.
| Type of Noun | Plural Rule | Singular Noun | Plural Noun |
|---|---|---|---|
| most nouns | add s | cat student | cats students |
noun ending in vowel + o | add s | video radio | videos radios |
noun ending in vowel + y | add s | toy day | toys days |
noun ending inch, sh, s, x, z | add es | church bench brush dish class kiss fox topaz buzz | churches benches brushes dishes classes kisses foxes topazes buzzes |
noun ending in consonant + o | add es | potato echo | potatoes echoes |
noun ending in consonant + y | drop yand add ies | baby army | babies armies |
noun ending in f or fe | change f or feto ves | thief life | thieves lives |
| irregular nouns that change | varies | man woman child mouse foot tooth | men women children mice feet teeth |
| irregular nouns that stay the same | no change | deer sheep fish | deer sheep fish |
| compound nouns | add s to the main noun | brother-in-law secretary of state | brothers-in-law secretaries of state |
noun ending in is(usually from Greek) | change is to es | analysis crisis thesis paralysis basis | analyses crises theses paralyses bases |
noun ending in us(usually from Latin) | change us to i | cactus syllabus fungus stimulus | cacti syllabi fungi stimuli |
noun ending in um | change um to a | bacterium medium | bacteria media |
| plural noun having no singular forms | no change | news scissors pajamas pants eyeglasses | news scissors pajamas pants eyeglasses |
Practice:
Fill in the plurals. You can check yourself using the answers under the list.
| # | Singular | Plural |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | valley | |
| 2 | leaf | |
| 3 | crayon | |
| 4 | match | |
| 5 | waltz | |
| 6 | key | |
| 7 | fix | |
| 8 | family | |
| 9 | self | |
| 10 | wife | |
| 11 | box | |
| 12 | oasis |
Answers: 1. valleys, 2. leaves, 3. crayons, 4. matches, 5. waltzes, 6. keys, 7. fixes, 8. families, 9. selves, 10. wives, 11. boxes, 12. oases
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