REGULAR NOUNS
Most singular nouns form the plural by adding -s.
EXAMPLES
Singular | Plural |
---|---|
boat | boats |
house | houses |
cat | cats |
river | rivers |
A singular noun ending in s, x, z, ch, sh makes the plural by adding-es.
EXAMPLES
Singular | Plural |
---|---|
bus | buses |
wish | wishes |
pitch | pitches |
box | boxes |
A singular noun ending in a consonant and then y makes the plural by dropping the y and adding-ies.
EXAMPLES
Singular | Plural |
---|---|
penny | pennies |
spy | spies |
baby | babies |
city | cities |
daisy | daisies |
IRREGULAR NOUNS
There are some irregular noun plurals. The most common ones are listed below.
EXAMPLES
Singular | Plural |
---|---|
woman | women |
man | men |
child | children |
tooth | teeth |
foot | feet |
person | people |
leaf | leaves |
mouse | mice |
goose | geese |
half | halves |
knife | knives |
wife | wives |
life | lives |
elf | elves |
loaf | loaves |
potato | potatoes |
tomato | tomatoes |
cactus | cacti |
focus | foci |
fungus | fungi |
nucleus | nuclei |
syllabus | syllabi/syllabuses |
analysis | analyses |
diagnosis | diagnoses |
oasis | oases |
thesis | theses |
crisis | crises |
phenomenon | phenomena |
criterion | criteria |
datum | data |
Some nouns have the same form in the singular and the plural.
EXAMPLES
Singular | Plural |
---|---|
sheep | sheep |
fish | fish |
deer | deer |
species | species |
aircraft | aircraft |
IRREGULAR VERB/NOUN AGREEMENT
Some nouns have a plural form but take a singular verb.
Plural nouns used with a singular verb | Sentence |
---|---|
news | The news is at 6.30 p.m. |
athletics | Athletics is good for young people. |
linguistics | Linguistics is the study of language. |
darts | Darts is a popular game in England. |
billiards | Billiards is played all over the world. |
Some nouns have a fixed plural form and take a plural verb. They are not used in the singular, or they have a different meaning in the singular. Nouns like this include: trousers, jeans, glasses, savings, thanks, steps, stairs, customs, congratulations, tropics, wages, spectacles, outskirts, goods, wits
Plural noun with plural verb | Sentence |
---|---|
trousers | My trousers are too tight. |
jeans | Her jeans are black. |
glasses http://www.ef.edu/english-resources/english-grammar/singular-and-plural-nouns/ | Those glasses are his. |
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