Category: Basic Foundations
Singular & Plural
Learn how to form plural nouns from singular nouns in English.
What are Singular and Plural Nouns?
Singular means ONE of something. Plural means MORE THAN ONE of something.
- Singular: one book, one cat, one child
- Plural: two books, three cats, many children
Basic Rules for Making Plurals
Rule 1: Add -s (Most Common)
For most nouns, simply add -s to the end:
| Singular | Plural |
|---|---|
| book | books |
| cat | cats |
| dog | dogs |
| car | cars |
| table | tables |
| pen | pens |
| chair | chairs |
| house | houses |
Rule 2: Add -es (for s, ss, sh, ch, x, z endings)
If the noun ends in s, ss, sh, ch, x, or z, add -es:
| Singular | Plural | Ending |
|---|---|---|
| bus | buses | -s |
| glass | glasses | -ss |
| brush | brushes | -sh |
| watch | watches | -ch |
| box | boxes | -x |
| quiz | quizzes | -z |
Rule 3: Consonant + y → -ies
If the noun ends in a consonant + y, change y to i and add -es:
| Singular | Plural |
|---|---|
| baby | babies |
| city | cities |
| story | stories |
| fly | flies |
| country | countries |
| party | parties |
Exception: If vowel + y, just add -s: boy → boys, day → days, key → keys
Rule 4: Nouns ending in -f or -fe → -ves
Change f or fe to -ves:
| Singular | Plural |
|---|---|
| leaf | leaves |
| knife | knives |
| wife | wives |
| life | lives |
| wolf | wolves |
| half | halves |
| shelf | shelves |
| thief | thieves |
Exceptions: roof → roofs, chief → chiefs, cliff → cliffs
Rule 5: Nouns ending in -o
Some add -es, some add just -s:
| Add -es | Add -s |
|---|---|
| potato → potatoes | photo → photos |
| tomato → tomatoes | piano → pianos |
| hero → heroes | radio → radios |
| echo → echoes | zoo → zoos |
Irregular Plurals
These nouns don't follow regular rules - you must memorize them:
| Singular | Plural |
|---|---|
| man | men |
| woman | women |
| child | children |
| foot | feet |
| tooth | teeth |
| goose | geese |
| mouse | mice |
| person | people |
| ox | oxen |
Same Singular and Plural
Some nouns are the same in singular and plural:
- sheep → sheep (one sheep, two sheep)
- deer → deer (one deer, many deer)
- fish → fish (one fish, five fish)
- aircraft → aircraft
- species → species