Related entries
Singular and plural nouns
Nouns
1. The singular and plural of nouns in English
Nouns can have a singular and a plural form.
Book
|
Books
|
In most cases an -s is added at the end of the word. However, this ending may vary depending on a number of characteristics.
2. How are the singular and plural nouns formed in English?
Singular | Plural | Examples | |
---|---|---|---|
Most nouns | We add –S at the end |
Ticket
Tickets
|
|
Doll
Dolls
|
|||
Nouns ending in: -CH -SH -S -Z/ZZ -X -SS |
We add –ES at the end |
Witch
Witches
|
Fox
Foxes
|
Brush
Brushes
|
Glass
Glasses
|
||
Bus
Buses
|
Buzz
Buzzes
|
||
Nouns ending in: consonant plus -Y |
We replace the –Y with -IES |
Baby
Babies
|
|
Story
Stories
|
|||
Nouns ending in: vowel plus -Y |
We add –S at the end |
Day
Days
|
|
Toy
Toys
|
|||
Nouns ending in: -F o -FE |
We replace the -F with -VES |
Thief
Thieves
|
|
Knife
Knives
|
|||
There are exceptions: |
Roof
Roofs
|
||
Sheriff
Sheriffs
|
|||
Nouns ending in: -O |
We add –ES at the end |
Potato
Potatoes
|
Tomato
Tomatoes
|
Hero
Heroes
|
Mosquito
Mosquitoes
|
||
There are exceptions: |
Photo
Photos
|
Piano
Pianos
|
|
Nouns with no singular form | Always in plural |
Scissors
Scissors
|
|
Trousers
Trousers
|
|||
Invariable nouns | Same form both in singular and plural |
Fish
Fish
|
|
Sheep
Sheep
|
|||
Irregular plurals | They may change one part or almost the whole word when turned into a plural |
Foot
Feet
|
Tooth
Teeth
|
Mouse
Mice
|
Child
Children
|
||
Man
Men
|
Woman
Women
|
Remember!
To form the plural of most nouns we add the ending –S.
Singular | Plural | Examples |
---|---|---|
Noun | Noun plus -S |
Ticket
Tickets
|
However, there a few exceptions to take into account:
Singular | Plural | Examples |
---|---|---|
Nouns ending in: | We add: | |
-CH, -SH, -S, -SS, -X, -Z, -ZZ | -ES |
Sandwich
Sandwiches
|
-O | -ES |
Potato
Potatoes
|
Consonant plus -O | Y IES |
Lady
Ladies
|
Vowel plus -Y | -S |
Boy
Boys
|
-F / -FE | F VES |
Knife
Knives
|
Other exceptions:
Words with only a plural form | Scissors |
Trousers | |
Words with the same form both in singular and in plural |
Fish
Fish
|
Sheep
Sheep
|
|
Words that suffer some changes when turned into a plural |
Foot
Feet
|
Woman
Women
|
|
Child
Children
|