Forming plurals in English rules

How to form plurals rules and examples

Forming plurals meaning

Forming plurals means changing a word to show that there is more than one of something. In simple English, this usually means adding an "s" or "es" to the end of a word. For example, if you have one book and you get more books, you say "books" to show you have more than one. Another example is "cat" becoming "cats" when there are many cats. Some words change in different ways, like "child" becoming "children" or "mouse" turning into "mice." Forming plurals is how we talk about multiple items or people.

Forming plurals in English generally follows specific rules, though there are exceptions. Here are the basic rules:

1. Regular Plurals: Add an "s" to the end of the noun.

   • Example: "cat" becomes "cats," "house" becomes "houses."

2. Words Ending in 's', 'ss', 'sh', 'ch', 'x', or 'z': Add "es."

   • Example: "bus" becomes "buses," "box" becomes "boxes."

3. Words Ending in a Consonant + 'y': Change the 'y' to 'i' and add "es."

   • Example: "baby" becomes "babies," "city" becomes "cities."

4. Words Ending in 'o': Usually add "es" (but there are exceptions where only "s" is added).

   • Example: "potato" becomes "potatoes," "photo" becomes "photos."

5. Words Ending in 'f' or 'fe': Often change to "ves" in the plural.

   • Example: "leaf" becomes "leaves," "knife" becomes "knives."

6. Irregular Plurals: Some nouns change completely in the plural form.

   • Example: "man" becomes "men," "child" becomes "children."

7. Nouns That Remain the Same in Singular and Plural: Some nouns have the same form for both singular and plural.

   • Example: "sheep" remains "sheep," "species" remains "species."

8. Foreign-Origin Words: These follow specific rules or retain their original plural form.

   • Example: "cactus" becomes "cacti," "focus" becomes "foci."

These rules cover most situations, but English has many exceptions and special cases, so it's always good to consult a dictionary or language resource if you're unsure.

Examples of the eight plural rules in a sentence

1. Regular Plurals: Add "s".

   • "The farmer owns three dogs."
   • "She bought two books yesterday."
   • "We saw several cars on the road."
   • "There are many houses in this neighbourhood."
   • "He has four pens in his bag."

2. Words Ending in 's', 'ss', 'sh', 'ch', 'x', 'z': Add "es".

   • "The company has several branches."
   • "She hates doing dishes after dinner."
   • "The city has many old churches."
   • "He catches buses to work."
   • "There are two foxes in the forest."

3. Words Ending in a Consonant + 'y': Change 'y' to 'i' and add "es".

   • "She has three babies."
   • "There are many cities in Europe."
   • "He told funny stories at the party."
   • "The movie has several spies."
   • "She keeps all her diaries in the drawer."

4. Words Ending in 'o': Usually add "es" (some exceptions add "s").

   • "He grows potatoes in his garden."
   • "She took several photos during the trip."
   • "We saw two volcanoes on our journey."
   • "There are many studios in Hollywood."
   • "He ate two tacos for lunch."

5. Words Ending in 'f' or 'fe': Often change to "ves".

   • "She found three leaves in the book."
   • "He owns several knives."
   • "There are many shelves in their house."
   • "The room has two loaves of bread on the table."
   • "She saw several wolves in the forest."

6. Irregular Plurals: Some nouns change completely.

   • "The woman has two children."
   • "There are three men in the office."
   • "She saw two mice in the house."
   • "The geese are swimming in the lake."
   • "There are five teeth in the comb."

7. Nouns That Remain the Same in Singular and Plural:

   • "She has one sheep on her farm."
   • "He studies various species of birds."
   • "There are several aircraft at the airport."
   • "She caught ten salmon last weekend."
   • "There are three deer in the forest."

8. Foreign-Origin Words:

   • "She has a collection of cacti."
   • "The research has several foci."
   • "He learned about different bacteria in class."
   • "There are two octopi in the aquarium."
   • "The museum has many criteria for displaying art."