Plural Nouns
In general, a noun is a person, place, or thing. A proper noun is a specialized name for a specific person, place, or thing. Proper nouns are always capitalized (e.g., “Crayola”). Nouns can be singular (i.e., only one) or plural (i.e., more than one).
To make a noun plural, add “s” (e.g., “dogs” is the plural form of “dog”), “es” (e.g., “boxes” is the plural form of “box”; add “es” to most nouns that end in “ch,” “s,” “sh,” “x,” and “z” to make them plural), and sometimes “ies” (e.g., “babies” is the plural form of “baby”; see the Notes section for exceptions to this grammar guideline ) to the end of the noun.
Irregular plural nouns , which include terms like “women,” “men,” “children,” “alumni,” “feet,” “mice,” “data,” and so forth, usually are not made plural by adding “s,” “es,” or “ies” to their endings. However, some irregular plural nouns have the same endings as regular plural nouns, such as “leaves,” “knives,” “analyses,” and “theses.”
Plural nouns are covered in the seventh edition APA Style manuals in the Publication Manual Sections 4.18 and 6.11 and the Concise Guide Sections 2.18 and 5.1
Plural surnames
Usually, a surname is made plural by adding an “s” to the end of it (e.g., “Ayubis” is the plural form of the surname “Ayubi”), but there are exceptions. Add “es” to most surnames that end in “ch,” “s,” “sh,” “x,” and “z” to make them plural: for example, “Burch” becomes “Burches,” “Jones” becomes “Joneses,” “Nash” becomes “Nashes,” “Knox” becomes “Knoxes,” and “Hernández” becomes “Hernándezes.”
However, if the “ch” at the end of a surname is pronounced with a hard “k,” like “Bach,” add “s” to the end of the surname to make it plural: “Bachs” (the same is true for common nouns ending in a hard “ch”: “stomachs”). Likewise, if the “x” at the end of a surname is silent, like “Rioux,” make the surname plural by adding an “s” to the end of the name: “Riouxs.”
Plural versus possessive
Although there are many unique ways to form plural nouns, please note that placing an apostrophe “s” or just an apostrophe after an “s” at the end of a noun is not one of them. “Tuesday’s” and “cat’s” are never the plurals of “Tuesday” and “cat”; the plurals are “Tuesdays” and “cats.” In general, an apostrophe “s” is used to form the possessive case of a noun .
Some nouns are spelled the same way in their singular form as they are in their plural form (e.g., “fish,” “moose,” “sheep”). Other nouns do not have a singular form and are always spelled in the plural form (e.g., “clothes,” “eyeglasses,” “scissors”). Conversely, some nouns do not have a plural form (e.g., “homework,” “milk,” “advice”).
Also, to make an abbreviation plural, add an “s” to the end of the abbreviation. For example, “HCP” is the abbreviation of “health care provider” and “HCPs” is its plural form.
The spelling guidelines on this page serve as general pluralization recommendations and are not comprehensive. They are not specific to APA Style and can be found in many dictionaries and other style guides. The APA Style Experts frequently consult the Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary for their spelling guidance .
Some common examples of nouns in their singular and plural forms are presented next.
| Alex | Alexes |
| attorney | attorneys |
| branch | branches |
| bus | buses |
| case | cases |
| Choi | Chois |
| class | classes |
| deer | deer |
| Dietrich | Dietrichs |
| digital object identifier (DOI) | DOIs |
| family | families |
| fox | foxes |
| Goodrich | Goodriches |
| half | halves |
| hypothesis | hypotheses |
| influencer | influencers |
| Lacroix | Lacroixs |
| life | lives |
| Lopez | Lopezes |
| monarch | monarchs |
| patient | patients |
| person | people |
| phenomenon | phenomena |
| screenshot | screenshots |
| Smith | Smiths |
| theory | theories |
| tomato | tomatoes |
| tooth | teeth |
| Walsh | Walshes |
| waltz | waltzes |
| Williams | Williamses |
| wish | wishes |
a “Attornies” is not the plural form of “attorney” because the letter that precedes the “y” is a vowel (i.e., an “e”) and not a consonant . In general, do not change nouns that end in “y” to “ies” to make them plural if the letter that precedes the “y” is a vowel; add an “s” to the end of the noun to make it plural.
b “Families” ends in “ies” because the letter that precedes the “y” in “family” is a consonant (i.e., an “l”). However, there are exceptions to this guidance. For example, “moneys” and “monies” are acceptable plural forms of “money.” When a term has more than one plural form, use your best judgment to determine which spelling is more appropriate to use in your work.
c The term “persons” is sometimes used in research settings to refer to groups of a specific number and in a legal context such as “missing persons” or “persons of interest.” Nevertheless, “people” is the preferred plural form of “person.”
d “Peoples” may be used to describe specific ethnic communities such as “Indigenous Peoples” or “First Peoples.”
Plural Nouns: Definition, Meaning and Examples
By Allison Bressmer
Pluralizing singular nouns (also known as making plural nouns) can be as easy as just adding s or es . Or adding letters to the noun, or replacing letters, or changing the entire spelling of the noun, or just leaving the word alone.
Okay, so perhaps “easy” isn’t really the way to describe the process of pluralization. Let’s go with “interesting” instead.
What Is a Plural Noun? (And How Is It Different Than a Singular Noun?
How to make regular plural nouns, how to pluralize irregular nouns, more unique plurals, a few more irregulars, pluralize for your audience, pluralization: use resources.
A noun is a word that represents a person, place, thing, or idea. This is true for both singular and plural nouns.
A singular noun is a noun representing a single (just one) person, place, thing, or idea. For example, the nouns drink , berry , and child are singular nouns.
Often, the determiners a or an are used with singular nouns :
- I’d like a drink , please.
- Would you like to try a berry ?
- Stop acting like a child !
When you make plural nouns, you indicate that there is more than one of whatever it is the noun represents.
For example, drink becomes drinks , berry becomes berries , and child becomes children . You may use the determiners few , many , and several before a plural noun:
- We’d like to order a few drinks , please.
- I like to put lots of berries on my cereal.
- The schoolyard was filled with children .
You’ve probably noticed that the method of pluralizing each of those noun examples is different. That’s because some nouns are considered regular—they tend to follow some simple rules—and others are irregular. The irregulars basically make their own rules.
Grab yourself one of those drinks I just pluralized and we’ll investigate. You’ll thank me for the advice later!
Regular nouns are generally straightforward when it comes to following the rules of pluralization. That’s why they are labeled as regular. For the most part, you pluralize them by adding s or es or by changing y to ies .
Of course, there are exceptions. You’ll notice a theme of exceptions throughout this study in pluralizing.
Pluralizing by Adding Letters
1. just add s.
This is probably the easiest rule of pluralization, and many nouns follow this rule.
| Singular | Plural |
|---|---|
| cat | cats |
| bed | beds |
| baseball | baseballs |
2. Just add es
This rule is almost as easy, and just a little less common. It is used for nouns that end in ch , x , s (or s -sounds), sh , and z (with some special additions for the z and some s -sound-ending nouns)
| Singular | Plural |
|---|---|
| lunch | lunches |
| box | boxes |
| kiss | kisses |
| bush | bushes |
| quiz | quizzes |
| gas | gasses |
| bus | busses |
Have you figured out the special additions for some s - and z -ending words? Sometimes it’s necessary to add an extra s or z to the noun before adding the pluralizing es .
There are a few other exceptions.
For example, the add es rule is pretty reliable for nouns ending in ch and sh , but not as reliable for nouns ending with x .
| Singular | Plural |
|---|---|
| ox | oxen |
| matrix | matrices |
| vertex | vertices |
Some nouns that end in is or us don’t follow the just add es rule either.
| Singular | Plural |
|---|---|
| analysis | analyses |
| crisis | crises |
| hippopotomus | hippopotami |
| cactus | cactuses or cacti |
| octopus | octopuses, octopi, octopodes |
With so many choices for octopus , which should you use?
3. Regular nouns ending in o
Once again, our regular nouns show their slightly rebellious side. The answer? It depends on the word. I told you you’d be happy to have that drink!
| Singular | Plural |
|---|---|
| photo | photos |
| taco | tacos |
| tomato | tomatoes |
| hero | heroes |
4. Regular nouns ending in y
If the nouns ends in a vowel + y , then just add s .
| Singular | Plural |
|---|---|
| boy | boys |
| essay | essays |
| whiskey | whiskeys |
(And by the way, you can spell whiskey without the e as well, if it’s Scotch.)
If the noun ends in a consonant + y , you work under the replacing letters method.
Pluralizing Regular Nouns by Replacing Letters
When a noun ends in a consonant + y , the y becomes ies .
| Singular | Plural |
|---|---|
| lady | ladies |
| melody | melodies |
| family | families |
Are there exceptions? Of course there are.
Nouns such as jealousy , electricity , flexibility end with a consonant + y but do not have a plural form because they are uncountable nouns . We’ll look at them more closely further down the post.
Nouns that end in f or fe also follow the replacing letters method for pluralization. The f becomes a v . If the singular noun ends in s , you add an es to that v. If it ends in fe , you just add the s .
| Singular | Plural |
|---|---|
| thief | thieves |
| shelf | shelves |
| knife | knives |
| life | lives |
And yes. There are exceptions. Say the words aloud and listen for the pattern in the exceptions.
| Singular | Plural |
|---|---|
| roof | roofs |
| chef | chefs |
| safe | safes |
Congratulations! You’ve made it through the rules for the nouns that are called regular even though they have exceptions to the rules somewhat, well, regularly.
If you’re wondering why there are so many exceptions, it’s because the English language has a rich but complicated history and was formed through the integration of a variety of languages. Some of its words still follow rules from their original language.
Let’s move on to the irregular nouns. You might want to refill your drink.
Irregular nouns follow their own rules. They have no use for conformity, which is why they have been labeled irregular.
Pluralizing irregular nouns basically happens using one of two opposite methods: changing the singular-noun form almost entirely or not changing the singular-noun form at all.
There is no trick for determining which method to use. And knowing how to pluralize these nouns is not intuitive. In fact, it’s quite the opposite. If you’ve ever spoken to toddlers, you’ve probably heard them say things like this:
“I went to the pet store. I saw kitty cats, puppy dogs, and mouses.”
So cute, right?
We smile because they’ve said “mouses" which is adorable but incorrect. However, toddlers’ use of “mouses” is actually quite impressive as it shows they are adapting to and internalizing the rules of language. But “mouse” as a noun does not follow the rules and after a few months or years, the toddlers learn to use the far less intuitive “mice.”
Those same toddlers might tell you they’ve seen “sheeps” at the farm. Again, their instincts are right, it’s the noun “sheep” that breaks the rules.
For these irregular nouns, you really just need to learn and remember their pluralized forms and if you aren’t certain, consult your dictionary.
1. Pluralizing irregular nouns by changing the singular-noun form
Here are some examples of commonly used nouns whose plural forms are created by changing their singular forms.
| Singular | Plural |
|---|---|
| child | children |
| goose | geese |
| mouse | mice |
| person | people |
| man | men |
| woman | women |
| foot | feet |
| tooth | teeth |
2. Pluralizing nouns by changing absolutely nothing from the singular-noun form
Here are some examples of commonly used plural nouns spelled exactly the same as their singular forms.
| Singular | Plural |
|---|---|
| sheep | sheep |
| deer | deer |
| moose | moose |
| series | series |
| species | species |
We aren’t done yet! There are still more special pluralization situations: nouns that are only plural, uncountable nouns, and compound nouns.
Only-Plural Nouns
Some nouns do not have a singular form. They only exist in plural form. For example,
- pants : you can try on pants, but not a pant. You can, however, try on a pair of pants.
- clothes : you hang clothes in your closet. If you only have one shirt, you would say “I only have one shirt” not “I only have one clothe.”
- glasses : you wear glasses, or a pair of glasses, but you do not wear a glass. (If you’re talking about drinking glasses, then you can have just one glass.)
- shenanigans: you may get up to shenanigans, but are never just up to a shenanigan (what fun would just one shenanigan be anyway?)
Uncountable Nouns
The nouns we have pluralized so far have been countable nouns. Countable nouns are nouns we use for things we can actually count using numbers. You can use a / an or another determiner in front of them in their singular form or another determiner to answer “how many” in their plural form.
For example, you might have:
| Singular | Plural |
|---|---|
| a dog | several dogs |
| a sheep | seven sheep |
| an island | many islands |
| a foot | two feet |
Uncountable nouns are nouns that represent things we cannot count with numbers. It doesn’t make sense to use a / an or other determiners that show “how many.” Phrases that answer “how much” are used with them instead.
Uncountable nouns have only one form. There is no plural form for them.
For example:
- jealousy : They were filled with jealousy.
- electricity : We have no electricity.
- research : He did so much research for the project.
- information : Can you provide me with more information?
- knowledge : She has a great deal of knowledge on the subject.
- evidence : There is not enough evidence to convict the defendant!
- water: I’ll just have water. (If you ask for a specific number of servings of water, you would usually say “a glass of water” or “three bottles of water.”)
Compound Nouns
Compound nouns are nouns that comprise two or more words. They can be written in three different ways: one word, two words, or as a set of hyphenated words.
Most compound nouns that are made of two nouns follow the just add s method of pluralization. And, many compound nouns that comprise a noun and a non-noun also follow this method (but of course, there are exceptions).
1. One-word compound nouns
| Singular | Plural | Parts of Speech |
|---|---|---|
| haircut | haircuts | noun + verb |
| pancake | pancakes | noun + noun |
| bookstore | bookstores | noun + noun |
| blackboard | blackboards | adjective + noun |
2. Two-word compound nouns
| Singular | Plural |
|---|---|
| bus stop | bus stops |
| dining room | dining rooms |
| tennis court | tennis courts |
3. Hyphenated compound nouns
Like the two-word compound nouns, hyphenated compound nouns also work as one unit.
| Singular | Plural |
|---|---|
| tip-off | tip-offs |
| step-brother | step-brothers |
| copy-editor | copy-editors |
You can see that the examples used so far all follow the just add s rule. You’re probably already thinking of other common compound nouns that don’t follow that rule. For example,
| Singular | Plural |
|---|---|
| passerby | passersby |
| hanger-on | hangers-on |
| runner-up | runners-up |
| sister-in-law | sisters-in-law |
| attorney-at-law | attorneys-at-law |
The easiest way to get these plurals right is simply to memorize them or look them up. However, there is a grammatical reason for their different methods of pluralization.
In passerby , hanger-on , and runner-up , the compound noun is made up of a noun with an er ending and an adverb. For that combination, the s is added to the noun part of the compound.
In sister-in-law and attorney-at-law , the compound noun is made up of two nouns connected by a preposition. For this combination, the first noun is pluralized.
Another way to think about this combination is to figure out which noun is the head noun. In other words, which noun is the most important (the head), and which noun just adds more information about that noun?
For sister-in-law, sister is the head noun. The in-law just tells us more about the type of sister we’re referencing. The in-law phrase works as an adjective . That same explanation applies to attorneys-at-law or attorneys general , another example of a two-word compound noun.
What happens if there is no obvious head noun?
If we say, “he’s just a good-for-nothing” do we pluralize that by saying, “They’re all good-for-nothings ?”
If we say, “I had a serious back-and-forth with my family about our political differences,” do we pluralize that by saying, “I had some serious back-and-forths with my family about our political differences?”
Yes, we do. How do I know? I looked those compound nouns up! I had to check a few online dictionaries to verify the plural versions. These are phrases that we have adapted into use over time and it can take time for dictionaries to catch up.
Still with me? Good!
Since you’re here, take a look at this list of commonly used, or at least somewhat commonly used, nouns and their unique pluralization forms.
| Singular | Plural |
|---|---|
| criterion | criteria |
| phenomenon | phenomena |
| datum | data |
| curriculum | curricula |
| stimulus | stimuli |
| medium | media |
| hypothesis | hypotheses |
| emphasis | emphases |
Language is fluid, as the English language demonstrates in its own history, and changes continue to come. Along with consulting your dictionary when you’re uncertain about a word’s proper plural form, consider your audience as well.
Some methods of pluralization that used to be considered “improper” are now acceptable, at least in more casual situations.
For example, if you’re telling a friend you’d like “two tablespoonfuls of sugar in your iced tea” (that’s just too much, in my opinion), you’re fine! If you’re writing a fancy cookbook, then you might want to use the more formal “tablespoonsful.”
Some methods of pluralization are straightforward, and many nouns adhere to those methods. These are the plurals that you know just because you know them. You don’t even have to think about them!
Other plural forms are less compliant and it’s worth it to work on memorizing them, especially the ones you will use often.
When it comes to the outliers that pop up unexpectedly, there’s no need to guess. Take a minute and consult your dictionary and then run your work through a final ProWritingAid grammar check for accuracy assurance.
With ProWritingAid, you’ll use the right noun form every time—and avoid hundreds of other grammar, spelling, and style errors.
Take your writing to the next level: 20 Editing Tips from Professional WritersWhether you are writing a novel, essay, article, or email, good writing is an essential part of communicating your ideas., this guide contains the 20 most important writing tips and techniques from a wide range of professional writers..  Be confident about grammarCheck every email, essay, or story for grammar mistakes. Fix them before you press send. Allison BressmerAllison Bressmer is a professor of freshman composition and critical reading at a community college and a freelance writer. If she isn’t writing or teaching, you’ll likely find her reading a book or listening to a podcast while happily sipping a semi-sweet iced tea or happy-houring with friends. She lives in New York with her family. Connect at linkedin.com/in/allisonbressmer. Get started with ProWritingAidDrop us a line or let's stay in touch via:
Grammar Tips: Plural Nouns 7-minute read
If someone asked you what a noun is , you’d probably say it’s a person, place, or thing. Pretty simple, right? But what about plural nouns? For example, what is the plural form for cat ? If you said cats , you’re right! What about the plural for foot ? If you said foots , you’re incorrect. The correct form is feet. Simply adding an s at the end works for some nouns – but not all. Plural nouns can be confusing for many English learners. Most students struggle with regular versus irregular plurals as well as apostrophe usage with some plurals. Nevertheless, understanding plural nouns is important for effective communication. After all, you’ll encounter them in many contexts! If you find plural nouns confusing, read on! This blog will provide essential grammar tips for using plural nouns correctly in written and spoken English. We’ll discuss pluralization rules as well as irregular and tricky plural noun forms. By the time you finish reading, you’ll feel confident using plural nouns effectively in any context. And understanding plural nouns can go a long way to improving your English grammar . What Are Plural Nouns?Plural nouns refer to more than one person, place, or thing. You can easily recognize most of them by their s or es ending: There’s not much to pluralizing such nouns. However, things get tricky with irregular plurals, as they have their own unique forms. For example: English language learners often struggle to distinguish regular plurals from irregular ones . Fortunately, to form irregular plurals, you just need to know which letters to change. How to Make Nouns PluralAs we stated above, you can make most singular nouns plural by adding s or es to the end of the word, depending on the word’s ending. Likewise, collective nouns (nouns that represent groups) can be made plural by adding s or es . For example: Regular Plural NounsNouns such as bottle, toy, bike , and chair are the easiest to pluralize, as you simply add s to the end. However, some nouns require the es ending: Irregular PluralsThe rules for forming these plurals are different from the rules for forming regular plurals, and interestingly enough, there are multiple ways to form irregular plurals. Examples of nouns that have irregular plurals include mouse , man , goose , wolf , and wife . Their pluralization looks like this: Pluralizing these is usually a matter of knowing the rules regarding certain noun endings. If a noun ends in f or fe , you change the ending to ve before adding an s to form the plural: The only exceptions to this rule are roof, belief, chef, chief , and café , which take the s ending. For nouns such as goose, foot, and tooth , you change the double o into a double e to make the plural. So the plural forms are geese, feet, and teeth , respectively. Booth and book are exceptions: their plurals use the s ending. Therefore, changing the double o to a double e is incorrect. And for nouns such as man and woman , you only need to change the a to e to make the plural. How to Pluralize the Word MouseThe word mouse has a unique plural form. You simply change mouse to mice : However, you wouldn’t apply this rule to other words ending in ouse , such as house . You would simply add the s ending for those. More Rules for Plural NounsThe final letter of a noun often dictates the correct spelling of the pluralized form. But just as we saw with irregular plurals, you must be aware of special rules. Singular Nouns Ending in YIf a singular noun ends in y and the letter before the y is a consonant, you change the ending to ies to make the plural: If a singular noun ends in y and the letter before the y is a vowel, just add an s to make the plural: Singular Nouns Ending in OIf a singular noun ends in o , add es to make the plural: However, you would not apply this rule to nouns such as piano , halo , and photo , which take the s ending for the plural. Which Nouns Take the es Ending?We know you’ve probably been asking this question from the beginning. The simple answer is that the es ending applies to nouns that end in s , ss , sh , ch , x , and z . For example: Plural Noun ExceptionsWhile we’ve already mentioned a few exceptions, more exist. If a singular noun ends in us , the plural ending is i . For example: Find this useful?Subscribe to our newsletter and get writing tips from our editors straight to your inbox. If a singular noun ends in is , the plural ending is es : If a singular noun ends in on , the plural ending is a : Believe it or not, some nouns don’t change at all when you pluralize them. Such nouns include sheep, fish, deer, series , aircraft , and species . They can be singular or plural: Plural Nouns Versus Possessive NounsPossessive nouns demonstrate ownership, generally with the ’ s ending. Let’s say your cousin Bill owns a boat (lucky Bill!). You would indicate it like this: Most students confuse plural nouns with possessive nouns because of the s endings. Understanding how to use apostrophes with plurals and possessives can be tricky. Plural nouns don’t have apostrophes unless they’re also possessive. Let’s consider the following examples: Common Mistakes When Using Plural Nouns1. Adding s or es endings to irregular nouns (e.g., goose , man , child , foot ) 2. Adding an apostrophe to a plural noun when it’s not possessive 3. Adding s endings with nouns that actually need the es ending 4. Adding pluralizing endings to nouns that don’t change at all (e.g., deer , fish , series ) 5. Adding the wrong ending to nouns that end in us , is , and on Tips for Avoiding Errors in Writing and Speaking1. Remember that plural nouns don’t use apostrophes unless they’re also possessive. 2. You cannot pluralize all nouns simply by using s or es endings. 3. Remember which letters need to be changed to form irregular plurals (which all have unique forms). 4. Know which nouns use the s and es endings. 5. Know which nouns are singular and plural in sentences. Tips for Identifying Singular and Plural Nouns in SentencesLooking at how much of something a noun is referring to can tell you whether that noun is singular or plural. It’s singular if it refers to one person or thing. It’s plural if it refers to more than one person or thing. When reading a sentence, look for any nouns with s or es endings. If so, they’re likely plural. Furthermore, by understanding how much of something the noun refers to, you can recognize the tricky irregular plural nouns we’ve covered. Incorrect Plural Nouns Lead to Different MeaningsIt’s important to use the correct forms of plural and possessive nouns, as incorrect plurals can change the meaning of a sentence. Take these examples: We encourage you to practice using plural nouns correctly. One way to do this is by trying a worksheet on singular and plural nouns . The more practice you have, the more comfortable you’ll be. For our visual learners, we recommend this video on how to form plural nouns . Finally, we encourage you to proofread your written work for correct plural noun usage. If you’re currently working on an essay or a paper, you might be interested in letting our proofreading experts review your writing. They can check for grammar and punctuation errors and make sure the spelling is perfect. They’ll also ensure the correct use of plural nouns! 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What is plural noun?Let’s take the sentence “I am teaching a class this semester.” We can change it around and say “The students have been working hard all semester long.” In the first sentence, “class” is singular and in the second sentence, “students” is plural. That means you need to use a proper noun (singular or plural) according to the situation. It may not seem like much of a difference at first but it will make your writing sound awkward if you don’t get it right! The best way is to learn the rules of plural nouns. Plural Noun RulesWe’ll break down the rules so you’ll never get your plural nouns wrong again.
In some cases, we add suffix “-es” to the nouns ending in “o”. See examples below.
In some Latin or Greek words (foreign words) ending in “-o”, we add suffix ‘-s’. For example,
When singular noun ends in ‘-us’, we replace ‘-us’ with ‘-i’. Examples are,
In singular noun ending on ‘-y’ (when the letter before -y is consonant ), we replace ‘-y’ with ‘-ies’ to make the noun plural, for example
In some cases, the singular nouns ending in ‘-s’ or ‘-z’, the last letter is doubled plus we add ‘-es’ to the end. See the examples,
There are some exceptions where the rule does not apply, Examples are roof -> roofs , belief -> beliefs , cliff -> cliffs In case the noun ends in ‘-on’, we replace ‘-on’ with ‘-a’ to make it plural, for example
If the nouns ends in ‘-um’, last letters ‘-um’ are replaced with ‘-a’ in plural form. Examples are
In some case, the singular noun is ending in ‘-ex’ or ‘-ix’, the plural will end in ‘-ices’ Examples are given below:
There are several singular nouns which do not follow any of the above rules while making them plural
Many nouns have the same singular and plural form. Fro example, plural nouns for sheep is ‘sheep’ . See some more examples.
Some nouns do not have plural forms. Examples are Types of PluralsThe plural noun rule is one of those things that can trip you up when you’re writing sentences Regular PluralsRegular plurals end in s or es. For example, bag -> bags , toy -> toys , pen -> pens etc. Irregular PluralsCompound plurals. It’s easy to remember these rules if you think about them like this – just add an ‘es’ for regular plurals and an ‘s’ for irregular ones! Singular Noun Example SentencesPlural nouns example sentences, worksheet for singular and plural nouns. Following is a worksheet for singular and plural nouns. Answers are given at the end. Mention against each sentence whether highlighted/bold word is a singular or plural noun. Similar PostsWhat are writing skills | 8 important steps of writing process, 20 idioms in english with meaning, adverbs starting with ‘c’ (list & example sentences), 50 example sentences with ch words, 100 example sentences with modal verbs, 71 idioms with meaning and sentences for daily use, leave a reply cancel reply. You are using an outdated browser. Please upgrade your browser or activate Google Chrome Frame to improve your experience.  Plural Nouns in English: Simple Guide with ExamplesEnglish plural nouns can seem challenging for learners. But this guide makes it easier to turn any singular (one) noun into a plural (more than one) noun. Discover the eight rules for making nouns plural in English below. I’ve also included common examples of nouns for each rule and the different kinds of irregular plural nouns. How Do Plurals Work in English?Regular plural nouns, add -s to most regular nouns.
Change the ending to -es for nouns ending in -isChange the ending to -ves for nouns ending in -f or -fe, change the ending to -ies for nouns ending in consonant + y, change the ending to -i for nouns ending in -us.
Irregular Plural NounsCommon irregular nouns to memorize, nouns with the same plural and singular forms, nouns that don’t change, and one more thing.... Download: This blog post is available as a convenient and portable PDF that you can take anywhere. Click here to get a copy. (Download) The difference between the singular and plural forms of a noun is reflected in spelling. The most basic way to make an English noun plural is by adding -s , but as you’ll see below, there are a number of spelling rules to follow to make a noun plural and also many exceptions. The majority of English nouns are regular, which means they all follow the same format for their plural forms. Here are the rules for dealing with regular nouns: For most regular English nouns, you simply add the letter -s to the noun. It’s easy, but remember that another form looks very similar, and that’s the possessive form: “a dog’s bowl,” which means the bowl belongs to the dog. So watch out for that. Here are a few common examples:
Add -es to nouns ending in -o , -s , -x , -z , -sh or -chWhen the noun ends with -s , -x , -z , -sh or -ch , simply add -es after the noun.
For most nouns ending with the letter -o , you have to add -es after the noun instead of -s .
Add -s to nouns that end with vowel + yIf a vowel comes before the letter -y , then it’s easy. You simply add -s after the noun.
For nouns ending in -is , drop the -is and then add -es . Let’s look at some common examples:
For some nouns ending with -f or -fe , you change the F to V and then add -es.
For nouns ending with a consonant + y , the general rule is to drop the -y and add -ies after the noun.
For nouns ending in -us , drop -us and add -i at the end of the word. A few common examples are:
Change the ending to -a for certain nouns ending in -onYou probably won’t encounter this class of nouns very often, but it’s still important to know where you might need to use these words:
If you’ve been an English learner for some time, you know there’ll always be special cases that don’t fit into any fixed formats or follow any rules. They are irregular, which means different. They do things differently from everyone else and that’s what makes them so interesting . They don’t follow the standard rules and have to be memorized. Let’s look at some examples:
Talk about easy! There are some words that are exactly the same in their singular and plural forms. Some common examples are below. You might notice that a lot of these words have to do with biology or animals.
Then there are some nouns that have no singular forms or no plural form. Because of this, you only have to learn the one form. This is especially true with what’s called mass nouns . They have no distinct plural forms. Typically, they refer to nouns that often come in groups, or nouns that are somewhat abstract.
So now, I hope you have a clearer picture of how to make nouns plural in English. Outside of this list, try to listen to how native speakers use these in their speech. If you don’t have natives around you, find a language exchange partner, or start watching English-language movies and TV shows . FluentU takes authentic videos—like music videos, movie trailers, news and inspiring talks—and turns them into personalized language learning lessons. You can try FluentU for free for 2 weeks. Check out the website or download the iOS app or Android app. P.S. Click here to take advantage of our current sale! (Expires at the end of this month.)  Try FluentU for FREE! As you watch English language content (especially with subtitles), you’ll get more familiar with how plurals work in English by hearing them in context. It may take some time to become familiar with the rules but that’s okay. To learn them quicker, print out a copy of these rules and keep them handy for your reference. Pretty soon, you’ll be an expert at plural spellings. Good luck! If you like learning English through movies and online media, you should also check out FluentU. FluentU lets you learn English from popular talk shows, catchy music videos and funny commercials , as you can see here:  If you want to watch it, the FluentU app has probably got it. The FluentU app and website makes it really easy to watch English videos. There are captions that are interactive. That means you can tap on any word to see an image, definition, and useful examples.  FluentU lets you learn engaging content with world famous celebrities. For example, when you tap on the word "searching," you see this:  FluentU lets you tap to look up any word. Learn all the vocabulary in any video with quizzes. Swipe left or right to see more examples for the word you’re learning.  FluentU helps you learn fast with useful questions and multiple examples. Learn more. The best part? FluentU remembers the vocabulary that you’re learning. It gives you extra practice with difficult words—and reminds you when it’s time to review what you’ve learned. You have a truly personalized experience. Start using the FluentU website on your computer or tablet or, better yet, download the FluentU app from the iTunes or Google Play store. Click here to take advantage of our current sale! (Expires at the end of this month.) Related posts:Enter your e-mail address to get your free pdf. We hate SPAM and promise to keep your email address safe  Definition of 'essay' It seems that your browser is blocking this video content. To access it, add this site to the exceptions or modify your security settings, then refresh this page.  essay in British EnglishEssay in american english, examples of 'essay' in a sentence essay, cobuild collocations essay, trends of essay. View usage for: All Years Last 10 years Last 50 years Last 100 years Last 300 years Browse alphabetically essay
Related terms of essay
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Etymology 1Since late 16th century, borrowed from Middle French essay , essai ( “ essay ” ) , meaning coined by Montaigne in the same time, from the same words in earlier meanings 'experiment; assay; attempt', from Old French essay , essai , assay , assai , from Latin exagium ( “ weight; weighing, testing on the balance ” ) , from exigere + -ium . Pronunciation
essay ( plural essays )
Derived terms
Related termsTranslations.
Etymology 2From Middle French essayer , essaier , from Old French essaiier , essayer , essaier , assaiier , assayer , assaier , from essay , essai , assay , assai ( “ attempt; assay; experiment ” ) as above.
essay ( third-person singular simple present essays , present participle essaying , simple past and past participle essayed )
Borrowed from English essay ( “ essay ” ) , from Middle French essai ( “ essay; attempt, assay ” ) , from Old French essai , from Latin exagium (whence the neuter gender).
essay n ( plural essays , diminutive essaytje n ) DescendantsNorwegian bokmål. Borrowed from English essay , from Middle French essai . essay n ( definite singular essayet , indefinite plural essay or essayer , definite plural essaya or essayene )
Norwegian Nynorskessay n ( definite singular essayet , indefinite plural essay , definite plural essaya )
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Plural Nouns
Write better and faster Ginger helps you write confidently. Start writing with Ginger What is a Plural NounSingular and plural nouns, singular noun examples.
Plural Noun Examples
Singular – Plural Nouns ExercisesTransform each of the following words into plurals: Choose the correct plural for each of the words that follows:
Choose the best word to fit into each of the following sentences:
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What Is a Noun? | Definition, Types & ExamplesA noun is a word that represents a person, thing, concept, or place. Most sentences contain at least one noun or pronoun . For example, the sentences below contain anywhere from one to three nouns. June is my favorite month . Nouns are one of the main types of words in English, along with other parts of speech such as verbs . They are often, but not always, preceded by an article (“the,” “a,” or “an”) or other determiner . You can try our grammar checker to make sure you’re using nouns and other parts of speech correctly. Table of contentsHow are nouns used in sentences, nouns vs. pronouns, common vs. proper nouns, countable vs. uncountable nouns, concrete vs. abstract nouns.
Other types of nounsOther interesting language articles, frequently asked questions about nouns. A complete sentence usually consists of at least a subject and a verb . The subject describes some person or thing, and the verb describes an action carried out by the subject. In most cases, the subject is a noun or a pronoun . So the most basic role for a noun is to act as the subject for a verb that follows it. David went out. Nouns and pronouns can also play the role of object in a sentence. An object usually comes after the verb and represents something or someone that is affected by the action described. Objects can be direct or indirect:
Please give Jeremy some bread . Noun phrasesWhen analyzing sentence structure , it’s common to refer to noun phrases . A noun phrase is a noun or pronoun in combination with all the words that belong with it in the sentence, such as any articles, adjectives , or other determiners that modify the noun. A noun phrase can consist of the noun or pronoun alone or of a much longer series of words (always including at least one noun or pronoun). The boa constrictor is a well-known species of snake . Check for common mistakesUse the best grammar checker available to check for common mistakes in your text. Fix mistakes for free Pronouns are a much smaller set of words (such as “I,” “she,” and “they”) that are used in a similar way to nouns. They are primarily used to stand in for a noun that has already been mentioned or to refer to yourself and other people. Like nouns, pronouns can function as the head of a noun phrase and as the subject or object of a verb. You can have a complete sentence consisting of just a pronoun and a verb (e.g., “He walks.”), just as you could with a noun (“Jack walks.”). Unlike nouns, some pronouns (mainly the personal pronouns ) change their forms depending on the grammatical context they’re used in. For example, the first-person pronoun is “I” when it’s used as a subject and “me” when it’s used as an object, whereas a noun like “dog” would look the same in both cases. Have you ever met them before? That is beside the point. An important distinction is made between two types of nouns, common nouns and proper nouns.
Another important distinction is between countable and uncountable nouns :
A common mistake in English is treating uncountable nouns as if they were countable by pluralizing them or using an indefinite article. The solution to these problems is usually to rephrase using a related term or phrase that is countable.
A distinction is often made between concrete nouns and abstract nouns.
There’s no grammatical difference between concrete and abstract nouns—it’s just a distinction that’s made to point out the different kinds of things nouns can refer to. A collective noun is a word used to refer to a group of people or things, such as “team,” “band,” or “herd.” A collective noun can also be a proper noun—for example, the name of a specific company or band. A collective noun may appear to be singular (e.g., “team”) or plural (e.g., “The Beatles”) in form, and there’s some disagreement about whether they should be treated grammatically as singular or plural. The following applies for US vs. UK English .
A gaggle of geese is the most threatening thing you’re likely to encounter at the park. There are many nouns in English (more than any other part of speech), and accordingly many ways of forming nouns and using them. Some other important types of nouns are:
A possessive noun is a noun that’s followed by an apostrophe (’) and the letter “s” to indicate possession (e.g., “my father’s house”). To indicate possession with a plural noun that ends in “s,” you just add the apostrophe after the “s,” and don’t add an extra “s” (e.g., “my parents’ house”). A gerund is a noun that is identical to the present participle (the “-ing” form) of a verb. These are typically nouns that describe the same activity as the verb they were formed from, such as “driving,” formed from the present participle of “drive.” Attributive nouns are nouns that are used like adjectives , to modify another noun. For example, “company” is an attributive noun in the phrase “company policy.” Even though attributive nouns work similarly to adjectives, they’re still classed as nouns. This is because they don’t fulfill all the grammatical requirements of adjectives. For example, they have to appear before the noun—it wouldn’t make sense to say “a policy that is company.” An appositive noun (or appositive noun phrase) is a noun that comes after another noun to provide additional information about it. If the appositive provides essential information (i.e., it wouldn’t be clear who or what you are referring to without it), it’s written without any extra punctuation . If it provides extra information that is not essential, it’s surrounded by commas . A generic noun is a noun that is used to refer to a whole class of things (or people, places, etc.). They can be plural or singular, and they may appear with a definite article, an indefinite article, or no article . The same noun may be used generically in some contexts and not others. For example, it would be equally possible to use the nouns in the sentences below in a non-generic way (e.g., “the people I know best are my brothers”; “my father operated a printing press”). If you want to know more about nouns, pronouns , verbs , and other parts of speech , make sure to check out some of our other language articles with explanations and examples. Nouns & pronouns
A noun is a word that represents a person, thing, concept, or place (e.g., “John,” “house,” “affinity,” “river”). Most sentences contain at least one noun or pronoun . Nouns are often, but not always, preceded by an article (“the,” “a,” or “an”) and/or another determiner such as an adjective . There are many ways to categorize nouns into various types, and the same noun can fall into multiple categories or even change types depending on context. Some of the main types of nouns are:
Pronouns are words like “I,” “she,” and “they” that are used in a similar way to nouns . They stand in for a noun that has already been mentioned or refer to yourself and other people. Pronouns can function just like nouns as the head of a noun phrase and as the subject or object of a verb . However, pronouns change their forms (e.g., from “I” to “me”) depending on the grammatical context they’re used in, whereas nouns usually don’t. Is this article helpful?Other students also liked.
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A plural noun is a noun that refers to more than one of something (as opposed to a singular noun, which refers to just one). Like singular nouns, they may refer to people, animals, things, concepts, or places. Plural nouns are normally formed by adding -s to the singular noun (e.g., the singular "cat" becomes the plural "cats").
a "Attornies" is not the plural form of "attorney" because the letter that precedes the "y" is a vowel (i.e., an "e") and not a consonant.In general, do not change nouns that end in "y" to "ies" to make them plural if the letter that precedes the "y" is a vowel; add an "s" to the end of the noun to make it plural.
Updated on October 18, 2022 Grammar. A plural noun is a noun that refers to more than one person, place, thing, or idea. Most singular nouns are made plural by adding a suffix, usually - s or - es. For example, the singular noun dog takes the plural form dogs, as in three dogs. However, there are irregular plural nouns that take unique forms.
A noun is a word that represents a person, place, thing, or idea. This is true for both singular and plural nouns. A singular noun is a noun representing a single (just one) person, place, thing, or idea. For example, the nouns drink, berry, and child are singular nouns. Often, the determiners a or an are used with singular nouns:
Adding s or es endings to irregular nouns (e.g., goose, man, child, foot) 2. Adding an apostrophe to a plural noun when it's not possessive. 3. Adding s endings with nouns that actually need the es ending. 4. Adding pluralizing endings to nouns that don't change at all (e.g., deer, fish, series) 5.
A plural noun describes two or more of a noun. So if you're looking for more than one cat, the noun becomes cats, and is now plural. ... I expressed my beliefs in my essay. Advertisement Use Plural Pronouns To Replace Plural Nouns. Using the same plural noun in a sentence can feel clunky and repetitive.
Worksheet for Singular and Plural Nouns. Following is a worksheet for singular and plural nouns. Answers are given at the end. Mention against each sentence whether highlighted/bold word is a singular or plural noun. Answers. Read also. Plural nouns are words that refer to more than one person, place or thing.
For most regular English nouns, you simply add the letter -s to the noun. It's easy, but remember that another form looks very similar, and that's the possessive form: "a dog's bowl," which means the bowl belongs to the dog. So watch out for that. Here are a few common examples: Singular form. Plural form. dog. dogs.
Understanding Plural Nouns is a fundamental part of learning English grammar. Plural nouns refer to more than one person, place, thing, or idea. Unlike singular nouns, which denote a single entity, plural nouns show quantity by often adding an 's' or 'es' to the end of the word. However, there are many exceptions and irregular forms to learn.
essay in British English. noun (ˈɛseɪ , for senses 2, 3 also ɛˈseɪ ) 1. a short literary composition dealing with a subject analytically or speculatively. 2. an attempt or endeavour; effort. 3. a test or trial.
Nouns ending in 'y' that have a vowel right before the 'y' usually just require an 's' ending. Also, a hyphenated compound noun becomes plural when you make the first noun plural. Try pluralizing ...
essay (third-person singular simple present essays, present participle essaying, simple past and past participle essayed) (dated, transitive) To attempt or try. 1900, Charles W. Chesnutt, chapter II, in The House Behind the Cedars: He retraced his steps to the front gate, which he essayed to open.
A plural noun is a word that indicates that there is more than one person, animal place, thing, or idea. When you talk about more than one of anything, you're using plural nouns. When you write about more than one of anything, you usually use the same word, simply adding an s, es, or ies to the end. There are a few exceptions to this rule ...
The most common irregular plurals Nouns ending in -f and -fe To make a plural of a word ending in -f, change the f to a v and add es.Similarly, if a word ends in -fe, change the f to a v and add an s.The result for both types is a plural that ends in -ves.This spelling arose because of the difficulty of pronouncing f and s together in English (an attempt to do this will produce a v sound).
A noun is a word that represents a person, thing, concept, or place. Most sentences contain at least one noun or pronoun. For example, the sentences below contain anywhere from one to three nouns. The dog ran very fast. June is my favorite month. Teachers emphasize the importance of grammar. Nouns are one of the main types of words in English ...
What is the plural of essay? What's the plural form of essay? Here's the word you're looking for. ... Translations for essay Find more Plural Nouns. Nearby Words. esraj. ESRD. esreboxetine. ess. ESS. Essaism. essayer. essayette. essaying. essayist. essay question. essence. Find Plural. go: Word Tools: Finders & Helpers: Apps:
Nouns: singular and plural - English Grammar Today - a reference to written and spoken English grammar and usage - Cambridge Dictionary
The meaning of ESSAY is an analytic or interpretative literary composition usually dealing with its subject from a limited or personal point of view. How to use essay in a sentence. ... Noun Your assignment is to write a 500-word essay on one of Shakespeare's sonnets. ... Plural and Possessive Names: A Guide. The Difference Between 'i.e.' and ...
2 essay (on something) a short piece of writing on a particular subject, written in order to be published The book contains a number of interesting essays on women in society. 3 essay (in something) ( formal ) an attempt to do something His first essay in politics was a complete disaster.
essay (by somebody) a collection of essays by prominent African American writers; essay on somebody/something The book contains a number of interesting essays on women in society. essay about somebody/something Pierce contributes a long essay about John F. Kennedy. in an essay I discuss this in a forthcoming essay.
1 essay / ˈ ɛˌseɪ/ noun. plural essays. Britannica Dictionary definition of ESSAY. [count] : a short piece of writing that tells a person's thoughts or opinions about a subject. Your assignment is to write a 500-word essay on one of Shakespeare's sonnets. The book is a collection of his previously unpublished essays on/about a variety of ...
Essay definition: A testing or trial of the value or nature of a thing. Dictionary Thesaurus Sentences ... Other Word Forms of Essay Noun Singular: essay. Plural: essays. Origin of Essay French essai trial, attempt from Old French from essayer to ...
2 Noun. 3 Verb. Toggle the table of contents. essays. 15 languages. ... essay. Plural essays. The plural form of essay; more than one (kind of) essay. Verb [change] Plain form essay. Third-person singular essays. Past tense essayed. Past participle essayed. Present participle essaying.