How to make Plurals of Nouns
1. Regular Plural Forms
Most nouns make their plurals by simply adding –s to the end (e.g. cat/cats). Some do change their endings, though as you will see below.
1.1. How to form the plural
We form the plural by adding –s to the singular of the noun.
| Singular | Plural |
|---|---|
| a boy | two boys |
| a car | two cars |
| a house | two houses |
| a horse | two horses |
| a book | two books |
1.2. Nouns ending in sibilants
If the noun ends with -ch, -s, -sh, -x, or -z, add -es to form the plural or just –s if the noun ends in one -e.
| Singular | Plural |
|---|---|
| a box | two boxes |
| a church | two churches |
| a suitcase | two suitcases |
| a rose | two roses |
| a fox | two foxes |
There’s one exception to this rule. If the -ch ending is pronounced with a ‘k’ sound, you add -s rather than -es:
| Singular | Plural |
|---|---|
| a stomach | two stomachs |
| an epoch | two epochs |
1.3. Nouns ending in -y
1.3.1. y after consonant
If the noun ends with a consonant plus -y, make the plural by changing -y to -ies:
| Singular | Plural |
|---|---|
| an activity | two activities |
| a berry | two berries |
| a city | two cities |
| a daisy | two daisies |
1.3.2. y after vowel
If the noun ends with a vowel plus -y, make the plural by just adding -s:
| Singular | Plural |
|---|---|
| a boy | two boys |
| a day | two days |
| a quay | two quays |
| a tray | two trays |
1.4. Nouns ending in -f or -fe
1.4.1. Nouns which end in two vowels plus -f usually form plurals in the normal way, with just an -s
| Singular | Plural |
|---|---|
| a roof | two roofs |
| a chief | two chiefs |
| a spoof | two spoofs |
1.4.2. With nouns that end in a consonant or a single vowel, change the -f or -fe to –ves:
| Singular | Plural |
|---|---|
| a knife | two knives |
| a wife | two wives |
| a thief | two thieves |
Both forms are possible with the following nouns:
- scarf → scarfs/scarves
- hoof → hoofs/hooves
Add -s for words ending in -ff.
- cliff → cliffs
- sheriff → sheriffs
1.5. Nouns ending in -o
Nouns ending in -o can add either -s or -es in the plural, and some can be spelled either way.
- As a general rule, most nouns ending in -o add -s to make the plural:
1.5.1. Add -s
| Singular | Plural |
|---|---|
| a disco | two discos |
| a piano | two pianos |
| a photo | two photos |
1.5.2. Here are some examples of nouns ending in -o that are always spelled with -es in the plural:
| Singular | Plural |
|---|---|
| a tomato | two tomatoes |
| an echo | two echoes |
| a potato | two potatoes |
| a torpedo | two torpedoes |
| a hero | two heroes |
Both forms are possible with the following nouns:
- banjo → banjos/banjoes
- ghettos → ghettos/ghettoes
- mosquito → mosquitos/mosquitoes
- tornado → tornados/tornadoes
- volcano → volcanos /volcanoes
2. Irregular Plural Forms
| Singular | Plural |
|---|---|
| a man | two men |
| a woman | two women |
| a child | two children |
| a mouse | two mice |
| a tooth | two teeth |
| a goose | two geese |
| a foot | two feet |
| an ox | two oxen |