THE PLURAL OF NOUNS

THE PLURAL OF NOUNS

Most nouns form the plural by adding -s or -es.

Singular
Plural

boat
boats

hat
hats

house
houses

river
rivers


A noun ending in -y preceded by a consonant makes the plural with -ies.

Singular
Plural

a cry
cries

a fly
flies

a nappy
nappies

a poppy
poppies

a city
cities

a lady
ladies

a baby
babies


There are some irregular formations for noun plurals. Some of the most common ones are listed below.

Examples of irregular plurals:

Singular
Plural

woman
women

man
men

child
children

tooth
teeth

foot
feet

person
people

leaf
leaves

half
halves

knife
knives

wife
wives

life
lives

loaf
loaves

potato
potatoes

cactus
cacti

focus
foci

fungus
fungi

nucleus
nuclei

syllabus
syllabi/syllabuses

analysis
analyses

diagnosis
diagnoses

oasis
oases

thesis
theses

crisis
crises

phenomenon
phenomena

criterion
criteria

datum
data


Some nouns have the same form in the singular and the plural.

Examples:

Singular
Plural

sheep
sheep

fish
fish

species
species

aircraft
aircraft


Some nouns have a plural form but take a singular verb.

Examples:

news The news is on at 6.30 p.m.
athletics Athletics is good for young people.
linguistics Linguistics is the study of language.
darts Darts is a popular game in England.
billiards Billiards is played all over the world.

Some nouns have a plural form and take a plural verb.

Examples:

trousers My trousers are too tight.
jeans Her jeans are black.
glasses Those glasses are his.

others include:

savings, thanks, steps, stair, customs, congratulations, tropics, wages, spectacles, outskirts, goods, wits

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