When we write in English one thing which are commonly used are plural nouns. But how to form the plural of nouns is one problem which many people face while writing.
In this blog, we will understand all the rules and methods to make the plural noun of the singular noun. There are many rules to make plurals. Even the pronunciation of singular and plural nouns are different. Just like other rules, there are exception to plural making rules also.
This may look overwhelming right now. But, In this blog The rules and how they work are mentioned in the simplified manner. You can also refer to google in case you need to find more.
The rules are as follows:
Plural of regular nouns
In the case of regular nouns, We simply need to add ‘-s’ to the end of the noun.
For eg. – Cat — Cats
– House — Houses
– Apple — Apples
– Cassette — Cassettes
But, Exceptions are always there.
Plural of nouns ending with ‘-s’, ‘-sh’, ‘-ch’, ‘-ss’, ‘-z’, ‘-x’, ‘-o’
In this case we just need to add ‘-es’. This basically creates a new syllable in the word.
For eg. – Crush — Crushes
– Church — Churches
– Box — Boxes
– Dish — Dishes
– Loss — Losses
Plural of nouns ending with ‘-f ‘ or ‘-fe’
In this case we need to remove ‘-f’ or ‘-fe’ and add ‘-ves’.
For eg. – Knife — Knives
– Wife — Wives
– Life — Lives
– Leaf — Leaves
Plural of nouns ending with a consonant and then ‘-y’
In this case we need to remove ‘-y’ and add ‘-ies’.
For eg. – Spy — Spies
– Apply — Applies
– Copy — Copies
Plural of nouns ending with a vowel and then ‘-y’
In this case we need to add ‘-s’.
For eg. – Boy — Boys
– Day — Days
– Pay — Pays
Plural of nouns ending with ‘-o’
In this case we need to add ‘-s’.
For eg. – Disco — Discos
– Piano — Pianos
– Photo — Photos
Exceptions to this is when we add ‘-es’
For eg. – Potato — Potatoes
– Tomato — Tomatoes
– Hero — Heroes
Plural of nouns ending with ‘-on’
In this case we need to remove ‘-on’ and add ‘-a’.
For eg. – Criterion — Criteria
– Phenomenon — Phenomena
Plural of nouns ending with ‘-is’
In this case we need to remove ‘-is’ and add ‘-es’.
For eg. – Axis — Axes
– Crisis — Crises
– Oasis — Oases
Plural of nouns ending with ‘-us’
In this case we need to remove ‘-us’ and add ‘-i’.
For eg. – Fungus — Fungi
– Cactus — Cacti
– Stimulus — Stimuli
Noun with same singular and plural forms
Here nothing changes. They remain same.
For eg. – Sheep
– Deer
– Fish
Noun with only plural form
Here the noun will always be used as plurals. There is no singular form in these cases. Generally, These works in pair. But, exceptions are always there.
For eg. – Scissors
– Shorts
– Jeans
Noun with only Singular form
Here the noun will always be used as singulars. There is no Plural form and are called mass nouns. Generally, These are used to refer to groups or abstract noun.
For eg. – News
– Slang
– Love
– Livestock
Exceptions are always there, So here also there are some exceptions where no rule is followed for making plural nouns.
For eg. – Child — Children
– Mouse — Mice
– Man — Men
– Die — Dice
So, all the rules mentioned above will clear doubts about how to form plural nouns. You can simply learn these rules. Most of the issues of forming plural nouns will be solved.
If you want to learn more about how to avoid common spelling mistake click on the link.
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