the rules and the use of nouns in singular and plural
The formation of plural nouns in English follows several specific rules that depend on the ending of the singular noun. Regular nouns typically form their plural by simply adding an -s.
the rules and the use of nouns in singular and plural.
person – people
mouse – mice
foot – feet
tooth – teeth
woman – women
man – men
goose – geese
child – children
Irregular nouns follow no specific rules, so it’s best to memorize these or look up the proper pluralization in the dictionary.
Plural Noun Rules for Irregular Nouns
Topic principal
Topic pr4 If the noun ends with ‑f or ‑fe, the f is often changed to ‑ve before adding the -s to form the plural version.
wife – wives
wolf – wolves
Exceptions:
roof – roofs
belief – beliefs
chef – chefs
chief – chiefs
5 If a singular noun ends in ‑y and the letter before the -y is a consonant, change the ending to ‑ies to make the noun plural.
city – cities
puppy – puppies
6 If the singular noun ends in -y and the letter before the -y is a vowel, simply add an -s to make it plural.
ray – rays
boy – boys
7 If the singular noun ends in ‑o, add ‑es to make it plural.
potato – potatoes
tomato – tomatoes
Exceptions:
photo – photos
piano – pianos
halo – halos
With the unique word volcano, you can apply the standard pluralization for words that end in -o or not. It’s your choice! Both of the following are correct:
volcanoes
volcanos
8 If the singular noun ends in ‑us, the plural ending is frequently ‑i.
cactus – cacti
focus – foci
9 If the singular noun ends in ‑is, the plural ending is ‑es.
analysis – analyses
ellipsis – ellipses
10 If the singular noun ends in ‑on, the plural ending is ‑a.
phenomenon – phenomena
criterion – criteriaincipal
gas –gasses
fez – fezzes
3 In some cases, singular nouns ending in -s or -z, require that you double the -s or -z prior to adding the -es for pluralization.
