Plurals are used to talk about more than one person, place, thing, or idea.
How Plurals Work
- Most singular nouns add -s to form the plural (e.g., book → books).
- If a noun ends in -s, -x, -z, -ch, or -sh, add -es (e.g., box → boxes).
- If a noun ends in a consonant + y, change y to i and add -es (city → cities).
- If a noun ends in -f or -fe, change to -ves (wolf → wolves), but some just add -s (roof → roofs).
- Some plurals are irregular and must be memorized (man → men, child → children).
- Some nouns have the same singular and plural form (sheep, fish).
- Compound nouns usually make the main noun plural (mother-in-law → mothers-in-law).
Examples
| Singular | Plural | Example Sentence (Singular) | Example Sentence (Plural) |
|---|---|---|---|
| book | books | I have one book. | I have two books. |
| box | boxes | The box is full. | The boxes are full. |
| city | cities | The city is large. | The cities are large. |
| wolf | wolves | A wolf howls. | The wolves howl. |
| man | men | The man is tall. | The men are tall. |
| child | children | The child plays. | The children play. |
| sheep | sheep | The sheep is white. | The sheep are white. |
| mother-in-law | mothers-in-law | My mother-in-law cooks well. | My mothers-in-law cook well. |
The ___ play. (plural form of 'child')
children
'Child' has an irregular plural: child → children.
Usage Tips
- Use plural verbs for plural nouns (The dogs run.).
- Use singular verbs for singular nouns (The dog runs.).
- Use some or a number with plural nouns (I have some apples., I have three apples.).
- Don’t use s for plural with uncountable nouns (water, rice).
Should you add -s to uncountable nouns when talking about quantity?
No, uncountable nouns do not take -s.
Uncountable nouns like water and rice do not have plural forms and do not take -s.
Last updated: Wed Jun 18, 2025
