Singular and Plural

Definition: Singular means only one. Plural means more than one.

In order to make a noun plural, it is usually only necessary to add s. However, there are many
irregular nouns that add es. The rules for spelling plural nouns are based on the letters at the end
of the word. The chart below breaks up the rules into categories so that they are easier to
remember.

In general the plural of a noun is formed by adding -S to the noun.

Singular Plural
car cars
house houses
book books
bird birds
pencil pencils

However:

1. When the noun ends in S, SH/CH and X, we add -ES to the noun.

Singular Plural
kiss kisses
wish wishes
match matches
fox foxes
quiz quizzes*

I have a box in my bedroom.

I have three boxes in my bedroom.

2. When the noun ends in a VOWEL + Y, we add -S to the noun.

Singular Plural
boy boys
holiday holidays
key keys
guy guys
3. When the noun ends in a CONSONANT + Y, we remove Y and add -IES to the noun.

Singular Plural
party parties
lady ladies
story stories
nanny nannies
city cities

4. If the noun ends in F or FE, we remove the F/FE and add -VES to the noun.

Singular Plural
life lives
leaf leaves
thief thieves
wife wives

Some exceptions: roof - roofs, cliff - cliffs, chief - chiefs, belief - beliefs, chef chefs

5. If the noun ends in a CONSONANT + O, we normally add -ES to the noun.

Singular Plural
tomato tomatoes
potato potatoes
echo echoes
hero heroes

Some exceptions: piano - pianos, halo - halos, photo - photos

6. There are a number of nouns that don't follow these rules. They are irregular and you need to
learn them individually because they don't normally have an S on the end.

Singular Plural
man men
woman women
child children
foot feet
tooth teeth
goose geese
mouse mice

There is a child in the park.

There are many children in the park.

7. There are some nouns in English that are the same in the singular and the plural.

Singular Plural
fish fish
sheep sheep
deer deer
moose moose
aircraft aircraft

I can see a sheep in the field.

I can see ten sheep in the field.

What is the correct plural of the word?

1. __________________ (child) go to school.

2. Where do you put __________________ (knife)?
3. On the __________________ (shelf)
4. Where are my __________________ (book)?
5. My __________________ (foot) hurt.
6. Most __________________ (housewife) work more than ten hours a day.
7. There are a lot of __________________ (sheep) in the field.
8. Many __________________ (person) go in Greece for holiday.
9. What __________________ (bus) go to the city center?
10. I wash all the __________________ (dish).

What is the correct plural of the word? HOMEWORK

1. I brush my __________________ (tooth) twice a day.

2. They are sending some __________________ (man) to fix the __________________ (roof).
3. __________________ (goose) like water.
4. This is Brian. He has three __________________ (child).
5. I am scared of __________________ (mouse).
6. Can you move those __________________ (box)?
7. In autumn, __________________ (leaf) fall from __________________ (tree).
8. They are nice __________________ (person).
9. Some __________________ (policeman) came to arrest him.

Members of the Family

Immediate Family

Masculine Feminine
father mother
son daughter
brother sister
husband wife

When you have children, you are a parent: father or mother.

If one of your children is a boy, he is your son.

If one of your children is a girl, she is your daughter.

When a couple gets married, the man is the husband, and the woman is his wife.
A brother and sister both have the same parents.

One collective word to describe brothers and sisters is siblings. However this word is normally
only used in written English, not orally.

Different Generations

Masculine Feminine
Forefathers
Grandfather Grandmother
Father Mother
Son Daughter
Grandson Granddaughter
Descendents

Relatives and Extended Family

grandparents: the parents of your parents - grandfather and grandmother

grandchildren: the children of your children grandson and granddaughter
uncle: the brother (or brother-in-law) of your mother/father
aunt: the sister (or sister-in-law)of your mother/father
cousin: the child of your aunt/uncle
nephew: the male child of your brother/sister
niece: the female child of your brother/sister

The In-Laws

The in-laws are the members of the family of your spouse (the person you are married to) or via
a marriage in your family:

father-in-law: the father of your spouse

mother-in-law: the mother of your spouse
son-in-law: the husband of your daughter
daughter-in-law: the wife of your son
brother-in-law: the husband of your sister
sister-in-law: the wife of your brother

The Family Mix

Nowadays in many countries, a person can get married more than once. These are the terms used
to describe the "new" members of the family when someone is remarried.

"Step-" means that you are related as a result of one parent marrying again

stepfather: the (new) husband of your mother but not your biological father
stepmother: the (new) wife of your father but not your biological mother
stepson: the son of your (new) husband / wife (he is not your biological son)
stepdaughter: the daughter of your (new) husband / wife (she is not your biological daughter)
stepsister: the daughter of your stepmother or stepfather
stepbrother: the son of your stepmother or stepfather

Sometimes one of your parents gets married again and they have more children.

half-brother: the brother you have only one parent in common with .
half-sister: the sister you only have one parent in common with.

Daily Activities at Home

What are some of the daily activities that you do at home?

I wake up at 7am every morning.

Every morning I turn off the alarm and get up.
I have a cup of coffee and make breakfast. I usually read the newspaper while I have
breakfast. I like to have a shower before I get dressed.
I brush hair/comb my hair.
It is important to brush your teeth, and some women like to put make-up on.
After I have finished work, I go home to cook dinner or make dinner.
After dinner I watch television.
On television I usually watch the News. After the news, I take the rubbish out, or wash the
dishes. I feed the dog and the cat before I go to bed.
The last things I do is lock the door, turn off the lights, and go to bed. It doesn't take me long
to fall asleep.
Daily Activities at Work
What are some daily activities that you do at work?

I go to work at 8.45am every morning.

I usually drive to work.
I always check my emails when I get to work, but I don't always reply to them immediately.
I take a taxi or a train if I have a lunch meeting. I never take the bus because it is too slow.
When I am at my desk I usually work on the computer, even during morning tea.
At 1pm most days I have lunch.
At 3pm we have afternoon tea, and that is when we usually talk and eat cake.
When you are in the office you probably have a lot of papers. It is important for you to file your
papers, and so that you can find them again you need to organise your files.
When I work I have to make telephone calls. If an important issue happens I ask my secretary to
organise a meeting.
Once a month I report to my boss, but maybe you have to report to your boss more often. I
usually write a document that my boss can read.

Other Daily Activities

What are some other daily activities that you do?

I exercise at least three times a week.
I usually go to the gym before work, but sometimes I go after work.
I meditate every morning so that I feel less stressed during the day.

Weekly Activities

What are some weekly activities that you do?

I go grocery shopping once a week at the local supermarket.
My family does the housework together every Saturday morning.
I usually do the washing on Sunday morning and when the machine is finished I hang the
clothes out to dry.
On Sunday morning we go to church, and if there is lots of noise coming from next door,
sometimes we fight with the neighbour.
On Saturday night my parents stay at home and I go out with friends.
Even my friends that live at home call their parents each week.
Every evening, I water the garden.
I usually pay someone to wash the car, but my partner says I should do it, so sometimes I argue
with my partner about that.
If we are angry at the neighbour, we seek vengeance by annoying his dogs.
I work in an important office, so I have to shine my shoes each day.
Sometimes we hire a movie, because we don't like to illegally download music and films. I
make sure that I synchronise my iPod so I always have new music on it.
To get our shopping, we go to the mall in the car.
Last week I forgot to recharge my travel card, and I had to argue with a bus driver. I couldn't
call the office because I forgot to recharge my cellphone!