THE PLURAL

1. add an "s" to the noun:

apple apples
book books
chair chairs

2. after –s, -sh, -ch, -x, -z, -o: add "es":

bus buses
bush bushes
watch watches
box boxes
tomato tomatoes
potato potatoes
but:
piano pianos
photo photos
Eskimo Eskimos

3. if a "y" is preceded by a vowel: just add an "s":

boy boys
day days

4. if a "y" is preceded by a consonant: change "y" to "ie" + s:

baby babies
city cities
lady ladies

5. change "f" to "v":

wife wives calf calves
knife knives loaf loaves
shelf shelves leaf leaves
wolf wolves thief thieves
life lives

exceptions:
roof roofs
chief chiefs
cliff cliffs

6. irregular forms:
man men tooth teeth
woman women goose geese
child children louse lice
mouse mice ox oxen
foot feet
7. these words only take the plural form:

trousers
pants
jeans
tights
scissors
glasses (optical glasses; sunglasses)

8. these words only take the singular form:

fish
sheep
deer

Review:
1. The most common is to add s.
E.g. boat - boats
2. Words ending in y with a vowel before the y – add s.
E.g. boy - boys
3. Words ending in y with a consonant before the y – change y to ie before adding s.
E.g. baby - babies
4. Words ending in ch, x, sh, s, o – add es.
E.g. church - churches
5. Words ending in f or fe – change the f/fe to the letter v before adding es.
E.g. leaf – leaves
6. Irregular plurals.
E.g. foot – feet.

Write the plural forms for irregular nouns

1. How many (person) ____________ study English as a second language?

2. Five (woman) _______________ opened a computer services company.

3. Even (child) _______________ enjoy learning on the Internet.

4. Most basketball players are 6 (foot) __________ tall or more.

5. Which breed of (sheep) __________ produces the finest wool?

6. My (tooth) __________ are sensitive to the cold.

7. At daylight savings time, we have to change our (watch) _______________.

8. The boys went fishing and caught 10 ____________ (fish).

9. There are 10 (man) __________ in the Maintenance Department.

10. The (wife) __________ keep their (knife) _______________ on the (shelf) _____________.