Faculty of Education

Degree in Biology Teaching

Course material for Gurue 2nd Year - 2024 Tutor: Contact: 1st
English Language Centre (25th – 31st March) Jose Pires jpires@unilicungo.ac.mz Term
Week 06

Topic: Nouns: Singular and Plural Nouns

All nous have singular and plural form. To make a word plural, you usually add “- s”.
Eg: The girl is beautiful. – Singular; The girls are beautiful. – Plural
A plural form of a noun names more than one.

Exceptions for Plural Nouns

1- For words ending in “- y”, add “-ies” (if “-y” follows a consonant).
Eg: Candy – candies; baby – babies; spy – spies; boy – boys; toy – toys
2- For words ending in “-ch” add “–es”.
Eg: watch – watches; beach – beaches; bench – benches
3- For words ending in “-s” add “-es”
Eg: grass – grasses; glass – glasses; bus – buses
4- For words ending in “- o” add “- es”
Eg: potato – potatoes; mango –mangoes; tomato – tomatoes
5- For word ending in “-x” add “-es” Eg: Tax – Taxes
6- For word ending in “-sh” add “-es” Eg: dish – dishes
7- Some nouns that end in “-f” or “-fe” change to “-ves” when we make plural:
Eg: calf – calves; knife – knives; wife – wives; life – lives; half – halves; wolf – wolves;
shelf – shelves.
8- Some nouns do not change at all when made plural: Eg: sheep – sheep; fish – fish
9- Some nous became a new word when made plural. They are also called irregular
plurals:
Eg: man – men; woman – women; child - children
Eg: tooth – teeth; mouse – mice; foot – feet