NOUNS: SINGULAR & PLURAL

 Numbers are of two kinds in English :- 1. Singular, and 2. Plural.

1_A noun is called singular when it refers to a single person or thing; as: - man, boy, girl, cow, knife, table, book, chair,………... etc.

2_A noun is called plural when it refers to more than one person or thing; as: - men, girls, cows, knives, tables, books, chairs,………... etc.

WAYS OF FORMING THE PLURAL OF NOUNS

NOTE:	1	‘s’ is pronounced as ‘s’ after voiceless consonant and as ‘z’ after voiced consonant or vowel.
	2	‘-es’ is pronounced as ‘-iz’ after hissing sound.

The plural of nouns is made in the following way:

A_The Plural of Nouns is usually formed by adding ‘-s’ to the Singular; as:-

Singular		Plural	Singular		Plural
Blow		Blows	Map		Maps
Fritter		Fritters	Rissole		Rissoles
Garden		Gardens	Star		Stars
Hand		Hands	Stick		Sticks
House		Houses	Stone		Stones

B_Nouns that usually end in ch(soft), s, sh, x or z, the plural of nouns is formed by adding ‘-es’ to the singular; as:-

Singular		Plural	Singular		Plural
Bench		Benches	Gas		Gases
Box		Boxes	Glass		Glasses
Brush		Brushes	Loss		Losses
Coach		Coaches	Tax		Taxes
Dish		Dishes	Topaz		Topazes

C_Nouns ending in y, preceded by a consonant, y is replaced with ‘–ies’; as:-

Singular		Plural	Singular		Plural
Army		Armies	Fly		Flies
Baby		Babies	Lady		Ladies
City		Cities	Pony		Ponies
Duty		Duties	Story		Stories

D_But if final y is preceded by a vowel (as in ay, ey or oy), the plural of nouns is formed by adding ‘-s’ to the singular; as:-

Singular		Plural	Singular		Plural
Boy		Boys	Play		Plays
Chimney		Chimneys	Ray		Rays
Day		Days	Storey		Storeys
Journey		Journeys	Toy		Toys
Key		Keys	Valley		Valleys

E_But nouns ending in ‘quy’ form the plural in ‘ies’; as:- Soliloquy -soliloquies

F_Nouns ending in o, and preceded by a consonant, the plural of nouns is formed by adding ‘-es’ to the singular; as:-

Singular		Plural	Singular		Plural
Buffalo		Buffaloes	Mosquito		Mosquitoes
Calico		Calicoes	Motto		Mottoes
Cargo		Cargoes	Negro		Negroes
Echo		Echoes	Potato		Potatoes
Hero		Heroes	Torpedo		Torpedoes
Mango		Mangoes	Volcano		Volcanoes

G_But all nouns ending in oo, io, eo or yo, and some words ending in o preceded by a consonant, the plural of nouns is formed by adding ‘-s’ to the singular; as:-

Singular		Plural	Singular		Plural
Bamboo		Bamboos	Cuckoo		Cuckoos
Cameo		Cameos	Piano		Pianos
Curio		Curios	Portfolio		Portfolios
Dynamo		Dynamos	Quarto		Quartos
Photo		Photos	Studio		Studios

H_Nouns usually ending in f or fe, the plural of nouns is formed by replacing f or fe with ‘-ves’ to the singular; as:-

Singular		Plural	Singular		Plural
Calf		Calves	Loaf		Loaves
Elf		Elves	Sheaf		Sheaves
Half		Halves	Shelf		Shelves
Knife		Knives	Thief		Thieves
Leaf		Leaves	Wife		Wives
Life		Lives	Wolf		Wolves

I_But nouns ending in ff, eef, oof, ief or rf, and some words ending in f, the plural of nouns is formed by adding ‘-s’ to the singular; as:-

Singular		Plural	Singular		Plural
Belief		Beliefs	Proof		Proofs
Chief		Chiefs	Puff		Puffs
Cliff		Cliffs	Reef		Reefs
Dwarf		Dwarfs	Roof		Roofs
Grief		Griefs	Scarf		Scarfs
Gulf		Gulfs	Staff		Staffs
Hoof		Hoofs	Stuff		Stuffs
Wharf		Wharfs	Turf		Turfs

J_There are at least three nouns ending in fe, however, the plural of nouns is formed by adding ‘-s’ to the singular; as:- Safe — Safes;  Strife — Strifes;  Fife — Fifes.

K_Some nouns take both forms; as:- Hoof—hoofs, hooves; Scarf—scarfs, scarves; Staff—staffs, staves; Wharf—wharfs, wharves.

L_The following words form the plural by a change in the inside vowels; as:-

Singular		Plural	Singular		Plural
Dormouse		Dormice	Man		Men
Foot		Feet	Mouse		Mice
Goose		Geese	Tooth		Teeth
Louse		Lice	Woman		Women

M_A few words form the plural either by altering inside vowels or by adding ‘–en’ or ‘-ne’ to the singular; as:- Ox — oxen;  Child — children;  Cow — cows or kine;  Brother — brothers or brothern.

N_Compound Nouns form their Plural by adding ‘–s’ to the principal word; as:-

Singular		Plural	Singular		Plural
Hanger-on		Hangers-on	Passer-by		Passers-by
Looker-on		Lookers-on	Son-in-law		Sons-in-law
Maidservant		Maidservants	Spendthrift		Spendthrifts