Forming Plurals
🔹 Regular Plurals
Most nouns become plural by simply adding “-s”:
book → books
apple → apples
cat → cats
🔹 Nouns Ending in -s, -sh, -ch, -x, or -z
Add “-es”:
bus → buses
brush → brushes
box → boxes
🔹 Nouns Ending in a Consonant + “y”
Change the “y” to “i” and add “-es”:
baby → babies
party → parties
But if the noun ends in a vowel + y, just add “-s”:
boy → boys
key → keys
🔹 Nouns Ending in -f or -fe
Some change to “-ves”, others just add “s”:
wife → wives
leaf → leaves
roof → roofs
📌 Tip: There are no exact rules here—some need to be memorized!
🔹 Irregular Plurals
These don’t follow the rules at all!
man → men
child → children
tooth → teeth
foot → feet
mouse → mice
📚 Best tip: make a list and review it often.
🔹 Unchanging Plurals
Some nouns stay the same:
sheep → sheep
deer → deer
fish → fish (although fishes can be used when talking about different species)
🔹 Foreign Words
Some words from Latin or Greek keep their original plural:
cactus → cacti
thesis → theses
criterion → criteria
🧠 Practice Tip:
When you learn a new word, always check its plural form and write it down. Use flashcards or apps like Quizlet to test yourself regularly.
