Formation of plurals

What are plural nouns?

A noun is plural when it represents two or more people, places, things, or ideas. Most singular nouns are made plural by adding a suffix, usually –s or –es.

For example, the singular noun dog takes the plural form dogs, as in three dogs. However, there are irregular plural nouns that take unique forms.

Most singular nouns are made plural by simply putting an –s at the end

Such as child and its plural form, children.

Plural Rules: Everything You Need to Know About Using English Plural Nouns

For example, the dog or the beach. But how do you make them plural?

How to form plural nouns

Nouns have two forms: singular and plural. Singular form nouns refer to a single person, place, or thing and are easy to understand. For example:

‘Where is the piano?’

In this sentence, the noun is the word ‘piano’ and it is singular because there is only one. If there were more than one piano, the sentence would be:

‘Where are the pianos?’

In this case, to change the noun from singular to plural, you just add an ‘-s’. However, that isn’t the rule for every noun. We’ll look in more detail at the different plural rules for nouns below.

Plural rule #1: -s and -es suffixes

The first rule is the simplest one and follows the same pattern as the piano – pianos example we listed above. For many nouns, to form the plural, just add the suffix ‘-s’ to the noun. For example:

Orange – oranges

Pen – pens

Or, if the word ends with –ss, -x, -ch, or –sh, add the suffix ‘-es’. For example:

Dress – dresses

Fox – foxes

Bench – benches

Dish – dishes

Plural rule #2: -y and -ie suffixes

The next plural rule is that if the noun ends with ‘-y’ and is preceded by a consonant, you add ‘-es’ suffix and change the ‘-y’ to an ‘-i’. For example:

Cherry – cherries 

Puppy – puppies

However, if there is a vowel before the letter ‘-y’ (ey, ay, oy), simply add ‘–s’ without changing anything else. For example:

Monkey – monkeys

Toy – toys

Day – days

Ready to practice? Write the plurals of the examples below: 

strawberry ______________________                                              

picture  ______________________

tux  _________________________

Pillow ______________________

Swatch ______________________ 

Cowboy ______________________

Plural rule #3: -o endings

The next rule is when a noun ends with a vowel, then an ‘-o’, you only add an ‘-s’. For example:

pistachio – pistachios

stereo – stereos

However, if there is a consonant before the ’-o’, in general, you add ‘-es’. For example: 

hero – heroes

veto – vetoes

There are some cases where just an ‘-s’ is added, for example:

piano – pianos

There are exceptions to rules in many parts of English grammar, so check in a dictionary if you’re in doubt. 

Plural rule #4: -f and -fe endings

A noun ending in ‘-f’ or ‘-fe’ has its own rule. You have to replace ‘-f’ or ‘-fe’ with ‘-v’ and add ‘-es’. For example: 

Wife – wives

Knife – knives

Loaf – loaves

Be careful, though, as again there are exceptions to this rule. Not all words that end in ‘-f’ change in this way. For example: 

Chef – Chefs

For nouns that end ‘-ff’, just add ‘-s’. Nothing else changes. For example: 

Cliff – Cliffs

Puff – Puffs

Plural rule #5: some ‘-s’ and ‘-z’ endings

For some nouns that end in ‘-s’ or ‘-z’, you have to double the ‘-s’ or ‘-z’ and add ‘-es’. For example: 

Fez – Fezzes

Gas – Gasses

Irregular plural nouns in English

As the name suggests, irregular nouns are nouns that don’t follow regular rules for forming plurals. Regular plural nouns follow the rules we explained above.

These are called ‘irregular plurals’. Unfortunately, because they don’t follow any pattern, they just need to be learned and memorized. 

Here is a list of some of the most common irregular verbs:

Child – Children

Person – People

Man – Men

Woman – Women

Tooth – Teeth

Foot – Feet

Mouse – Mice

Goose – Geese

Ox – Oxen

There are also many words in the English language that are of Latin, French or Greek origin. These also have irregular plural forms. For example: 

Basis – Bases 

Radius – Radii

Syllabus – Syllabi

Singular and plural nouns that are the same

Finally, the most straightforward nouns are those that don’t change.

They are the same in both the singular and plural form. Some of the most common are:

Sheep

Fish

Means

Species

Series

Ice

Deer

Nouns and plural forms: Conclusion

Several nouns don’t follow standard rules. This means you need to do your best to learn these and put this theory into action. 

Frequently asked questions

What is a plural noun?

A plural noun is a word that indicates there is more than one of a noun. Singular nouns are words that mean there is only one of that noun. For example, ‘dog – dogs’.

What is an irregular plural noun?

An irregular plural noun is a noun that doesn’t follow the usual ‘regular’ rules of English grammar. For example, to make most nouns plural, you add ‘s’ or ‘es’. For example, ‘dog - dogs’. Irregular plural nouns don’t follow the same pattern, for example, ‘child – children’.

What is a plural possessive noun?

A plural possessive noun is a word that indicates ownership when there is more than one of a noun. For example, ‘Mr. Smith’s pens’.

What are collective nouns?

Collective nouns indicate a group or 'collection' of people, animals, or things.