PRONUNCIATION RULES
Noun Plurals spelled as -s or –es
1. If the final sound of a word is voiceless, the plural ending is
pronounced as /s/. Examples:
duck – ducks /s/, hat – hats /s/, safe – safes /s/
2. If the final sound of a word is voiced, the plural ending is
pronounced as /z/. Examples:
cloud – clouds /z/, stove – stoves /z/, eye – eyes /z/
3. If the final sound of a word is /s/, /z/, /sh/, /zh/, /ch/, /j/, the
plural ending is pronounced as /Iz/. Examples: vase – vases
/Iz/, rose – roses /Iz/, dish – dishes /Iz/, mirage –
mirages /Iz/, church – churches /Iz/, cage –cages /Iz/
Possessives:
Same as for plurals, except spelled as -‘s
Present Time Third Person Singular:
Same as for plurals
SPELLING RULES
1. Most nouns add –s to the singular when they become
plural. Examples: book – books, apple – apples
2. For nouns ending in ch, sh, s, ss, x in the singular, add –es
to the noun to make the plural form. Examples: watch –
watches, wish – wishes, bus – buses, box – boxes
3. For nouns ending in consonant + y in the singular, change y
to I and add -es to make the plural form. Examples: baby –
babies, lady – ladies
4. For nouns ending in vowel + y in the singular, add only –s to
make the plural form: day – days, monkey –monkeys
Prepared by Diane Tehrani