Singular and Plural Nouns Most nouns are regular, which means that their plural forms end in –s. But some nouns are irregular in how they form plurals. Regular Nouns You can form the plural of most regular nouns by adding –s to the singular noun, as in the examples below. Adding -s to Form Plural Nouns Singular Plural dog dogs house houses Smith Smiths stereo stereos attorney attorneys If a singular noun ends in –ch, –s, –sh, or –x, add –es to form the plural, as in the following examples. Adding -es to Form Plural Nouns Singular Plural church churches boss bosses wish wishes tax taxes If a singular noun ends in –f or –fe, change the ending to –v and add –es, as shown below. Forming Plural Nouns from Nouns that End in -f or -fe Singular Plural half halves wife wives If a singular noun ends in a consonant plus –y, change the y to i and add –es, as in these examples. Forming Plural Nouns from Nouns that End in -y Singular Plural copy copies fly flies facility facilities If a singular noun ends in a consonant plus –o, you must sometimes add –es to form the plural, as in these examples. To be sure, check a dictionary. Forming Plural Nouns from Nouns that End in a Consonant Plus -o Singular Plural echo echoes tomato tomatoes Irregular Nouns Some nouns have special plural forms that must be learned or looked up in a dictionary. Here is a list of common nouns with irregular plural forms. Irregular Plural Nouns Singular Plural woman women man men child children mouse mice goose geese ox oxen person people Some nouns are spelled the same way in the singular and the plural. Here are some common ones. Nouns Spelled the Same Way in Singular or Plural Singular Plural each fish many fish this sheep several sheep one Chinese most Chinese a species few species Nouns that came into English from another language—usually Greek, Latin, Italian, or French—may keep the plural of their original language. Look these words up in a dictionary. Here are some examples. More Irregular Plural Nouns Singular Plural medium media analysis analyses nucleus nuclei graffito graffiti phenomenon phenomena bacterium bacteria Count and Noncount Nouns Nouns can be divided into count and noncount nouns. Count Nouns Count nouns name things that can be counted. Count nouns can be singular or plural. Here are some examples of count nouns. Count Nouns Singular Plural a pencil several pencils an orange three oranges the child children (or "the children") my book my books this class these classes Hint: Some count nouns (for example, cattle) look singular but are considered plural. Some count nouns (for example, scissors) have only a plural form. Noncount Nouns Noncount nouns name things that can not be counted. Noncount nouns are always singular. The following list shows common noncount nouns. Noncount Nouns Categories Noncount Nouns Ideas and Other Abstractions democracy, education, information, slavery Qualities and Emotions bravery, sensitivity, sadness, anxiety Weather Conditions rain, hail, sunshine, snow Natural Substances wood, iron, air, water, oil Foods flour, milk, bread, meat Grouped Items jewelry, machinery, clothing, mail Academic Subjects biology, psychology, business, literature Languages English, Swahili, Urdu, Dutch Hint: Some noncount nouns can also be count nouns. Look at these examples. Noncount noun: Sonia had great success in her last job. Count noun: Sonia told us about her many successes on the job. Determiners Determiners are adjectives that point out something about a noun—usually quantity or ownership. Determiners are always the first in a series of adjectives. Determiner: The fat, lazy cat slept on the windowsill. Determiners can be singular or plural. Here are some common determiners. a, an, the; my, your, his; this, those; few, several, any; ten, fifty A singular count noun is always preceded by a, an, the, or another singular determiner. Singular count nouns: My instructor assigned a research paper for the class. Plural count nouns may or may not be preceded by a determiner. Plural count noun: Several professors asked for two essays this semester. Plural count nouns: Apples are good for you, but I prefer potato chips. A determiner such as my or the can sometimes appear before a noncount noun. However, a noncount noun is never preceded by a or an. Noncount noun: His inspiration for the poem was the incessant rain we had. Noncount nouns: The ancient Greeks are famous for sculptures of marble, urns of clay, and ideas in philosophy.
