Sept. 24, 2010
temptations
2. disciples
3. butterflies
4. journeys
5. bamboos
6. evangelists
7. heroes
8. leaves
9. giraffes
10. women
1.
11. salmon
12. scissors
13. proceeds
14. measles
15. aeronautics
16. alumni
17. indices/indexes
18. curricula/ curriculums
19. analyses
20. editors-in-chief
Why form the plural?
When you speak or write, it is
important to let your listener or
reader know if:
 you are talking about just ONE
person, place, or thing (singular)
 or talking about TWO or MORE
(plural)
How do you form the plural of
nouns?
There are basic rules that we follow to
change a singular noun into its plural form.
When you were younger, you learned that to
change the singular form to its plural form,
just add –s/–es to the noun.
Ex. skirt
branch
skirts
branches
However, there
are more rules…
1. nouns ending in “y”
If the singular noun ends in “y,” change
the “y” to “i” then add –es. However, if
there is a vowel before the “y,” just add
–s.
SINGULAR
PLURAL
butterfly
butterflies
candy
candies
journey
journeys
valley
valleys
2. nouns ending in “o”
a. If the letter before
the “o” is a vowel,
add –s to the
singular form.
SINGULAR
PLURAL
bamboo bamboos
b. Generally, if the
letter before the “o”
is a consonant just
add –es to the
singular form.
SINGULAR
PLURAL
hero
heroes
radio
radios
mango
mangoes
studio
studios
tomato
tomatoes
Exceptions to rule #2
Some nouns ending with “o” that have
a consonant before it form the plural by
adding –s.
SINGULAR
PLURAL
Filipino
Filipinos
piano
pianos
solo
solos
alto
altos
3. nouns ending in “f” and “fe”
For most nouns ending in “f” and “fe”,
change the “f” or “fe” to “v” then add
–es.
SINGULAR
PLURAL
leaf
leaves
thief
thieves
wife
wives
knife
knives
Exceptions to rule #3
There are some nouns ending in “f/fe” that just
add –s to form their plural. There are also
some where BOTH the –ves and –s forms are
accepted as plural.
SINGULAR
PLURAL
giraffe
giraffes
roof
roofs
hoof
hoofs/hooves
dwarf
dwarfs/dwarves
4. nouns that change their spelling
Some nouns change their spelling to
form their plural.
SINGULAR
PLURAL
woman
women
foot
feet
mouse
mice
ox
oxen
5. nouns with the SAME singular
and plural forms
A few nouns have the same form in both the
singular and plural. You can use them either
way.
SINGULAR
PLURAL
salmon
salmon
sheep
sheep
Chinese
Chinese
Japanese
Japanese
6. nouns that can ONLY be plural
Some nouns can only be used in plural
form. Always use them with the –s at
the end.
SINGULAR
PLURAL
-
proceeds
-
scissors
-
goods
-
tweezers
7. nouns that end in –s but are
actually singular
There are nouns that look plural but
are actually singular in meaning and
use.
SINGULAR
PLURAL
aeronautics
-
measles
-
economics
-
news
-
8. nouns with foreign origins
Nouns that have foreign origins usually change
their spelling to form the plural. However, for
some nouns that have been in the English
language for a long time, adding –s/–es to them
have already become acceptable.
SINGULAR
PLURAL
alumna
alumnae
alumnus
alumni
curriculum
curricula/ curriculums
index
indices/ indexes
9. compound nouns
Compound nouns usually form the
plural by adding –s/–es to the
main/principal word.
SINGULAR
PLURAL
father-in-law
fathers-in-law
editor-in-chief
editors-in-chief
passer-by
passers-by
cross-stitch
cross-stitches
10. letters, numbers, and symbols
For letters, numbers, and symbols, add
apostrophe and an –s (’s) to form the
plural.
SINGULAR
PLURAL
t
t’s
5
5’s
’s
?
?’s
Quick Check: Say and spell
the plural form
1. monkey
2. studio
3. tomato
4. piano
5. loaf
6. wife
7. cliff
8. goose
9. sheep
10. alumnus
11. crisis
12. brother-in-law
Change the words in parentheses
into their correct plural form.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
I bought a lot of (candy) from the nearby
store.
Some packages came with surprise (toy)
inside.
The (radio) in the AVR are all in good
working order.
The (potato) in the garden are almost
ready for picking.
Most (Filipino) love eating sweets.
The (leaf) in the tree were blown by the
strong wind.
7. The (giraffe) in the zoo are well-fed.
8. Both my front (tooth) are about to fall off!
9. Many (Chinese) sell things in the market.
10. The (alumna) of St. Pedro Poveda
College will have a reunion next week.
11. The (passer-by) were all curious about
the event in the gym.
12. Poveda and Ateneo have different
(curriculum).
6.
On your own:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
The (lady) in the department store
bought items on sale.
Our (life) are full of challenges.
As we take our (journey) in life, we
must be persevering and determined.
The (piano) in the music store are
shiny!
The (thief) attempted to get into the
computer store.
During the typhoon, many (roof)
were blown away.
7. The (woman) in our village donated
some clothes and clean water to the
victims.
8. The (alumnus) of Xavier School
also gathered to think of projects to
help the victims.
9. Scientists made several (analysis)
on what caused the flooding.
6.
10. My mother’s (sister-in-law) called
her to help in their project.
11. How many (c) are there in the word
occasion?
12. Several (deer) grazed in the grassy
field.