Plural
Forms
Agenda
Singular/Plural Forms
 Subject Verb Agreement: Exceptions
 Plural Forms and Apostrophe
 Possessive Case and Plural
 Basic Rules and Exceptions
 Common Mistakes

Singular/Plural Form

General form : adding s
 Words that end in -o, -ch, x, s or s-like
sounds: adding es
 Words that end in y : change the y sound to
an i sound and add s or es
 Words that end in -f or –fe : change the f
sound to a v sound and add s or es
Singular/Plural Form (cont.)

Maintain their Latin or Greek form
 Irregular forms have to be memorized
Example:
Singular
Plural
circuit
potato
witch
box
potatoes
circuits witches
boxes
baby
knife
nucleus
phenomenon
woman
child
babie
s
knives
nuclei
phenomena
women
children
Subject Verb Agreement:
Exceptions
Nouns that appear to be plural in form can take a
singular verb:


The news is good.
Gymnastics is fun to watch.
Numerical expressions: usually singular, but can be
plural if the individuals within a numerical group are
acting individually:


Fifty thousand dollars is a lot of money.
One-half of the faculty is retiring this summer
Subject Verb Agreement:
Exceptions
Nouns seem to be singular in nature take a plural form:


My pants are torn.
Her scissors were stolen.
Collective nouns: singular - think of them as groups
plural - think of the individuals


A dozen is probably not enough.
A dozen are coming over this afternoon.
Plural Forms and Apostrophe

Apostrophes are used for two main
reasons.
1.
They are used to show possession
Example: the engineer’s desk
2.
to show that words have been contracted.
Examples: He's = He is. It’s = It is
With contractions, the apostrophe must be
placed where the letters or numbers are
missing.
Possessive Plural Noun
• Possessive plural noun ending with
an s, add ‘ only
For Example: Engineers’ desks
are often full of papers.
• Possessive plural noun not ending
with an s, add ‘ s
For Example:The women’s
room is closed today.
Basic Rules
• Before placing the apostrophe decide
whether the possessive noun should be
singular or plural.
Example: the engineer’s desk
• If the noun should be plural make it plural
first, and then make it possessive.
Example: the engineers’ desks
• Apostrophe -s (‘s) does not make a noun
plural. For Example: Mr. Jones’s experiment
Exception Option

Just add the ‘ if all of the following is
true
– The noun is a name of a person or a thing
– Has two or more syllables
– Ends with an S sound
For Example:
Al Martinez’ son is an honor student
Common Mistakes
A sign to thank volunteers for sandbagging
the river read:
"You saved our buildings basement. Thank you,
volunteer's !"
Correct:
"You saved our buildings’ basement. Thank you,
volunteers !"
More Information
Reference:
http://www.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/plurals.htm
http://www.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/possessives.htm
http://www.onthenet.com.au/~townsend
http://www.meredith.edu/grammar
http://www.luminet.net
http://dl.ccc.cccd.edu/classes/internet/english105
http://babelnet.sbg.ac.at/themepark/castle/pluralform.htm
Plural Forms: Quiz

Please take the Plural Forms Quiz on
WebCT now.