Plural vs.
Possessive
Plural
 Most
-es.
nouns form the plural by adding -s or
Singular
Plural
boat
boats
hat
hats
house
houses
river
rivers
Plural
A
noun ending in -y preceded by a
consonant makes the plural with -ies.
Singular
Plural
a cry
cries
a fly
flies
a poppy
poppies
a city
cities
a lady
ladies
a baby
babies
Plural
 There
are some irregular formations for
noun plurals. Some of the most common
ones are listed below.
Singular
Plural
woman
women
man
men
child
children
tooth
teeth
foot
feet
person
people
leaf
leaves
Plural
 Some
nouns have the same form in the
singular and the plural.
Singular
Plural
sheep
sheep
fish
fish
species
species
aircraft
aircraft
Plural
 Some
nouns have a plural form but take a
singular verb.
 news — The news is on at 6.30 p.m.
athletics — Athletics is good for young
people.
linguistics — Linguistics is the study of
language.
darts — Darts is a popular game in
England.
Plural
 Some
nouns have a plural form and take
a plural verb.
Examples:
trousers — My trousers are too tight.
jeans — Her jeans are black.
glasses — Those glasses are his.
Possessive
 Possessive
nouns show ownership or
possession.
 Most
words simply get apostrophe S ('s).
the box belonging to Steve -> Steve's
box
the bedroom of the child -> the child's
bedroom
Possessive
 Plural
nouns ending in S simply get an
apostrophe (s').

the box belonging to the girls -> the girls'
box
the bedroom of the kids -> the kids'
bedroom
Possessive
 For
irregular plurals (not ending in S), add
apostrophe S ('s).
the coats of the women -> the
women's coats
the jackets of the children -> the children's
jackets
Possessive
 For
names ending in S, simply add an
apostrophe (s').
the cat belonging to Charles -> Charles'
cat
the jacket of the Phyllis -> Phyllis' jackets
Possessive
 For
('s).

names ending in S, add apostrophe S
the cat belonging to Charles -> Charles's
cat
the jacket of the Phyllis -> Phyllis's jackets
Your Turn!
 Write
down the correct form in
parentheses in each sentence:
 1) I think the notebook belongs to (Carlos,
Carlo’s)
 2) Could the white rabbit in our yard be
(someones, someone’s) pet?
 3) (Theres, There’s) nothing wrong with
your computer.
Your Turn!
 4)
A new (mens, men’s) store just opened
in the Palms Plaza.
 5) The mail carrier delivered the package
to the neighbors, but it was (ours, our’s).
 6) My brother was in Korea for two (years,
year’s)