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Ch 7

Plural Nouns

cats · boxes · cities · children

Regular plurals: add -s

Most English nouns become plural by adding -s to the end.

Singular
cat  →  cats
Singular
book  →  books
Singular
house  →  houses
Singular
student  →  students
Most nouns follow this simple rule — just add an "s" sound.

-s, -sh, -ch, -x, -o → add -es

When a noun ends in s, sh, ch, x or o, add -es

-s
bus  →  buses · kiss  →  kisses
-sh
dish  →  dishes · brush  →  brushes
-ch
watch  →  watches · church  →  churches
-x
box  →  boxes · fox  →  foxes
-o
tomato  →  tomatoes · potato  →  potatoes

-y rule

Consonant + y → ies · Vowel + y → just add s

Consonant + y → ies
city  →  cities
baby  →  babies
country  →  countries
Vowel + y → +s
boy  →  boys
day  →  days
key  →  keys

-f / -fe → -ves

Some nouns ending in f or fe change to -ves

leaf
→ leaves
life
→ lives
knife
→ knives
wife
→ wives
wolf
→ wolves
Exception: roof → roofs, chief → chiefs (no change)

Irregular plurals

These don't follow rules — you must memorise them

man
→ men
woman
→ women
child
→ children
foot
→ feet
tooth
→ teeth
mouse
→ mice
person
→ people
fish, sheep
→ same form (no change)

Recap

Most nouns
+ s
cat → cats
-s, -sh, -ch, -x, -o
+ es
box → boxes
consonant + y
y → ies
city → cities
-f / -fe
→ ves
leaf → leaves
Irregular
memorise
man → men · child → children
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