Nouns Number – Singular & Plural

Nouns Number – Singular & Plural

A countable noun can be one or more than one. So nouns can be further grouped as:

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1. Singular nouns

2. Plural nouns.

A noun that denotes more than one person, place or thing is said to be in the Plural number.

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Example:

Children, teeth, pens, schools, etc.

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​Plural Nouns:

A noun that denotes one person, place or thing is said to be in the Singular number.

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Example:

Child, tooth, pen, school, etc.

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​Singular Nouns:

Formation of Plurals

We can change singular nouns to plural nouns in the following ways:

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​(1) By adding s to the singular form:

Singular	Plural
bag	bags
holiday	holidays
window	windows
brother	brothers
elephant	elephants

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Formation of Plurals

We can change singular nouns to plural nouns in the following ways:

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​(2) By adding es to the singular form of the nouns ending in ch, s, sh, ss, x, z:

Singular	Plural
match	matches
bus	buses
bush	bushes
glass	glasses
fox	foxes

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Formation of Plurals

We can change singular nouns to plural nouns in the following ways:

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​(3) By dropping the y and adding ies to the singular form of the nouns ending with y after a consonant:

Singular Plural army armies baby babies candy candies city cities body bodies

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Formation of Plurals

We can change singular nouns to plural nouns in the following ways:

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(4) By adding s to the singular form of the nouns ending with y after a vowel:

Singular	Plural
day	days
way	ways
joy	joys
guy	guys
key	keys

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(5) By adding ves to the singular form of the nouns ending with f or fe:​

Singular	Plural
half	halves
loaf	loaves
life	lives
leaf	leaves

​Exceptions:

By adding s:

Singular	Plural
belief	beliefs
roof	roofs
cliff	cliffs

​Some nouns ending with f or fe have two plurals

Singular	Plural
scarf	Scarfs / scarves
staff	Staffs  / staves
wharf	Wharfs/ wharves
hoof	Hoofs / hooves

​(6) By adding es to the singular form of the nouns ending with o:

Singular	Plural
mango	mangoes
tomato	Tomatoes
volcano	Volcanoes
zero	zeroes

​(7) By adding s to the singular form of foreign nouns ending with o:

Singular	Plural
piano	Pianos
radio	radios
studio	studios

​(8) By changing of vowels or by adding n, en or ren to the singular form of some nouns:

Singular	Plural
child	children
foot	feet
man	men
ox	oxen

​(9) Some nouns have the same form in the singular and plural:

Singular	Plural
Deer	Deer
Sheep	Sheep

​(10) Some nouns have the two plural forms:

Singular	Plural
fish	Fish / fishes
cloth	Cloths / clothes

​Some nouns have plural forms with no singular forms:

                   (a) cattle, police, poultry, etc.

                   (b) arms, customs, manners, etc.

                   (c) scissors, pants, glasses, etc.