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Grammar Guru - Plurals

This document discusses the rules for forming plurals of nouns in English. It outlines 17 rules including: 1) Adding -s to most words; 2) Adding -es to words ending in ch, sh, s, ss, or x; 3) Adding -s to words ending in a vowel + -y. It also covers irregular plurals and exceptions as well as compound words and abbreviations. The document provides a comprehensive overview of plural formation in English.

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132 views2 pages

Grammar Guru - Plurals

This document discusses the rules for forming plurals of nouns in English. It outlines 17 rules including: 1) Adding -s to most words; 2) Adding -es to words ending in ch, sh, s, ss, or x; 3) Adding -s to words ending in a vowel + -y. It also covers irregular plurals and exceptions as well as compound words and abbreviations. The document provides a comprehensive overview of plural formation in English.

Uploaded by

anessa
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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PLURALS

Nouns are found in the singular or plural form.

1. Most words simply take –S bedrooms gardens houses


kitchens swimming pools tennis courts

2. If the word ends in ch, sh, s, ss boxes buses churches


dishes gases glasses
or x then add es

3. If the word ends with a vowel + boys donkeys guys


holidays keys monkeys
-y, then add an –s
4. If the word ends with a baby – babies country – countries party - parties
consonant + -y, then drop the sky - skies try - tries
-y and add –ies.

5. If the word ends with –f or –fe, calf – calves knife – knives loaf – loaves
shelf – shelves thief – thieves wolf – wolves
then drop the –f and add –ves.
BUT: chief - chiefs cliff - cliffs roof – roofs

6. If the word ends with an –o, then echoes heroes potatoes


tomatoes tornadoes volcanoes
add –es.

7. SOME words ending with an –o banjos kilos pianos


photos radios tobaccos
simply add –s.

8. If the word ends in –oo, simply add cuckoos igloos zoos


–s.

9. If the word ends in –eau, then add plateaus tableaus


plateaux tableaux
an –s or –x.

iSLCollective.com
10. If a word ends in –us, add either – cactus syllabus thesaurus
cactuses syllabuses thesauruses
es or replace the –us with an –i. cacti syllabi thesauri

11. Some words, usually names of aircraft buck deer


animals, keep the same form in the fish moose reindeer
singular and plural form. series sheep

12. Some nouns always take a singular advice baggage bread


form because they are uncountable. coffee gold Hair
information knowledge paper
parking tea weather

13. Some words appear only in plural clothes earnings earrings


form. goods information mathematics
measles mumps news
pants pliers politics
police riches savings
scissors stairs thanks
trousers tweezers

14. Some words change in the plural child - children die - dice foot - feet
form. goose - geese louse - lice man - men
mouse - mice ox - oxen tooth - teeth
woman – women

15. In compound nouns, the last word is boy-friends break-ins Travel-agents


usually given the plural.

16. In words containing a preposition, brothers-in-law hangers-on ladies-in-waiting


the word BEFORE the preposition lookers-on runners-up sisters-in-law
takes the plural.

17. Abbreviations and initials are made MPs pgs VIPs


plural by adding –s.

iSLCollective.com

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