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GRAMMAR
Plurals
Regular plurals:
Form: Add "s" to the noun: Noun + S While many plural nouns follow this rule, the spelling sometimes differ.
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Examples: Singular snake window box boy lorry potato knife Plural snakes windows boxes boys lorries potatoes knives
Spelling of plurals: The plural form of most nouns is created simply by adding the letter "s". more than one snake = snakes more than one girl = girls more than one window = windows Nouns that end in -ch, x, s, z or s-like sounds, however, will require an es for the plural: more than one witch = witches more than one box = boxes more than one gas = gases more than one bus = buses more than one kiss = kisses Nouns that end in a vowel + y take the letter s: more than one boy = boys more than one way = ways Nouns that end in a consonant + y drop the y and take ies: more tha one baby = babies more than one lorry = lorries A lot of nouns that end in o take es in the plural: more than potato = potatoes more than one hero = heroes o becomes oes echo hero echoes heroes embargo embargoes
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torpedo torpedoes
Some nouns ending in o break the above rule and get os in the plural form: o becomes os auto kilo memo photo piano pro solo soprano studio tattoo video zoo autos kilos memos photos pianos pros solos sopranos studios tattoos videos zoos kangaroo kangaroos
pimento pimentos
Other nouns ending in o get either os or oes i the plural forms: o becomes os or oes buffalo cargo halo motto no tornado zero buffalos/buffaloes cargos/cargoes halos/haloes mottos/mottoes nos/noes tornados/tornadoes zeros/zeroes
mosquito mosquitos/mosquitoes
volcano volcanos/volcanoes
Plurals of nouns that end in f or fe usually change the f sound to a v sound and add s or -es. more than one knife = knives
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more than one leaf = leaves more than one hoof = hooves more than one life = lives more than one self = selves more than one elf = elves
Irregular plurals:
There are several nouns that have irregular plural forms. Singular Plural fish sheep fish sheep
barracks barracks foot tooth goose tooth goose child man woman person mouse feet teeth geese teeth geese children men women people mice
Plurals formed in this way are sometimes called irregular plurals or mutated (or mutating) plurals. more than one child = children more than one woman = women more than one man = men more than one person = people more than one goose = geese more than one mouse = mice more than one barracks = barracks more than one deer = deer Other irregular plural forms include the following: Some foreign nouns retain their plural. (Note that some of them adapted the s of the English plural form!) Singular Foreign plural English plural
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antenna antennae
vertebra vertebrae Nouns ending in us get a, i or the s of the English plural: Singular Foreign plural English plural corpus genus bacillus cactus focus fungus nucleus radius corpora genera bacilli cacti foci fungi nuclei octopuses radii syllabuses funguses cactuses
alumnus alumni
Nouns ending in um get a, i or the s of the English plural: Singular addendum bacterium curriculum datum erratum medium ovum stratum symposium Foreign plural English plural addenda bacteria curricula data errata media memorandums ova strata symposia symposiums curriculums
memorandum memoranda
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Nouns ending in ex or ix get ices or get the s of the English plural: Singular Foreign plural English plural apex apices apexes appendixes cervixes indexes matrixes
appendix appendices cervix index matrix vortex cervices indices matrices vortices
Nouns ending in is becoming es in plural: Singular analysis axis basis crisis diagnosis emphasis Plural form analyses axes bases crises diagnoses emphases
singular criterion
plural criteria
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The news is bad. Gymnastics is fun to watch. Economics/mathematics/statistics is said to be difficult. Some nouns never take the s of the plural and are always singular: your luggage / baggage is so heavy I'd like to buy new furniture for the house you can find more information in our website.
Exercise on plurals.
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