Singular and plural nouns - English Grammar Step by Step

Change the singular words given in the exercises below into plural. 1 Examples: watch→watches dish→dishes bus→buses ¹ kiss→kisses fox→foxes fez→fezzes ² buzz→buzzes After -ch, -sh, -s, -ss, -x, -z and -zz, we add -es. a fax b mass c gas d wish e match 2 Examples: play→plays (vowel + y) spy ³→spies (consonant + y→i + es) a journey b boy c fly d university e salary 3 Examples: Knife→knives shelf→shelves -fe and -f often change to -ves when making the plural. However, the following words do not undergo any change: belief→beliefs chief→chiefs cliff→cliffs cuff→cuffs fife→fifes massif→massifs mischief→mischiefs motif→motifs proof→proofs reef→reefs roof→roofs ruff→ruffs safe→safes serf→serfs At times, both combinations are possible, though: dwarf→dwarfs or dwarves handkerchief→handkerchiefs or handkerchieves hoof→hoofs or hooves scarf→scarfs or sacarves turf→turfs or turves wharf→wharfs or wharves a life b self c roof d turf e safe 4 Examples: potato→potatoes kilo→kilos (‘kilo’ is an abbreviation for ‘kilogramme’.) concerto→concertos (The origin of this word is Italian, that is, foreign. ‘Concerti’ is also possible, but less usual.) folio→folios (The -o is preceded by a vowel.) The -o ending makes the plural by adding -es. Yet, it only takes an -s with abbreviations and words whose origin is foreign ⁴: bistro, casino, canto, curio, concerto, dynamo, hello (also hallo or hullo), hippo, inferno, kilo, kimono, photo, piano, pro, rhino, solo, soprano, torso and tremolo. Sometimes, both combinations are possible: banjo→banjos/ banjoes; cargo→cargos/cargoes; commando→ commandos/ commandoes; dodo→dodos/dodoes; fiasco→fiascos/fiascoes; flamingo→flamingos/flamingoes; ghetto→ghettos/ghettoes; innuendo→innuendos/innuendoes; halo→halos/haloes; lasso→lassos/lassoes; mango→mangos/mangoes; motto→mottos/ mottoes; placebo→placebos/placeboes; tornado→tornados/ tornadoes; veto→vetos/vetoes; volcano→volcanos/volcanoes. We add only one -s to the singular noun if the o is preceded by another vowel: kangaroo→kangaroos. a hero b tomato c photo d bamboo e canto 5 Example: skull→skulls ‘Skull’ has a different ending from those given in the sections above, so we form the plural with an -s. a row b sword c navel d oven e ornament 6 Revision exercise. a echo b calf c country d microwave e confession f judge g banquet h thief i kimono j hooligan k pro l quiz m wharf n cuff o cargo p switch q slide r reel s armpit t burglar alarm ⁵ u brother-in-law v trip w dwarf x inferno y prey z dent 7 Example: psychosis→psychoses Words of Greek origin ending in -is, form the plural by changing the -i- into -e-, as in the above example. Nevertheless, there are a few exceptions: chrysalis→ chrysalises, chrysalides; iris→irises; metropolis→ metropolises. Axis→axes, pelvis→pelvises, penis→penises (or penes) and testis→testes come from Latin. a diagnosis b oasis c thesis d axis e metamorphosis 8 Example: apex→apices/apexes cervix→cervices/cervixes codex→codices cortex→cortices/cortexes index→indices/indexes matrix→matrices/matrixes thorax→thoraces/thoraxes (The Latin language took it from Greek.) vertex→vertices/vertexes Some Latin-origin substantives ending in -ex or -ix have two plural forms: one regular and one irregular, as seen above. Occasionally, we might have a variation in meaning. For example, appendix can refer to a book (appendices) and to a body (appendixes, appendices). The noun ‘mix’ is not regarded as foreign by speakers of English; therefore, only the regular plural form is possible: mixes. a index b complex ⁶ c telex ⁷ d matrix e cortex 9 Revision exercise. a metropolis b vest c drop d rattlesnake e trolley f lamb g waistcoat h leaf i handkerchief j brush k carriage l church m bundle n crutch o windscreen wiper p flat battery q thorn r dish s frog t wolf u soprano v wharf w thermos flask x hypothesis y scarf z chimney 10 Examples: child→children foot→feet goose→geese louse→lice man→men mouse→mice ox→oxen person→people ⁸ tooth→teeth woman→women a tooth b woman c mouse d person e louse 11 Examples: aircraft→aircraft barracks→barracks brace→brace buffalo→buffaloes/buffalos/buffalo ⁹ cannon→cannon/cannons carp→carps/carp chamois→chamois chassis→chassis cod→cod corps→corps counsel→counsel crab→crabs/crab craft→craft crossroads→crossroads cuttlefish→cuttlefish/cuttlefishes deer→deer dice, die (dated)→dice duck→ducks/duck elk→elks/elk Eskimo→Eskimos/Eskimo fish→fish/fishes (types of fish) flounder→flounders/flounder gallows→gallows giraffe→giraffes/giraffe grand→grand grouse→grouse headquarters→headquarters herring→herrings/herring innings→innings Inuit→Inuits/Inuit (or Innuit→Innuits/Innuit) kangaroo→kangaroos/kangaroo Koodoo/kudu→koodoo/kudu, koodoos/kudus links→links mackerel→mackerels/mackerel means→means mews→mews moose→moose offspring→offspring partridge→partridges/partridge pheasant→pheasants/pheasant pike→pikes/pike plaice→plaice quid→quid reinder→reindeers/reindeer rendezvous→rendezvous rhinoceros→rhinoceroses/rhinoceros (also rhino→rhinos/rhino) salmon→salmon seal→seals/seal series→series sheep→sheep spacecraft→spacecraft species→species squid→squids/squid swine→swine trout→trouts/trout turbot→turbots/turbot a deer b buffalo c salmon d series e herring 12 Revision exercise. a man b tornado c ellipsis d sheep e plug f socket g adaptor h glass i neklace j address book k gallery l headquarters m mango n tremolo o vegetable rack p cushion q testimony r jew s water-lily t catch-phrase u ox v volcano w basis x vertex y seducer z dint ____________________ ¹ Busses is possible as well, especially in American English. ² Note that the consonant is doubled too. ³ Notice the following: chilli→chillies (chili→chilies is American.) ⁴ Although ‘potato’ is taken from the Spanish word ‘patata’ —a blend from the Taino forms ‘papa’ and ‘batata’—, it should be considered as an English one, because it has wholly adapted to the language. ⁵ Compounds generally make plural the last element. All the same, if we have an adjective in the second element, only the first element is made plural: court-martial→courts-martial. Phrasal verbs may become nouns. In this case, we add an -s to the end (break-up→break-ups, lay-by→lay-bys, turn-off→ turn-offs, shake-out→shake-outs): She broke up with him. Their break-up caused him a lot of pain. However, exceptions can occur: passer-by→passers-by. Note too sister-in-law→sisters-in-law. Sister-in-laws is also possible in informal British English. When the words man or woman are in the compound, both nouns take the plural form: woman priest→women priests. If they are written as one word, and man or woman come first in the compound, they usually behave as ordinary nouns: manservant→ manservants (also menservants), manhunt→manhunts, manhour→ manhours; but statesman→ statesmen, sportswoman→sportswomen, handyman→handymen. ⁶ The plural of this word is regular. This noun was taken from French. It originally comes from Latin. ⁷ It is a blend: teleprinter + exchange. It has a regular plural. ⁸ In very formal contexts, ‘persons’ is possible. ⁹ Words like buffalo, carp, crab usually make the plural with an -s, but no -s is added when they are used in specialized contexts. For instance, a hunter would say I killed two buffalo yesterday, but some Sunday trippers would say We saw a lot of buffaloes this morning.

   Contents
   Introduction
   Notes
1  Negative and interrogative sentences (Page 2 and the key)
2  Short answers (Page 2 and the key)
3  Question tags (Page 2 and the key)
4  Questions and exclamations (Page 2 and the key)
5  So, neither, nor, either (the key)
6  Be, used to, would, be/get/become used to, dare, have, get, become, grow, go, turn, fall and feel (Page 2 and the key)
7  Verb tenses: forms (Page 2 and the key)
8  Irregular verbs
9  Verb tenses: uses (Page 2, Page 3, Page 4, Page 5 and the key)
10 Personal pronouns, possessives and reflexive pronouns (Page 2 and the key)
11 The genitive case (the key)
12 Singular and plural nouns (Page 2 and the key)
13 Gender (the key)
14 A, an, some, any, no, not, none, each, every and the; compounds of some, any, no and every (Page 2, Page 3 and the key)
15 Neither, not...either, none, not...any, both and all (the key)
16 A few, few, a lot, lots, a little, little, many, much, no and plenty (the key)
17 Enough, too, so and such (the key)
18 Comparative and superlative sentences (Page 2 and the key)
19 Adjective order (the key)
20 Relative clauses (Page 2 and the key)
21 Do and make (the key)
22 Modal verbs (Page 2, Page 3 and the key)
23 Infinitives, gerunds and present participles (Page 2 and the key)
24 Conditional sentences (Page 2 and the key)
25 Passive sentences (the key)
26 Reported speech (Page 2 and the key)
27 Purpose (the key)
28 Word order (the key)
29 Inversion (the key)
30 Connectors (Page 2 and the key)
31 Prepositions (Page 2, Page 3 and the key)
32 Phrasal verbs (the key)