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English Plural Formation

To make most English nouns plural, add -s (report → reports). Some take -es, -ies or -ves, and a few are irregular: person → people, child → children.

  • CEFR A1
  • 8-question quiz
  • 1 exercise
Singular → plural
  1. report→reportsmost nouns: add -s
  2. bus→buses-s, -ss, -sh, -ch, -x: add -es
  3. potato→potatoessome nouns in -o: add -es
  4. company→companiesconsonant + y: -ies
  5. shelf→shelvesmany nouns in -f/-fe: -ves
  6. child→childrenirregular

Singular and Plural Nouns

Singular = one       Plural = two or more

The plural form of a noun usually ends in -s, -es, -ies, or -ves.

  • A rose – roses
  • A bus – buses
  • One month – months
  • One year – years
  • A baby – babies
  • One day – days
  • A knife – knives
  • A shelf – shelves
  • A potato – potatoes

Some plurals do not end in -s, -es, -ies, or -ves. Those are irregular plural nouns.

  • Man – men
  • Woman – women
  • Child – children
  • Tooth – teeth
  • Mouse – mice
  • Sheep – sheep
  • Fish – fish
  • Person – people

Some words are always plural:

  • Scissors
  • Jeans
  • Pants
  • Shorts
  • Glasses (eyeglasses)
  • Pajamas

Key vocabulary

WordMeaningExample
singularoneI have one meeting today.
pluraltwo or moreI have three meetings today.
box → boxesnouns ending in -x add -esPut the files in those boxes.
city → citiesconsonant + y changes to -iesOur company has offices in five cities.
day → daysvowel + y just adds -sThe project takes ten days.
knife → knivesmany nouns in -f or -fe change to -vesThe knives are in the top drawer.
person → peopleirregular pluralTwenty people came to the training.
man → men, woman → womenirregular pluralsTwo women and three men work in our team.
pants, jeans, glassesalways plural; use a pair of for oneI need a new pair of glasses.

Practice: English Plural Formation

Work through the exercises, then test yourself with the quiz. Learn from your mistakes and try again as often as you like.

Exercises

Write the plural

Write the plural form of the noun in brackets.

  1. We hired two new ______ (employee).

    add -s

    Show answer

    employees

  2. Please check all the ______ (address) on the list.

    ends in -ss

    Show answer

    addresses

  3. The ______ (baby) are sleeping.

    consonant + y

    Show answer

    babies

  4. We work five ______ (day) a week.

    vowel + y

    Show answer

    days

  5. The ______ (child) are at school.

    irregular

    Show answer

    children

  6. Put the books on the ______ (shelf).

    -f changes

    Show answer

    shelves

  7. How many ______ (person) work here?

    irregular

    Show answer

    people

  8. I brush my ______ (tooth) twice a day.

    irregular

    Show answer

    teeth

  9. We need more ______ (tomato) for the salad.

    ends in -o

    Show answer

    tomatoes

  10. Three ______ (watch) are on sale.

    ends in -ch

    Show answer

    watches

Quiz: 8 questions

1. What is the plural of "bus"?
2. What is the plural of "company"?
3. What is the plural of "day"?
4. What is the plural of "knife"?
5. Which plural is correct?
6. There are ten ______ in the meeting room.
7. Which noun is the same in the singular and the plural?
8. Which sentence is correct?

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