Plural of nouns in English(The Plural) is formed according to simple rules: in most cases, an ending is added to the base of the noun -es. For example:

🔊 brush — 🔊 brush es (brushes).

But there are exceptions to words ending in a consonant and -y, the plural form of which is formed by replacing -y on -i and adding the ending -es. For example:

🔊fl y— 🔊fl ies (flies).

Summary table of rules for forming the plural of a noun

Table No. 1. Rules for writing plural endings

	Noun ends in -s,-sh,-ch,-x,-z	The noun ends in a consonant and -y	The noun ends in a consonant and -o
Rule	Add the ending -es	Change the letter y to i and add -es	Add the ending -es
Examples	🔊 bu s— 🔊 bus es(buses), 🔊 wat ch— 🔊 watch es(hours), 🔊 bo x— 🔊 box es(boxes)	🔊cit y— 🔊 cit ies(cities), 🔊 country — 🔊 countr ies(countries)	🔊 tomato o— 🔊 tomato es(tomatoes), 🔊 potat o— 🔊 potato es(potatoes), 🔊 her o- 🔊 hero es(heroes)

Note: if the noun ends in -o , but this word is a proper noun, abbreviation or borrowing, then only the letter is added -s :

🔊 Eskimo — 🔊 Eskimo s (Eskimos)
🔊 kilo — 🔊 kilo s (kilograms)
🔊 tango — 🔊 tango s (tango).

Rules for pronunciation of plural endings of nouns

There are some nuances here too. Which? The pronunciation of the plural ending depends on the final sound in the singular form (see Table No. 2 below).

Table No. 2. Pronunciation of plural endings of nouns

The noun ends in a vowel or a voiced consonant	The ending is read as [z]	🔊 game — 🔊 games , 🔊 tree — 🔊 trees
The noun ends in a voiceless consonant	The ending is read as [s]	🔊 cat - 🔊 cats , 🔊 clock - 🔊 clocks
The noun ends in the sounds [ʤ], [ʧ], [ʃ], [s] or [z]	The ending is read as [ɪz]	🔊 orange — 🔊 oranges [ˈɒrɪn dʒ- ˈɒrɪn dʒɪz], 🔊 vase — 🔊 vases

Nouns that form the plural irregularly

The plural of nouns in English can be formed irregularly. These nouns are the so-called exceptions. Below in the tables I will introduce you to them in detail.

Table No. 3. Plural formation is not according to the rules

Singular	Plural	Singular	Plural
🔊 man (man)	🔊men	🔊 wolf (wolf)	🔊 wolves
🔊 woman (woman)	🔊women	🔊 mouse (mouse)	🔊 mice
🔊 child (child)	🔊children	🔊 louse (louse)	🔊lice
🔊 tooth	🔊teeth	🔊 penny (cent coin)	🔊 pence
🔊 foot (foot)	🔊 feet	🔊 person (person)	🔊 people
🔊 goose (goose)	🔊geese	🔊 sheep (sheep)	🔊sheep
🔊ox (ox)	🔊 oxen	🔊 deer (deer)	🔊 deer
🔊 leaf	🔊 leaves	🔊 fish (fish)	🔊fish

Nouns of Latin origin that form their plural endings irregularly

Nouns used only in the plural or only in the singular

Uncountable nouns (both real and abstract) are used only in the singular:

• 🔊 There is no snow on the ground.
• 🔊The news was very interesting.

Nouns are singular in Russian, plural in English

Nouns denoting paired objects and ending in -s, always used in the plural

Groups of nouns that are used only in the singular

Nouns with different meanings in singular and plural

Singular	Plural
🔊 air (air)	🔊 airs (arrogant manners)
🔊 ash (ash)	🔊ashes (ashes)
🔊 content	🔊 contents
🔊 custom (custom)	🔊 customs (customs)
🔊 damage	🔊 damages
🔊 drawer ( drawer)	🔊 drawers (chest of drawers)
🔊 fund (stock)	🔊 funds cash
🔊 glass (glass, glass)	🔊 glasses
🔊 hair (hair)	🔊 hairs (wool, individual hairs)
🔊 look (look)	🔊 looks (appearance)
🔊 pain	🔊 pains (effort, suffering)
🔊 scale	🔊 scales
🔊 spectacle (spectacle, view)	🔊 spectacles (glasses)
🔊 step (step)	🔊 steps (ladder)
🔊 work (work)	🔊 works (factory)
🔊 saving (frugality)	🔊 savings

Some more useful articles

In English there are two numbers of nouns, just like in Russian: singular and plural (in some languages ​​it happens differently). At first glance it may seem that plural nouns in English are formed according to some difficult, incomprehensible rules. In fact, everything is simple, since in most cases the plural is formed according to the basic rule, and the remaining cases are quickly memorized with practice.

Rules for forming the plural of nouns in English

1. Basic rule

In most cases, the plural of nouns in English (plural) is formed using the ending -s. Pay attention to how this ending is pronounced:

• After vowels and voiced consonants - like [z],
• After voiceless consonants - like [s].

However, if you are confused about the pronunciation of -s at the end of a word, you will certainly be understood.

2. Nouns ending in -s, -sh, -ch, -x, -z, -ss

What if the word ends with – s? In this case (for greater euphony and ease of pronunciation) you need to add -es. The same goes for words -ss,-sh, – ch, – x, -z.

End -es helps to pronounce combinations of sounds that would be difficult to pronounce without it. Let me remind you, -es added at the end of words to -s, -ss, -sh, -ch, -x, -z. Imagine what it would be like without -es:

watchs, matches, boxes, buss (!), classes (!!!)

Agree, it’s much easier to pronounce the words:

watches, matches, boxes, buses, classes.

3. Nouns ending with consonant + y

consonant + ending -y, That -y changes to -ies .

If a noun ends in vowel + ending -y, then to -y is added -s. In other words, the plural is formed according to the basic rule.

4. Nouns ending with -o

If a noun ends in -o, you need to add -es.

Exceptions:

• photo – photos (photo),
• memo – memos (memo).
• piano – pianos (piano),

5. Nouns ending in -f, -fe

In nouns ending in -f or - fe, needs to be replaced -f or - fe on -ves.

6. Table: plural nouns in English

This image provides a quick summary of the rules for forming the plural of a noun.

Special cases of plural formation in English

In English there are exceptions to the rules for forming plurals. Most of them concern rather rare words; the most important thing to remember is the cases from the first paragraph (man - men, woman - women, etc.), since they are the most frequent.

1. Main exceptions: the plural is not formed according to general rules

A number of nouns form their plurals in a non-standard way:

Note: the word women is pronounced [ˈwɪmɪn].

2. The plural and singular forms are the same

Some nouns have the same plural and singular forms. These include:

3. Nouns used only in the singular

As in Russian, some nouns in English are used only in singular or plural. These include:

1. Abstract, uncountable nouns

• Knowledge - knowledge,
• Love - love,
• Friendship - friendship,
• Information - information,

2. Names of sciences and academic disciplines in -ics

Although they end in -s, these words are used in the singular.

• Ecomonics - economics,
• Physics - physics,
• Aerobics - aerobics,
• Classics – classical literature.

3. And others

• Money - money,
• Hair - hair.

3. Nouns used only in the plural

As in Russian, many names of paired objects do not have a singular number

• Pants - trousers,
• Scissors - scissors,
• Glasses – glasses (for the eyes, not glasses in the game),

Some words that are used in English only in the plural are used in Russian in the plural and singular:

• Goods – product, goods.
• Clothes - clothes.

Note: clothes is or clothes are?

Often have difficulties with words clothes - clothes. Use it as singular or multiple? How to write correctly: clothes is or clothes are?

We are accustomed to the fact that “clothes” is a singular number in the Russian language, so we strive to use the English clothes in the Russian manner, as if it were a singular noun, but this is a mistake. In English this word is plural and is used accordingly:

• Wrong: Your clothes are so dirty. -Your clothes are so dirty.
• Right: Your clothes are so dirty. -Your clothes are so dirty.

4. Plural of compound nouns

Compound nouns consist of more than one word and can be written:

1. Separately or with a hyphen: mother-in-law(mother-in-law), assistant headmaster(assistant school principal).
2. Together: postman(postman), schoolboy(schoolboy).

In separate compound nouns, as a rule, the word with the main meaning takes the plural form:

In general, the plural of nouns in English is formed according to strict and simple rules. However, there are some nuances and exceptions here that will be useful for you to know.

Basic rules for forming plurals

The plural of most nouns is formed by adding the ending - s. For example:

• cup - cup s
• pen - pen s
• page - page s
• daughter - daughter s

However, if the word ends with -ch, -x, -s, -sh, the ending is added to it -es.

• ben ch—bench es
• fo x—fox es
• cla ss— class es
• bru sh—brush es

Most nouns ending in a consonant + o, also form the plural using the ending -es.

• he ro- hero es
• pota to- potato es
• toma to-tomato es

However, in words of Spanish or Italian origin that end in -o, is simply added -s.

• phot o— photo s
• pian o- piano s
• tang o— tango s
• studio o— studio s

To nouns that end in -z, is added -zes.

In nouns that end in a consonant + y, discarded y and is added -ies. For example:

• co py— cop ies
• hob by—hobb ies
• s ky—sk ies

Most nouns of Latin origin that end in -is, discarded -is and is added -es. For example:

• bas is- bas es
• cris is- Chris es
• oas is- oas es

Most nouns that end in -f or -fe, discarded f and is added -ves. For example:

• wi fe—wi ves
• shel f— shel ves
• lea f—lea ves

But this is not a strict rule:

• belief - beliefs (believes is a verb)
• chief - chiefs
• reef - reefs
• proof - proofs
• cliff - cliffs
• safe - safes (saves is a verb)

Exceptions to the rules

There are many common nouns that have an irregular plural form: the plural of such nouns is formed in an unusual way.

These include most nouns denoting people. For example:

• woman - women
• child - children
• brother - brethren (meaning “brothers”)

Other exception nouns:

• foot - feet
• tooth - teeth
• goose - geese
• mouse - mice

Some nouns have the same singular and plural form. For example:

• sheep - sheep
• fruit - fruit
• aircraft - aircraft
• series - series

In the plural they require the appropriate form of the verb (are/were):

• There is a fruit in the vase. — There are some fruit in the vase.
• There was a sheep in the field. — There were a lot of sheep in the field.

In turn, uncountable nouns (money, news, advice, information) do not have a plural form and agree with a singular verb ( is/was):

• There is a lot of news in your letter.
• There there was some money on the table.

Some nouns (scissors, glasses, trousers, tweezers, pyjamas, etc.) have only a plural form and require the corresponding verb form ( are / were). For example:

• Where are my new trousers? They were on the chair.

Nouns that come from obsolete forms of English words or are of foreign origin often have an unusual plural form:

• ox - oxen
• index - indices or indexes

In compound nouns, the plural ending is usually added to the main component. For example:

• mother-in-law s-in-law
• hotel-keeper - hotel-keeper s

Words ending in -us

Linguists can argue for hours about the plural of nouns that end in -us. Many of these words are borrowed from Latin and retain the Latin plural form, where the ending -us is replaced by -i (pronounced [-ʌɪ] or [-iː]). However, not all such words are of Latin origin, and not all Latin words end with -i in the plural, hence the controversy. For example:

• The plural of virus is virus es, not viri.

Some accept the regular English ending -es: campus - campus es; bonus - bonus es.

Some Latin borrowings take the ending -i: radius - radi i, stimulus - stimulus i.

Today we will learn everything about the formation of plurals in English. It would seem that it is enough to add -s to the end of the word, and the plural form of the noun is ready! But it's not that simple. Let's figure it out.

A noun is a part of speech that denotes an object (a chair), a person (a child), an animal (a cat), a substance (milk), a phenomenon (rain) or an abstract concept (happiness) - happiness).

It is important to remember that the plural or singular form of a noun is also important for agreeing the subject (who?/what?) with the predicate (what does?). With countable nouns we use the singular or plural form of the verb. And with uncountable nouns we use only the singular verb.

Kids are curious. - Children curious.
My kid is curious. - My child curious.
The milk is too hot for me. - Milk too hot for me.

So that the rules for forming the plural are not forgotten, but firmly settled in the head, they need to be practiced. To do this, sign up at.

Basic rules for forming plurals in English

There are several ways to form the plural of countable nouns in English:

1. The most common rule is to add the ending -s to a singular noun:

   an apple – apples (apple – apples)
   a pen – pens (pen – pens)
   a problem – problems (problem – problems)

   We pronounce the ending -s as /z/ after voiced consonants or vowels. For example: dogs /dɒɡz/ (dogs), hands /hændz/ (hands), keys /kiːz/ (keys).

   If a word ends in a voiceless consonant, the ending -s is pronounced /s/. For example: lamps /læmps/ (lamp), myths /mɪθs/ (myths), skirts /skɜːts/ (skirts).

2. If a word ends in -s, -ss, -sh, -ch or -x, then the ending -es must be added to form the plural.

   a bus – buses (bus – buses)
   a dress – dresses (dress – dresses)
   a brush – brushes (brush – brushes)
   a watch – watches (hours – several hours)
   a box – boxes (box – boxes)

   In this case, we pronounce the ending -es as /iz/. For example: glasses /ɡlɑːsiz/ (glasses), boxes /bɒksiz/ (boxes).

   Let's listen to blogger Rachel's pronunciation:

3. If a word ends in -o, then the ending can be -es or -s. To choose the right one, it is better to consult a dictionary.

   Ending -es:

   a tomato – tomatoes (tomato – tomatoes)
   a hero – heroes (hero – heroes).

   Ending -s:

   a kilo – kilos (kilogram – kilograms)
   a photo – photos (photography – photographs)

4. If a word ends in -y preceded by a consonant, the plural ending is -ies.

   a cherry – cherries (cherry – cherries)
   a lady – ladies (lady – several ladies)
   a puppy – puppies (puppy – puppies)

   But if there is a vowel before -y, then you don’t need to change anything - just add the ending -s.

   a boy – boys (boy – boys)
   a day – days (day – days)
   a monkey – monkeys (monkey – monkeys)

5. There are a number of nouns that change their plural ending -f/-fe to -ves. Such exceptions include the following words:

   a calf – calves (calves of the legs – calves of the legs)
   an elf – elves (elf – elves)
   a shelf – shelves (shelf – shelves)
   a half – halves (half – halves)
   a knife – knives (knife – knives)
   a thief – thieves (thief – thieves)
   a leaf – leaves (leaf – leaves)
   a life – lives (life – lives)
   a loaf – loaves (loaf – loaves)
   a wife – wives (wife – wives)
   a wolf – wolves (wolf – wolves).

   And words such as a dwarf (dwarf, gnome), a hoof (hoof), a scarf (scarf), a wharf (pier) in the plural can have both the ending -fs and -ves.

6. There are a number of nouns whose plural form you just need to remember.

   a person – people (person – people)
   a man – men (man – men)
   a woman – women (woman – women)
   a child – children (child – children)
   a foot – feet (foot – feet)
   a tooth – teeth (tooth – teeth)
   a goose – geese (goose – geese)
   a mouse – mice (mouse – mice)
   a louse – lice (louse – lice)
   an ox – oxen (bull – bulls)

7. And another group is nouns whose singular and plural forms are the same. Here are some of them:

   a sheep – sheep (sheep – sheep)
   a swine – swine (pig – pigs)
   an aircraft – aircraft (aircraft – aircraft)
   a means – means (means – means)
   a crossroads – crossroads (crossroads – crossroads)
   a series – series (series – series)

Special cases of plural formation in English

1. Uncountable nouns in English

   What should we do if we still need to indicate the plural quantity of something uncountable? In this case, the noun itself must be preceded by words indicating its quantity:

   • Capacity, container:

     two cartons of juice - two packs of juice
     three bottles of wine - three bottles of wine
     four cups of tea - four cups of tea
     five glasses of water - five glasses of water
     six jars of jam - six jars of jam
     seven boxes of cereal - seven boxes of cereal
     eight cans of coke - eight tin cans cola
     nine tins of tuna - nine tin cans tuna
     ten tubes of toothpaste - ten tubes of toothpaste

   • Unit:

     two kilos of sugar - two kilograms of sugar
     three liters of petrol - three liters of gasoline
     four pounds of butter - four pounds of butter
     five meters of cable - five meters of cable

   • Unit (product, product):

     three loaves of bread - three slices of bread
     four bars of chocolate - four chocolate bars
     five slices of cheese - five pieces of cheese

   If you cannot select a unit of measurement for uncountable noun, use the piece of construction.

   He gave me three pieces of advice. - He gave me three tips.

   Pay attention to nouns where the ending -s does not indicate plural, as these are uncountable nouns.

   gymnastics - gymnastics
   billiards - billiards
   measles - measles
   maths - mathematics

   Measles is an infectious disease. - Measles- infectious disease.
   Gymnastics is my favorite sport. - Gymnastics- my favorite sport.

2. Nouns that are used only in the plural. Accordingly, these words are used with a plural verb.

   police - police
   cattle - cattle
   clothes - clothes
   stairs - stairs

   The police are looking for the robbers. - Police are looking for robbers.

   Also, nouns that are used only in the plural include objects consisting of two parts - paired. Most often these are tools, clothing and accessories.

   jeans - jeans
   trousers - trousers
   pajamas (BrE), pajamas (AmE) - pajamas
   tights - tights
   pliers - pliers
   pincers - tongs
   shears - secateurs

   To form the plural of paired nouns, use the phrase pairs of.

   She wants to try on a few more pairs of sunglasses before the purchase. - Before buying, she wants to try on more several pairs of sunglasses.
   You should have at least two pairs of binoculars for birdwatching. - You should have at least two pairs of binoculars for bird watching.

3. Collective nouns

   Collective nouns denote a group of people or things that are considered as a single unit. With such nouns we can use either a singular or plural verb.

   staff - staff
   a team - team
   a crew - crew
   a family - family
   a company - company

   Most often it doesn't matter which number you choose, but sometimes one of the forms is more appropriate for the context. It all depends on whether you are talking about the group as a whole (singular) or looking at each member of the group separately (plural).

   The team was playing well. - Team played well.
   The team were playing well. - Everyone's on the team played well.

   My family is very important to me. - My family very important to me.
   My family are going away next weekend. - All my family members leaving next weekend.

We hope you remember everything about forming the plural of nouns in English. And if you are in doubt about choosing the right form, contact. You will find more topics in our series of articles “” and “”.

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