A1/A2 · Grammar
Plural nouns
After this page you can make the plural of English nouns with -s, -es, -ies and -ves, and you know common special plurals like men, children and people.
Rules
1.
Most nouns: + s
- I have two sisters.
- The shops close at six.
- Are the tickets in your bag?
Singular is one. Plural is two or more. Most nouns add -s in the plural: one book, two books.
Singular → plural
- book → books · car → cars · phone → phones
- flat → flats · house → houses · friend → friends
Say the -s like s in books, flats. After most other sounds it is more like z: cars, phones.
one → singular · two, three, many → plural + -s
A number before the noun? Do not forget the -s: two books.
2.
-s, -ss, -sh, -ch, -x → + es
- There are two buses to the airport.
- Can you wash the glasses, please?
- We have four boxes in the car.
- Ben makes sandwiches for lunch.
A noun ends in -s, -ss, -sh, -ch or -x? Then it adds -es. You say -es as an extra syllable: box (1) → box-es (2).
+ es
- bus → buses · class → classes
- dish → dishes · watch → watches · church → churches
- box → boxes · tax → taxes
s, ss, sh, ch, x → -es: bus → buses
Some nouns in -o add -es too: potatoes, tomatoes. But: photos, radios.
3.
Consonant + y → -ies
- Leeds and Bristol are big cities.
- Lucy and Tom have two babies.
- Where are my keys?
A noun ends in a consonant + y? Change y to i and add -es: city → cities. A vowel + y only adds -s: day → days.
y → ies or y → ys?
- consonant + y: baby → babies · city → cities · party → parties · country → countries
- vowel + y: day → days · key → keys · boy → boys · holiday → holidays
consonant + y → -ies: party → parties
vowel (a, e, o, u) + y → -s: key → keys
4.
-f, -fe → -ves
- The knives are in the kitchen.
- Anna's shelves are full of books.
- Ahmed and Marek are here with their wives.
Many nouns that end in -f or -fe change the end to -ves: shelf → shelves, knife → knives.
f / fe → ves
- shelf → shelves · half → halves · leaf → leaves
- knife → knives · wife → wives · life → lives
-f / -fe → -ves: wife → wives
A few nouns only add -s: roof → roofs, chef → chefs.
5.
Special plurals: men, children, people …
- There are twenty people in the class.
- The children are at school.
- Two women and two men work in the shop.
- My feet are cold.
Some nouns have a special plural. They do not add -s. Learn them in pairs: man → men, child → children.
Learn these pairs
- man → men · woman → women
- child → children · person → people
- foot → feet · tooth → teeth · mouse → mice
Women sounds different from woman: the first vowel sounds like the i in sit.
No -s on a special plural: children, not childrens.
people is plural: The people are nice.
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