Whether you’re a native speaker or just learning English as a second language, understanding how to change a noun from singular to plural is a fundamental aspect of grammar that can greatly improve your communication skills. In this post, we will take a closer look at the rules for changing a singular noun to its plural form, as well as some common exceptions and irregularities that you may encounter along the way.
Singular noun and plural noun
In English grammar, a singular noun refers to one person, place, thing, or idea, while a plural noun refers to more than one person, place, thing, or idea.
Here are some examples of singular and plural nouns:
Singular nouns:
Dog
House
Idea
Chair
City
Plural nouns:
Dogs
Houses
Ideas
Chairs
Cities
Rules to change the number from singular to plural noun
There are different rules for changing a singular noun to its plural form depending on the noun’s ending or spelling.
Here are some general guidelines:
Rule #1
In general, adding ‘s’ at the end of a singular noun is the most common way to change it to its plural form.
Here are some examples:
Dog → Dogs
Cat → Cats
Book → Books
Chair → Chairs
Car → Cars
Table → Tables
Computer → Computers
As you can see, the addition of ‘s’ at the end of each singular noun above has changed it to its plural form.
Rule #2
For singular nouns that end in ‘s’, ‘sh’, ‘ch’, ‘x’, or ‘z’, you need to add ‘-es’ to the end of the word to change it to its plural form.
Here are some examples:
For ‘s’:
Bus → Buses
Kiss → Kisses
Box → Boxes
Church → Churches
Gas → Gases
Class → Classes
Match → Matches
Glass → Glasses
Watch → Watches
Dress → Dresses
For ‘sh’:
dish → dishes
brush → brushes
wish → wishes
lash → lashes
For ‘ch’:
Church → Churches
Watch → Watches
Torch → Torches
Bench → Benches
Switch → Switches
Match → Matches
Lunch → Lunches
Speech → Speeches
Branch → Branches
For ‘x’:
box → boxes
fox → foxes
mix → mixes
tax → taxes
fix → fixes
suffix → suffixes
reflex → reflexes
For ‘z’:
Buzz -> Buzzes
Quiz -> Quizzes
Fizz -> Fizzes
Blaze -> Blazes
Spitz -> Spitzes
Rule #3
When a singular noun ends in ‘y’ and the letter before it is a consonant, you need to change the ‘y’ to ‘i’ and add ‘-es’ to the end of the word to change it to its plural form.
Here are some examples:
Baby → Babies
City → Cities
Pony → Ponies
Cherry → Cherries
Country → Countries
Party → Parties
Rule #4
When a singular noun ends in ‘y’ and the letter before it is a vowel, you simply add an ‘s’ to the end of the word to change it to its plural form.
Here are some examples:
Boy → Boys
Day → Days
Key → Keys
Monkey → Monkeys
Journey → Journeys
Toy → Toys
Rule #5
When a singular noun ends in ‘f’ or ‘fe’, you can change it to its plural form by replacing the ‘f’ or ‘fe’ with ‘v’ and adding ‘-es’ to the end of the word.
Here are some examples:
Leaf → Leaves
Knife → Knives
Calf → Calves
Wolf → Wolves
Life → Lives
Half → Halves
Rule #6
When a singular noun ends in ‘o’ and the letter before it is a consonant, you need to add ‘-es’ to the end of the word to change it to its plural form.
Here are some examples:
Potato → Potatoes
Tomato → Tomatoes
Hero → Heroes
Echo → Echoes
Negro → Negroes (or Negros)
Exceptions 1. There are some singular nouns that end in ‘o’ and a consonant, but their plural form is made by simply adding ‘s’ at the end of the word.
Here are some examples:
Piano → Pianos
Photo → Photos
Cello → Cellos
Solo → Solos
Exception 2: There are some singular nouns that can take either ‘s’ or ‘es’ in their plural form, and both are considered correct.
Here are some examples:
Bus → Buses or Busses
Box → Boxes or Boxen (Boxen is considered archaic and is rarely used today)
Quiz → Quizzes or Quizes (‘Quizes’ is considered an acceptable alternative in some dictionaries)
Gas → Gases or Gasses
Rule #7
There are some nouns in English where the plural form is formed by changing the entire word, rather than just adding a suffix or changing a few letters.
Here are some examples:
Man → Men
Woman → Women
Child → Children
Foot → Feet
Tooth → Teeth
Mouse → Mice
Rule #8
There are some singular nouns in English where the plural form is formed by adding ‘-en’ at the end of the word.
Here are some examples:
Ox → Oxen
Child → Children (although this word is more commonly considered an irregular plural)
Brother → Brethren (a more archaic term, used mostly in religious contexts)
Rule #9
In compound nouns where ‘man’ refers to a human being or person in general, the plural form is usually formed by replacing ‘man’ with ‘men’.
Here are some examples:
Fireman → Firemen (refers to a male firefighter)
Policeman → Policemen (refers to a male police officer)
Salesman → Salesmen (refers to a male salesperson)
Chairman → Chairmen (refers to a male chairperson)
Rule #10
When ‘man’ is just a part of a word, and does not refer to a human being in general, the plural form is usually formed by simply adding ‘s’ at the end of the word.
Here are some examples:
human → humans
Rule #11
In general, when a singular noun ends in ‘ful’, the plural form is formed by simply adding ‘s’ to the end of the word.
Here are some examples:
Spoonful → Spoonfuls
Handful → Handfuls
Mouthful → Mouthfuls
Rule #12
When a compound noun contains multiple words, the plural form is usually formed by adding ‘s’ to the main part of the noun. Here are some examples:
Coffee cup -> coffee cups
Swimming pool -> swimming pools
Roller coaster -> roller coasters
Dining table -> dining tables
High school -> high schools
Business card -> business cards
Tennis shoe -> tennis shoes
Movie theater -> movie theaters
Parking lot -> parking lots
Rule #13
When a compound noun contains multiple words, the plural form is usually formed by adding ‘s’ to the main part of the noun. Here are some examples:
Mother-in-law → Mothers-in-law
Commander-in-chief → Commanders-in-chief
Attorney General → Attorneys General
Court-martial → courts-martial
Rule #14
In some cases, the plural of a compound noun is formed by adding ‘s’ to each part of the noun. This is particularly common with hyphenated compound nouns, where each part is treated as a separate word. Here are some examples:
editor-in-chief → editors-in-chief
runner-up → runners-up
jack-in-the-box → jacks-in-the-box
Rule #15
Some singular nouns in English do not have a plural form and are used only in the singular. These are known as “uncountable” or “noncount” nouns, and they refer to things that cannot be easily counted or quantified.
Here are some common examples of uncountable nouns:
Water: We say “a glass of water”, “a bottle of water”, etc. but we do not say “waters” to refer to multiple glasses or bottles of water.
Information: We say “some information”, “a piece of information”, etc. but we do not say “informations” to refer to multiple pieces of information.
Advice: We say “some advice”, “a piece of advice”, etc. but we do not say “advices” to refer to multiple pieces of advice.
Furniture: We say “a piece of furniture”, “some furniture”, etc. but we do not say “furnitures” to refer to multiple pieces of furniture.
Rule #16
Some English nouns are always used in the plural form, and they do not have a singular form. These are known as “plural-only” or “pluralia tantum” nouns.
Here are some common examples of plural-only nouns:
Scissors: We say “a pair of scissors”, “some scissors”, etc. but we do not say “scissor” to refer to a single cutting tool.
Trousers: We say “a pair of trousers”, “some trousers”, etc. but we do not say “trouser” to refer to a single leg garment.
Glasses: We say “a pair of glasses”, “some glasses”, etc. but we do not say “glass” to refer to a single lens or eyewear.
Shorts: We say “a pair of shorts”, “some shorts”, etc. but we do not say “short” to refer to a single-leg garment.
Rule #17
Some English nouns that appear to be singular are actually treated as plural because they refer to a group or collection of individuals or entities. These nouns are known as “collective nouns.”
Here are some common examples of collective nouns:
People: Although “people” may appear to be singular, it is actually treated as a plural noun because it refers to a group of individuals. For example, “The people of the town were all gathered in the square.”
Police: “Police” is also treated as a plural noun because it refers to a group of individuals who work in law enforcement. For example, “The police were investigating the crime scene.”
Staff: “Staff” is another example of a noun that appears to be singular but is treated as plural because it refers to a group of employees. For example, “The staff at the hotel were all very friendly.”
Rule #18
Some English nouns that appear to be plural are actually treated as singular because they refer to a single entity or object, despite the fact that they are grammatically plural.
Here are some common examples:
Mathematics: Although the word “mathematics” ends in “s,” it is considered a singular noun because it refers to a single subject or field of study.
Physics: Similar to “mathematics,” the word “physics” is considered a singular noun despite ending in “s” because it refers to a single subject or field of study.
News: We say “the news is reporting on a new development” instead of “the news are reporting” because the word “news” refers to a single piece of information or report.
Athletics: We say “athletics is a popular sport in many countries” instead of “athletics are a popular sport” because the word “athletics” refers to a single sport or category of physical activities.
Rule #19
There are some English nouns that have the same form for both the singular and plural.
Here are some examples:
Sheep, fish, deer, aircraft
Rule #20
When referring to letters, numbers, and symbols, adding an apostrophe and ‘s’ is a common way to form their plural.
For example:
The letter ‘A’ appears in many words.
I need to dot my i’s and cross my t’s.
Please write your 9’s and 0’s more clearly.
