____________________

is the quality
of a noun that
tells whether a
noun is singular
or plural.
____________________________________
_
Generally, we add
–s to form the
plural of nouns.
There are rules
to consider.
RULE # 1
For nouns
ending in s,
ch, sh, x, or
z, add –es.
RULE # 1
Example:

church churches
RULE # 1
Example:

bush ?
RULE # 1
Example:

bush bushes
RULE # 1
Example:

box ?
RULE # 1
Example:

box boxes
RULE # 2
For nouns ending
in y preceded by
a consonant,
change y to i and
add –es.
RULE # 2
Example:

fairy fairies
RULE # 2
Example:

baby ?
RULE # 2
Example:

baby babies
RULE # 3
For nouns
ending in y
preceded by a
vowel, add –s.
RULE # 3
Example:

monkey monkeys
RULE # 3
Example:

tray ?
RULE # 3
Example:

tray trays
RULE # 4
For nouns
ending in f or
fe, change f to
v and add –es.
RULE # 4
Example:

leaf leaves
RULE # 4
Example:

wife ?
RULE # 4
Example:

wife wives
RULE # 5
Add –s or –es to
nouns ending in o.
a. For nouns ending
in o preceded by a
consonant, add –es.
RULE # 5
Example:

tomato tomatoes
RULE # 5
Example:

hero ?
RULE # 5
Example:

hero heroes
RULE # 5
Some exceptions
are:
piano- pianos,
alto-altos, and
solo- solos.
RULE # 5
b. For nouns
ending in o
preceded by a
vowel, add –s.
RULE # 5
Example:

bamboo bamboos
RULE # 5
Example:

radio ?
RULE # 5
Example:

radio radios
Hooray!
are nouns that do
not become plural
by adding -s or 
-es, as most
nouns in the
English language
do.
 If the
singular noun
ends in ‑us,
the plural
ending is
frequently ‑i.
cactus cacti
 If the
singular noun
ends in ‑is,
the plural
ending is
‑es.
analysis analyses
ellipsis ellipses
 If the
singular
noun ends
in ‑on, the
plural
ending is
‑a.
phenomenon phenomena
criterion criteria
 Some nouns
don’t change
at all when
they’re
pluralized.
deer
moose
elk
Sheep
tuna
salmon
trout