Singular and Plural Nouns

Notes On Generalizations
For Spelling/Forming
Plural Nouns.
 Singular vs. Plural

A singular noun names one person,

place, thing, or idea.
• One cat, one store, one item
A plural noun names two or more
persons, places, things, or ideas.
• Two cats, four stores, fifteen items
 Generalizations for forming plural
nouns:
1. For most singular nouns, add s.

Singular Plural
teacher teachers
street streets
pencil pencils
book books
elephant elephants
Generalizations for forming plural
nouns:
2. For nouns ending with s, x, z, sh, or ch,
add es.

Singular Plural
gas gases
wax waxes
waltz waltzes
dish dishes
church churches
 Generalizations for forming plural
nouns:
3. For nouns ending with a consonant and y,
change the y to i and add es. For nouns ending
with a vowel and y, add s.

Singular Plural
sky skies
army armies
penny pennies
boy boys
alley alleys
 Generalizations for forming plural
nouns:
4. For some nouns ending with f or fe, add s. For others,
change the f to v and add s or es. (You will need to
memorize the spellings for such words or look them up
in a dictionary to check.

Singular Plural
belief beliefs
roof roofs
loaf loaves
life lives
knife knives
 Generalizations for forming plural
nouns:
These are a little more tricky . . .

5. For nouns that end with o, add s or es. (Again, you

would need to memorize the spellings of such words or
look them up in a dictionary to double-check.)
—One trick to remember: if it has to do with sound (“music”),
just add s.—Ex: cello. piano, radio
Singular Plural
cello cellos
piano pianos
radio radios
zoo zoos
potato / tomato potatoes / tomatoes
Generalizations for forming plural
nouns:
6. Some nouns have irregular plural forms. You
will have to memorize the spelling for irregular
plurals.
Singular Plural
child children
foot feet
tooth teeth
mouse mice
man / woman men / women
Generalizations for forming plural
nouns:
7. A few nouns have the same singular and
plural forms.

Singular Plural
sheep sheep
Chinese Chinese
moose moose
grapefruit grapefruit
deer deer
salmon salmon
Generalizations for forming plural
nouns:
8. A few nouns have only plural forms.

Plural
scissors
jeans
savings
dues
Generalizations for forming plural
nouns:
9. A few nouns that end with s look plural
but are considered singular.

Singular
measles
news
economics
dues
 Generalizations for forming plural
nouns:

Compound Nouns
10. For most compound nouns, make the most
important word plural.
• For a compound noun written as one word,
make the last part plural.
• For a compound noun written with hyphens
or as separate words, make the key word
plural.
 Multiple Choice
Which 2 words correctly complete
these sentences?
We bought a pair of _____ and some _____
at the yard sale.

A. ski . . . dishes

B. skis . . . dishs

C. skies . . . dishes

D. skis . . . dishes
 CORRECT!
We bought a pair of _skis_ and
some _dishes_ at the yard sale.
 Multiple Choice

One of her _______ is studying _______ in

the wild.

A. hobbys . . . monkeyes

B. hobbyes . . . monkies

C. hobbies . . . monkeys

D. hobbys. . . monkees
 CORRECT!
One of her _hobbies_ is
studying _monkeys_ in the wild.
 Multiple Choice

A team of ______ pulled a wagon with three

_______ inside.

A. ox . . . woman

B. oxen . . . women

C. oxes . . . women

D. oxens . . . womans
 CORRECT!
A team of _oxen_ pulled a wagon
with three _women_ inside.
 Multiple Choice

Near the campsite they saw two _______

and several ________.

A. deer . . . moose

B. deers . . . moose

C. deers . . . mooses

D. deer . . . meese
 CORRECT!
Near the campsite they saw two
_deer_ and several _moose_.