Singular And Plural
Nouns And Pronouns: Singular And Plural
Singular And Plural
Singular And Plural Nouns
What you'll learn
- Singular means one; plural means more than one.
- Most nouns become plural by adding -s (cat → cats) or -es (box → boxes).
- Some nouns change completely — these are irregular plurals (child → children, mouse → mice).
- To choose the correct plural form when writing sentences.
Key concepts
Level 1 — Regular plurals
Verbal: Add -s to most nouns; add -es to nouns ending in s, x, ch, sh.
| Rule | Singular | Plural |
|---|---|---|
| Add -s | cat, dog, key | cats, dogs, keys |
| Add -es (s/x/sh/ch ending) | box, bus, dish | boxes, buses, dishes |
| Change y to i, add -es | city, baby | cities, babies |
| Change f/fe to v, add -es | leaf, knife | leaves, knives |
Level 2 — Irregular plurals
Verbal: Some very common nouns do not follow any rule — they must be learnt by heart.
| Singular | Plural |
|---|---|
| child | children |
| man | men |
| woman | women |
| tooth | teeth |
| foot | feet |
| mouse | mice |
Real-life: You will see these irregular words often in stories and school books, so memorising them helps reading fluency.
Worked example
Fill: I saw three ___ playing near the tree. (child)
Step 1 — 'Child' is an irregular noun.
Step 2 — Its plural is 'children', not 'childs'.
Answer: I saw three children playing near the tree.
Common mistakes
| Mistake | Why it happens | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| "childs", "mans", "foots" | Applying the regular -s rule everywhere | Learn irregular plurals separately |
| "boxs" instead of "boxes" | Forgetting the -es rule after x | Add -es after s, x, sh, ch |
| "citys" instead of "cities" | Forgetting the y-to-i rule | Change y to i, then add -es |
| Using singular after a number | Rushing while writing | Numbers greater than one need a plural noun |
Quick check
- Plural of 'leaf': ?
- Plural of 'tooth': ?
- Fill: There are five ___ (glass) on the table.
- Stretch: Write two sentences, one with a regular plural and one with an irregular plural.
Revision tip: Make a two-column list of five regular and five irregular plurals from your English book.
Open the Practice tab for graded questions on Singular And Plural.
Key Takeaways (TL;DR)
- What you'll learn
- Key concepts
- Worked example
- Common mistakes
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