Nouns and Number :
Nouns can be singular or plural. Only countable nouns can have a plural form. The plural
of the nouns can be formed in various ways.
by adding s
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car - cars
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dog - dogs
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nail — nails
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hat - hats
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window - windows
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umbrella – umbrellas
for nouns ending in s, ss, sh, ch, o and x - by adding es
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box — boxes
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bus — buses
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bush - bushes
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dress - dresses
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match - matches
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mosquito – mosquitoes
However, some nouns that end in o take an s in the plural form.
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cuckoo - cuckoos
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piano — pianos
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photo — photos
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radio - radios
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stereo — stereos
for nouns ending in f or fe - by removing the f or fe and adding ves
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knife - knives
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leaf — leaves
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thief — thieves
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wife – wives
However some nouns ending in f take an s in the plural form.
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chief - chiefs
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gulf -gulfs
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proof - proofs
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roof – roofs
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(but hoof - hooves)
for nouns ending in y - by removing the y and adding ies
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baby - babies
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lady - ladies
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pony - ponies
However, words like day, boy, key, monkey and donkey take an s.
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boy - boys
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day — days
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donkey - donkeys
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key - keys
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monkey — monkeys
Some nouns change their complete form in the plural.
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child - children
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foot - feet
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goose - geese
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man - men
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woman — women
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louse - lice
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mouse - mice
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tooth — teeth
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(but house - houses)
In compound nouns or nouns that are made up of two words, the main word changes
to the plural.
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fountain pen - fountain pens
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passer-by - passers-by
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water bottle — water bottles
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grown-up — grown-ups
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daughter-in-law — daughters-in-law
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runner-up — runners-up
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commander-in-chief - commanders-in-chief
Some nouns remain the same in the plural.
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sheep—sheep
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articles of dress - shoes, socks, jeans, trousers
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tools - scissors, pliers, tongs
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subjects - Civics, Mathematics, Physics, Economics
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diseases - mumps, measles
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sports - billiards, athletics, gymnastics
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other nouns - innings, wages, news, spectacles
Some nouns remain the same in the plural form if they are used to denote many of
the same kind, but change if they are used to denote many of different species.
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one fish - many fish (if they are all of the same species)
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one fish — many fishes (if they belong to different species)
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grass — grass (an uncountable noun, hence does not change in the plural form, if the
grass is of the same kind)
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grass - grasses (if the grasses are of various kinds)
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one fruit - many fruit (if they are all of the same kind)
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one fruit - many fruits (if they belong to different kinds)
RELATED PAGES :
- The Noun
- Kinds of Nouns
- Kinds of Nouns in English
- Types of Nouns in English
- Correct Usage of Nouns
- Classification of Nouns
- Proper Nouns
- Common Nouns
- Abstract Nouns
- Collective Nouns
- Nouns of Multitude
- Material Nouns
- Compound Nouns
- Concrete Nouns
- Countable Nouns
- Uncountable Nouns
- Count Nouns
- Mass Nouns
- Pronouns
- Abstract Nouns formed from Adjectives
- Abstract Nouns formed from Common Nouns
- Abstract Nouns formed from Verbs
- Abstract Nouns of the same form as Verbs
- Absolute Phrases
- Noun and Gender
- Nouns and Gender
- Masculine Nouns and Feminine Nouns
- Masculine Nouns
- Feminine Nouns
- Ways of forming the feminine of nouns
- Exceptional Masculine Nouns and Feminine Nouns
- Exceptional Feminine Nouns
- Foreign Feminine Nouns
- Nouns in Common Gender
- Common Gender Nouns
- Neuter Pronouns
- Neuter Gender Nouns
- Gender of Personified Things
- Noun and Case
- Kinds of Cases in English
- Noun and Number
- Singular and Plural
- Singular Nouns and Plural Nouns
- Ways of forming plurals
- Formation of Plurals
- Compound Nouns and Plurals
- Noun Infinitive
- Noun to Verb
- The Noun
Nouns and Number
Nouns and Number To HOME PAGE
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