How to use the plural in English

Plural Nouns in English

Singular = 1
Plural = 2, 3, 4… or more (plural = more than one)

In English we normally add S to a noun when it is plural.

• 1 dog (dog – singular)
• 2 dogs (dogs – plural)
• 1 screwdrive (screwdrive – singular)
• 2 screwdrivers (screwdrivers – plural)

More examples of regular plural nouns:

• I have an apple. She has three apples.
• I need a glass. We need two glasses.
• He has a pig. I have two pigs.
• We need three oranges, a pineapple and two apples for the fruit salad.

Plural Nouns – Spelling exceptions

When the noun ends in S, SH, CH, X or Z, we add -ES to the noun.

• 1 kiss – 2 kisses
• 1 dish – 2 dishes
• 1 box – 2 boxes

When the noun ends in CONSONANT + Y, we remove the Y and add -IES to the noun.

• 1 party – 2 parties
• 1 baby – 2 babies
• 1 story – 2 stories
• 1 alley – 2 allies

Note when a noun ends in a VOWEL + Y, we just add -S

• 1 day – 2 days
• 1 key – 2 keys
• 1 guy – 2 guys

When the noun ends in F or FE, we remove the F/FE and add -VES to the noun.

• 1 life – 2 lives
• 1 knife – 2 knives
• 1 leaf – 2 leaves

Note, there are some exceptions to this rule:

• roof – roofs
• cliff – cliffs
• chief – chiefs
• belief – beliefs
• chef – chefs

With the word Quiz, we double the final Z in plural form before adding the -ES.

1 buz – 2 buzzes

If the noun ends in a CONSONANT + O, we normally add -ES to the noun.

• 1 volcano – 2 volcanoes
• 1 hero – 2 heroes
• 1 potato – 2 potatoes‍
• 1 tomato – 2 tomatoes

There are some exceptions to this rule:

• photo – photos
• piano – pianos

Irregular Plural Nouns in English

There are some nouns that have very irregular plural nouns and that don’t have an S at the end.
Some common irregular plural nouns in English are:

• 1 woman – 2 women
• 1 child – 2 children‍
• 1 foot – 2 feet
• 1 tooth – 2 teeth
• 1 mouse – 2 mice
• 1 person – 2 people

Irregular Plural Nouns that don’t change in English

Some other irregular plural nouns are the words that do NOT change in plural form.

• 1 fish – 2 fish (my favourite)
• 1 sheep – 2 sheep
• 1 deer – 2 deer
• 1 series – 2 series