Plural NounsTips and Tricks for Making Nouns

Plural

Copyright ©2015 Hannah Buckingham. All Rights Reserved.

What is a plural noun?

• Plural means more than one• A noun’s spelling usually changes when we turn it into a

plural

Can you think of the most common ways that we make nouns plural?

We add s or es!

Add S• Most words can be made plural by simply

adding s on the end of the word.– Cat Cats – Computer Computers – Ski Skis

Try These!

– Door – Apple – Monkey

DoorsApples

Monkeys

Add ES

• Other words need es added onto the end of them• These words usually end in -ch, -x, -s, or s-like sounds

– Box Boxes– Kiss Kisses– Witch Witches

Try These!

– Fox – Bus Foxes

Buses

What is an irregular plural noun?

Irregular plural nouns become plural by changing their spelling other than “s” or “es”.• ies• ves• Or a different spelling change

But Wait!• To really confuse us, some words stay exactly the same!

Y to ies• When words end in a consonant + y, we drop

the y and add ies

• However, if the word ends in a vowel (a, e, i, o, u) + y, we just add an s (like monkeys or keys)– Penny Pennies– City Cities

Try These!– Sky – Baby

SkiesBabies

F or fe to ves• Words that end in f or fe need to be changed to ves• Drop the f or fe, replace it with a v, then add es

– Wolf Wolves– Scarf Scarves

Try These!– Half – Elf

HalvesElves

Change the Whole Word• Other times, words have to be changed completely to become

plural!• No rules – they just take practice to remember

– Woman Women– Goose Geese– Foot Feet

Do you know the plural form of these words?– Mouse – Child

MiceChildren

Stay the Same• Some words stay the exact same when

they become plural!– Sheep Sheep– Fish Fish– Deer Deer– Moose Moose– Scissors Scissors

Reminder!• Adding ‘s DOES NOT make a word plural!• ‘s shows possession – meaning something belongs to

someone• For example, “Jacob’s computer” tells who the computer

belongs to (Jacob)…this doesn’t mean that there is more than one Jacob

Ex: “The dogs were barking” means more than one dog was barking

Ex: “The dog’s bed was destroyed” means that the bed belongs to the dog

Summary• Plural means more than one• Usually, we can just add s or es• When words end in a consonant + y, we

drop the y and add ies• When words end in f or fe, drop the f or fe

and add ves• Some words don’t have a rule – they just

change completely!• On rare occasions, words stay the EXACT

SAME!