Forming Plurals in English (with Table of Endings)
Spelling Rules for Forming Plurals
Most nouns are made plural by adding s to the end. However, there are many other ways to form plurals, depending on the ending of the word.Table of Plural Endings
Here is a table showing the rules for forming plurals in English:Type | Example of Type | Forming the Plural | Plural |
---|---|---|---|
Most Nouns | lamp scythe |
add s | lamps scythes |
Noun Ending s, sh, ch, x or z | dress | add es | dresses |
Nouns ending [consonant] o | hero zero tomato |
add either s or es (There are no rules for this - you have to know.) |
heroes zeros tomatoes |
Nouns ending [vowel] o | patio ratio |
add s | patios ratios |
Nouns ending [consonant] y | story penny |
change the y to an i and add es | stories pennies |
Nouns ending [vowel] y | journey donkey |
add s | journeys donkeys |
Nouns ending f or fe | dwarf hoof |
ves and/or s (There are no rules - you have to know.) |
dwarfs hooves or hoofs |
Exceptions | man louse |
some nouns undergo a vowel or letters change |
men lice |
More exceptions | salmon sheep |
some nouns do not change at all | salmon sheep |
Are You Good at Plurals?
Here's a quick test.Words Taken from Foreign Languages
Words "stolen" from other languages form their plurals in a variety of ways.Examples:
stadium > stadia or stadiums
(Through common usage, the plural stadiums is acceptable too.)
datum > data
radius > radii or radiuses
(Through common usage, the plural radiuses is acceptable too.)
agendum > agenda
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