The Plural Forms of Words

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What Are the Plural Forms of Words?

The word "plural" means "more than one in number." So, the plural form of the word "cat" is "cats," and the plural form of "mouse" is "mice." (Plural is the opposite of singular.)

The term "plural" does not apply to just nouns (e.g., cats, mice), it also applies to pronouns, determiners, and verbs. For example:

Word Type	Example in the Singular Form	Example in the Plural Form
Noun	ant man child	ants men children
Determiner	this that	these those
Pronoun	I he she it him her	we you they us them
Verb	I am he plays it is trying	you are they play they are trying

Forming the Plurals of Nouns

In most cases, a noun will form its plural by adding "s" to the singular form. For example:

• 1 dog > 2 dogs
• 1 house > 2 houses
• 1 video > 2 videos

The spelling rules for forming the plurals of nouns (e.g., whether to add "s," "es," or "ies") usually depend on how the noun ends. However, the ending can also depend on a noun's derivation (e.g., "stadia" is acceptable plural of "stadium" due to its Latin derivation). Here are some pages about forming the plurals of nouns:

• How to form the plurals of nouns (spelling rules)
• How to form the plurals of compound nouns (e.g., mothers-in-law, Knights Templar)
• How to form the plurals of abbreviations (e.g., MOTs, L.R.S.s)

Warning: You must not insert your own apostrophe before the "s" when forming a plural. This is a serious grammar mistake.

What Are the Plural Pronouns?

The plural personal pronouns are "we," "you," and "they." They contrast with the singular personal pronouns, which are "I," "you," "he," "she," and "it." (NB: The personal pronoun "you" can be both singular or plural. That's because you can say "you" to mean one person or several.)

Here are the personal pronouns in a table with their full names (plural pronouns shaded):

Pronoun	Name
I	first person singular
You	second person singular
He / She / It	third person singular
We	first person plural
You	second person plural
They	third person plural

What Is the Plural Form of a Verb?

The plural form of a verb is the form that fits with a plural subject. In this table, the plural verbs are shaded in gray.

Pronoun	Name	Example Verb Past Tense	Example Verb Present Tense	Example Verb Future Tense
I	first person singular	I ate	I eat	I will eat
You	second person singular	You ate	You eat	You will eat
He / She / It	third person singular	He ate	He eats	He will eat
We	first person plural	We ate	We eat	We will eat
You	second person plural	You ate	You eat	You will eat
They	third person plural	They ate	They eat	They will eat

English is unusual because the singular and plural forms of verbs in each tense are identical. The only exception is the third-person-singular form in the present tense (shown in red). This is why English is easier to learn than many other languages. In most other languages, there would be a different spelling in every single box in the table above. Read more about subject-verb agreement.

What Are Plural Demonstrative Determiners?

The demonstrative determiners (called demonstrative adjectives in traditional grammar) are "this," "that," "these," and "those."

The singular ones are "this" and "that." The plural ones are "these" and "those."

This is worth knowing because "these" and "those" must be paired with a plural word. In others, you cannot say:

• These kind of things.

You must say:

• These kinds of things.

Forming the Plurals of Foreign Words

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

Here is a list of awkward plurals in English.

"Plural" Also Applies to Zero

Somewhat counter-intuitively, the word "plural" also applies to zero. Look at this list.

• 0 dogs (plural)
• 1 dog (singular)
• 2 dogs (plural)
• 3 dogs (plural)

Now look at this example:

• There are no alligators in the lake.
(Note that "no" attracts the plural verb "are" and the plural noun "alligators.")

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