What Is the Plural of Tortoise?
The Quick Answer
The plural of "tortoise" is "tortoises."- Tortoises are shielded from predators by a shell.
- Some tortoises are known to have lived for longer than 150 years.
Are You Good at Plurals?
Here's a quick test.The Standard Rules for Forming the Plurals
The table below shows the standard rules for forming the plurals of nouns in English.Type | Example of Type | Forming the Plural | Plural |
---|---|---|---|
Most Nouns | tortoise scythe |
add s | tortoises scythes |
Noun Ending s, sh, ch, x or z | bus dress |
add es | buses dresses |
Nouns ending [consonant] o | mango zero tomato |
add either s or es (There are no rules for this - you have to know.) |
mangoes or mangos 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 | storey () donkey |
add s | storeys donkeys |
Nouns ending f or fe | dwarf knife |
ves and/or s (There are no rules - you have to know.) |
dwarfs knives |
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 |
Why Is There Confusion over the Plural of Tortoise?
There is confusion because inexperienced writers often feel compelled to add an apostrophe when a noun ends with a vowel (e.g., piano, tomato, emu). Adding 's is never an option when forming the plural of a noun.You might also like...
Unusual pluralsPlural forming table
Quirks with forming plurals
Forming the plurals of abbreviations
Forming the plurals of compound nouns
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