You can probably recall that

are words that name people, animals, places, things, and ideas. Here, we will take a closer look at singular and plural nouns. Provide examples and give you the information you need for using singular and plural nouns.

When you are talking about one person, animal, place, or thing, use a singular noun.

➤ Use a or an before singular nouns.

➤ Use an before words beginning with vowels(a, e, i, o, u)

an axe an igloo an egg an envelope an orange an umbrella an ice cream an uncle

➤ But some words do not follow this rule. For example, use a (not an) before these words that begin with u:





a uniform a university





➤ Use a before words beginning with the other letters of the alphabet, called consonants.

a basket a rainbow a bowl a monster a car a pillow a hill a house a watch a zoo

➤ But some words do not follow this rule. For example, use an (not a) before these words that begin with h:





an heir an honour an hour









Plural Nouns

When you are talking about two or more people, animals, places, or things, use plural nouns.





➤ Most nouns are made plural by adding -s at the end.

Singular Plural Singular Plural star stars doll Dolls bat bats egg Eggs mug mugs flower flowers fan fans fork forks cap caps game games bird birds lamb lambs broom brooms nest nests camel camels camel camels pen pens desk desks photo photos shirt shirts desk desks shirt shirts

➤ Some plural nouns end in -es.

When the last letters of the singular nouns are ch, sh, s, ss, or x, usually add -es to form the plural.

Singular Plural Singular Plural bus buses glass glasses brush brushes watch watches fox foxes beach beaches branch branches box boxes bush bushes church churches dish dishes dress dresses witch witches sandwich sandwiches

➤ Some plural nouns end -ies. Nouns like these are made plural by changing y to i and adding -es.

Singular Plural Singular Plural butterfl y butterfl i es canar y canar i es lil y lil i es bab y bab i es cand y cand i es cherr y cherr i es diar y diar i es dictionar y dictionar i es fair y fair i es famil y famil i es fl y fl i es lad y lad i es librar y librar i es pupp y pupp i es stor y stor i es strawberr y strawberr i es

➤ What if there is a vowel before the y? In that case, add -s to form the plural.

Singular Plural Singular Plural k e y keys turk e y turkeys tr a y trays chimn e y chimneys cowb o y cowboys d a y days donk e y donkeys jers e y jerseys kidn e y kidneys monk e y monkeys t o y toys troll e y trolleys

➤ If a noun ends in -f, often change f to v and add -es.

Singular Plural Singular Plural cal f cal v es loa f loa v es el f el v es shel f shel v es hal f hal v es thie f thie v es lea f lea v es wol f wol v es

➤ Often nouns that end in -f, just need -s to form the plural.

Singular Plural Plural Plural chef chefs chief chiefs cliff cliffs roof roofs sheriff sheriffs handkerchief handkerchiefs

➤ For some words that end in -f, the plural can be spelt in two different ways.

Singular Plural dwarf dwarfs or dwarves hoof hoofs or hooves scarf scarfs or scarves

➤ With some words that end in -fe, change f to v and add -s.

Singular Plural kni f e kni v es li f e li v es wi f e wi v es

* But only add -s to giraffe to form the plural.





➤ If a noun ends in -o, just add -s to form the plural.

Singular Plural a rhino rhinos a kangaroo kangaroos a hippo hippos a video videos a zoo zoos

➤ But with some nouns that end in -o, add -es to form the plural.

Singular Plural a flamingo flamingoes a tomato tomatoes a potato potatoes a hero heroes

➤ With some nouns that end in -o, add either -s or -es to form the plural.

Singular Plural Plural a mango mangoes mangos a mosquito mosquitoes Mosquitos a zero zeroes zeros a buffalo buffaloes baffalos

➤ Some plural nouns do not follow the -s rule. They don't end in -s, -es, -ies, or -ves. Instead, the word changes form.

Singular Plural mouse mice goose geese child children man men ox oxen tooth teeth woman women foot feet

* The plural of the mouse that you use with your computer is either mice or mouses.





➤ Some plural nouns are same as the singular noun.

Singular Plural sheep sheep reindeer reindeer fish fish bison bison deer deer

* You can use fishes as the plural of fish when you are talking about different kinds of fish.

All the fishes of the Pacific Ocean.





➤ Some nouns are always plural.

binoculars goggles pliers pants pajamas shorts trousers sandals scissors sneakers slippers stockings jeans spectacles

* Another word for spectacles is glasses.





➤ You can make these plural nouns singular by using a pair of.

a pair of binoculars a pair of spectacles a pair of googles a pair of jeans a pair of shorts a pair of pliers a pair of slippers a pair of sandals