Scones with clotted cream and strawberry jam
The Plurals
Singular and plural
singular + -s
|
singular |
plural |
|
a car |
two cars |
|
a cassette |
two cassettes |
|
a lamp |
two lamps |
|
a hat |
two hats |
|
a cup |
two cups |
Add -es after sibilants:
|
singular |
plural |
|
a box |
two boxes |
|
a sandwich |
two sandwiches |
|
a suitcase |
two suitcases |
|
a rose |
two roses |
|
a garage |
two garages |
Substitute y after consonant with -ies:
|
singular |
plural |
|
a city |
two cities |
|
a lady |
two ladies |
Add -s after vowel + y:
|
singular |
plural |
|
a boy |
two boys |
|
a day |
two days |
There are two forms of the plural of the word penny:
pennies -> You refer to the coins.
pence -> You refer to the price (how much sth. is).
Nouns on -f or -fe:
|
add -s |
substitute with -ves |
||
|
singular |
plural |
singular |
plural |
|
a roof |
two roofs |
a thief |
two thieves |
|
a cliff |
two cliffs |
a wife |
two wives |
|
a sheriff |
two sheriffs |
a shelf |
two shelves |
There are two forms possible:
scarf - scarfs/scarves
hoof - hoofs/hooves
Add -s for words ending in -ff.
Nouns on -o form the plural by adding -s or -es.
|
add -s |
substitute with -ves |
||
|
singular |
plural |
singular |
plural |
|
a disco |
two discos |
a tomato |
two tomatoes |
|
a piano |
two pianos |
a potato |
two potatoes |
|
a photo |
two photos |
a hero |
two heroes |
Some nouns can have two plural forms:
buffalo - buffalos/buffaloes
mosquito - mosquitos/mosquitoes
tornado - tornados/tornadoes
There is no rule when to use -s or -es. We often add -s with technical words.
Irregular plural forms:
|
singular |
plural |
|
a man |
two men |
|
a woman |
two women |
|
a child |
two children |
|
a mouse |
two mice |
|
a tooth |
two teeth |
|
a goose |
two geese |
|
a foot |
two feet |
|
an ox |
two oxen |