Regular Plural Nouns: Add -S
| wall | walls |
| ski | skis |
| cat | cats |
Nouns Ending in -ch, -sh, -x, -s sounds: Add -ES
| switch | switches |
| brush | brushes |
| box | boxes |
| address | addresses |
Exception: When -CH is pronounced like K (stomach/stomachs)
Nouns Ending in -y: End with -IES
| baby | babies |
| army | armies |
| puppy | puppies |
Nouns Ending in -F sound: Change to -VES
| knife | knives |
| wife | wives |
| half | halves |
| self | selves |
| wolf | wolves |
| leaf | leaves |
There are some exceptions, such as chef/chefs & roof/roofs
Nouns Ending in -O: -S or -ES
(depends on the word!)
Always –ES:
| potato/tomato | potatoes/tomatoes |
| hero | heroes |
| torpedo | torpedoes |
| echo | echoes |
Always –S:
| stereo | stereos |
| memo | memos |
| solo | solos |
| zoo | zoos |
| studio | studios |
Some can be both!
| ghetto | ghettos | ghettoes |
| mango | mangos | mangoes |
| motto | mottos | mottoes |
| tornado | tornados | tornadoes |
| tuxedo | tuxedos | tuxedoes |
| volcano | volcanos | volcanoes |
Nouns that look plural, but take a singular verb:
news – The news was so depressing.
gymnastics – Gymnastics is great for getting in shape.
economics/mathematics – Economics is quite difficult.
Nouns that look singular, but take a plural verb:
pants – These pants are too small.
scissors – Where are the scissors?
glasses – When I last saw your glasses, they were on the table.
VERY Irregular Nouns
| man | men |
| woman | women |
| child | children |
| person | people |
| tooth | teeth |
| foot | feet |
| vertebra | vertebrae |
| mouse | mice |
| goose | geese |
Nouns that do not change
- one sheep, two sheep
- one deer, two deer
- one fish, two fish
- one series, two series
- one species, two species
Latin/Greek words: US –> I
| alumnus/alumna | alumni |
| cactus | cacti |
| fungus | fungi |
| nucleus | nuclei |
| stimulus | stimuli |
Latin/Greek words: IS –> ES
| analysis | analyses |
| crisis | crises |
| diagnosis | diagnoses |
| hypothesis | hypotheses |
| oasis | oases |
Latin/Greek Words: UM/ON –> A
| bacterium | bacteria |
| criterion | criteria |
| curriculum | curricula |
| datum | data |
| millennium | millennia |
| phenomenon | phenomena |
