This document discusses the rules for forming plurals of nouns in English. It explains that most nouns form the plural by adding -s, and that -s is pronounced /s/ or /z/ depending on the preceding sound. Some common irregular plural forms are also listed, such as man/men and child/children. The document outlines several other patterns for forming plurals based on the ending of the noun, such as nouns ending in -o, -y, -f, and -fe. It also notes some nouns that are always plural and some that have no plural form.

1. Plural of Nouns

2. The plural of a noun is
usually made by adding s
to the singular:
dog – dogs
house – houses
s is pronounced /s/ after p, k
or f sound. Otherwise it is
pronounced /z/.

3. • Nouns ending in y following a
consonant form their plural by
dropping the y and adding ies:
• baby – babies
• Nouns ending in y following a
vowel form their plural by
adding s:
• day – days
• guy - guys

4. - f or fe- f or fe
13 nouns ending in f or fe change into v
and add es in the plural:
knife - knives
life - lives
wife – wifes
leaf – leaves
half – halves
shelf – shelves
loaf – loaves
thief – thieves
self – selves
wolf – wolves
calf – calves
sheaf – sheaves
elf – elves

5. Other nouns take only –s in
the plural:
• roof - roofs
• proof – proofs
• chief - chiefs

6. Nouns ending in -oNouns ending in -o
Nouns ending in –o preceded by a
consonant add –es in the plural:
• tomato – tomatoes
• hero – heroes
All nouns ending in –o preceded by a
vowel take only –s in the plural:
• studio – studios
• scenario – scenarios
Certain foreign nouns ending in –o
preceded by a consonant, take only
–s in the plural:
• piano – pianos
• kilo – kilos
• photo – photos
• Double forms:
• Fresco – frescos and frescoes
• Flamingo – flamingos and flamingoes

7. Irregular plural
• man – men
• woman – women
• child – children
• foot – feet
• tooth – teeth
• goose – geese
• mouse – mice
• louse – lice
• ox - oxen

8. Pluralia TantumPluralia Tantum
Nouns denoting the names of
things, tools and instruments
consisting of two halves are
used only in the plural:
• trousers
• shorts
• pincers
• glasses
• scissors

9. A number of words ending in
–ics (acoustics, athletics,
mathematics, politics, physics
etc) normally take a plural verb:
- His mathematics are weak.
But names of sciences can
sometimes be considered
singular:
-Mathematics is an exact science.

10. The following nouns have
the same form in the
singular and plural:
• deer
• sheep
• means
• series
• species
• cross-roads

11. Nouns indicating
nationality and ending in
–ss and –se have the same
singular and plural form:
• A Japanese – two Japanese
• A Swiss – three Swiss

12. Some nouns taken from
foreign languages keep
their original plural forms:
• basis – bases
• thesis – theses
• crisis – crises
• datum – data
• formula – formulae
• phenomenon - phenomena

13. Some nouns have different
meanings in the plural and
singular:
• arm – arms
• good – goods
• hair – hairs
• cloth – clothes
• custom - customs

14. Singularia TantumSingularia Tantum
The following nouns have
no plural form, they are
always followed by a
singular verb:
• information
• news
• advice
• courage
• knowledge
• furniture