Mastering the formation of plural nouns is essential for proper English grammar and syntax. In English grammar, a noun denotes either one object (singular) or more than one (plural), and learning these rules ensures accurate sentence structure.
What is Number in English Grammar?
Number is a grammatical category indicating whether a noun denotes a single object or multiple objects. In the former instance, it is said to be of the Singular Number; in the latter, of the Plural.
The General Rule for changing the Singular into the Plural form of a Noun, or Name, is to add the letter "s," or "es;" as, tree, trees; box, boxes.
What Are the Special Rules for Plural Nouns?
Beyond the basic rule, English features several special guidelines for specific word endings, irregular forms, and foreign borrowings.
1. Nouns Ending in Y and F/FE
- Nouns ending in y, after a consonant, change the y into ies; as, outery into outeries; fly into flies. Other nouns ending in y add an s. Proper nouns in y do not change it into ies, but only add an s.
- Nouns in f or fe change these endings into ves to form the plural; as, calf, calves. Nouns ending in ff add an s in the plural; as, puff, puffs.
2. Nouns Ending in S, SH, CH, Z, and O
The plural of nouns ending in s, sh, soft ch, 2, 2, or o, is formed by adding es. When ch has the sound of k, only s is added to the singular; as, monarch becomes monarchs.
3. Irregular Plural Nouns
Many nouns are irregular in the formation of the plural; as, man, men; child, children; goose, geese; penny, pennies (meaning pieces of coin), or (when value is meant) pence; die, dice; tooth, teeth; index, indexes, or indices; sow (a single animal), sows; sow or swine (the species), swine, &c.
4. Plural of Compound Nouns
Most compound nouns form the plural regularly; as, handful, handfuls; spoonful, spoonfuls. For more details on this topic, check our guide on plural of compound nouns. Compound nouns in which the principal word is first, pluralize the first word; as, father-in-law, fathers-in-law; aid-de-camp, aids-de-camp. The compounds of man form the plural in men; as, fisherman, fishermen; but there are nouns accidentally ending in man which have the plural formed by adding &, as in the general rule. Thus, talisman, talismans; Mussulman, Mussulmans. Man-servant and woman-servant pluralize both constituent words; as, men-servants, women-servants.
5. Proper Names and Titles in the Plural
Proper names, when used in the plural, as when two or more persons of the same name are classed together, take the plural form; as, The Browns, The Boyds. With a title, The Mr. Browns; The Miss Boyds. If the persons are to be individualized, the title only is pluralized; thue, The Messrs. Brown; The Messrs. James and Andrew Brown; The Misses Agnes and Elizabeth Boyd. The name and title should not both be pluralized; as, The Messrs. Browns.
When two or more individuals, holding the same office are spoken of, the name of office is to be pluralized; as, The Bishops Eastburn and Potter; The Generals Scott and Ripley, Lords Brougham and Macaulay.
Any part of speech, used as a noun, or as a mere name, forms the plural like nouns of a similar termination; as, the ayes and noes; the ins and outs; his ands and his buts; the Websters, the Calhouns of the country.
6. Numerical Figures, Letters, and Mathematical Symbols
Numerical figures, letters, and mathematical symbols, receive a plural form by adding s, with an apostrophe preceding; as, three b's; four c's; cross your t's and place a dot over the 's. The +'s are more than the -'s.
7. Nouns with Only Singular, Only Plural, or Identical Forms
Some nouns have only the singular number; as, iron, lead, milk, sculpture, flour, goodness, wisdom. Some are used only as plural nouns; as, clothes, dregs, letters (literature), archives, ashes, annals, manners, morals, minutia, tidings, thanks, drawers, pincers, scissors, tongs, shears. Some are used in both numbers, possessing the same form; as, sheep, trout, gallous, pains, ethics, mathematics, pneumatics, series, salmon, deer, species, head of cattle (denoting individual cattle), fish and fowl (meaning the class). When individuals are denoted, the regular plural form must be used-fishes and fowls.
After numeral adjectives, the words cavalry, foot, horse, infantry, sail, weight, pair, couple, score, hundred, &c., are used in the singular and plural; as, six hundred, one hundred; three can non, one cannon. But without a numeral adjective the most of such words take the plural form; as, by hundreds; by dozens. Foot and horse, referring to bodies of soldiers, and people, meaning persons, are regarded as plural; as, "Many people were engaged." People (denoting a community or body of persons) is a collective noun, in the singular, but it sometimes takes the plural form; as, "Many peoples and nations."
Amends and means, referring to one object, are singular; to more than one, plural. In the singular form, mea denotes the middle between two extremes. News is for the most part construed as singular-so also, molasses, measles; alms, and riches, and oats, as plural.
8. Foreign Nouns and Their Plurals
Nouns derived from foreign languages often retain the plural form of the languages to which they belong: Datum, data; desideratum, desiderata; emphasis, emphases; criterion, criteria; hypothesis, hypotheses; radius, radii; seraph, seraphim; vertex, vertices. Some foreign words, by common use, have acquired also the English plural form: Medium, mediums memorandum, memorandums; formula, formulas; genius, geniuses (when per sons of genius are meant); genius, genii (when aerial spirits are meant).
For more particular rules, and exceptions under them, and more numerous examples, some English Grammar may be consulted. In conformity to the above rules, may be written out the following
EXERCISES
Correct the form of the nouns, when they require it, in the following examples:
The heros of the Revolution. The echos are remarkably numerous. I counted fourteen ladys. There were three loafs of bread. The Pompies of the age. The Tullies of America. Had I three lifes to spend, they should all be given. Those men were remark able genii. The Mussulmen of Persia are great opponents of Christianity. These things may be used as talismen. I saw three man-servants and two woman-servants. Use two spoonsful of saleratus, and three handsful of flour. How many die were thrown? How many penny was it worth? How many pence have you? The Mr. Taylors. Miss Jane and Sarah Porters. The Messrs. Harpers and Appletons. The army had two commander in-chiefs. He was tried by several court-martials. She had two father-in-laws. The datums are incorrect. Margaret had too many beaus. There were five stratums of rocks. Five seraphims were engaged in worship. All the radiuses of the same circle are equal. The emphasises are not correctly laid. Bishop Carter and Lewis. Mind your ps and gs. Dot your is and cross your ts. Look well at the sands. He employed only the dreg of his time. Have you learned the tiding of the battle? He had two pairs of drawer. He made amend to me and this was the mean of avoiding a contest. He employed guns and pistols, and by this means overpowered me. How many molasses did you purchase? His riches was great.
Key Takeaways
- Most singular nouns form their plural by adding -s or -es.
- Nouns ending in a consonant plus y change to -ies, whereas proper nouns in y simply add -s.
- Compound nouns usually pluralize the main component or follow specific internal rules.
- Foreign loanwords frequently retain their original Latin, Greek, or Hebrew plural endings.
Quick Practice
Test your understanding! Try correcting the plural forms of hero, lady, and datum according to the rules above. Write your answers in the comments below!
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the general rule for plural nouns?
The general rule for changing a singular noun into its plural form is to add the letter "s" or "es" to the end of the word.
How do foreign nouns form their plurals?
Nouns derived from foreign languages often retain their original plural forms, such as changing datum to data or radius to radii, though some have also acquired standard English plural forms.
How do compound nouns form plurals?
Most compound nouns pluralize regularly at the end (e.g., spoonfuls), but compounds where the principal word comes first require pluralizing that specific word (e.g., fathers-in-law).