Practice
English plurals: regular patterns and common exceptions
One book, two books. The extra s is familiar, but English has a few plural patterns worth learning as whole words.
Form regular English plurals and choose several common irregular plural nouns in short everyday sentences.
Read and practice
Read the examples and try the written questions in this guide. Listening recordings are not available for this lesson yet.
Try the written questions
plural /ˈplʊə.rəl/
The short answer
For most nouns, add -s. Add -es after endings such as -s, -x, -z, -ch, and -sh. Learn irregular plurals, such as people and children, as complete word pairs.
The shop sells fresh peaches in summer.
Why it works: Peach ends in -ch, so its regular plural is peaches.
5 more examples
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We packed three shirts for the trip.
Shirt takes the usual -s plural ending.
Not this:We packed
one shirtfor the trip. What changes: After one, use the singular noun shirt. -
The buses stop outside the station.
Bus ends in -s, so add -es for the plural.
Not this:The
bus stopsoutside the station. What changes: Bus is singular here, and the verb takes stops. -
The library has several shelves for new books.
Shelf changes f to v before the plural ending.
Not this:The library has
one shelffor new books. What changes: Shelf is singular after one. -
Two children waited near the entrance.
Children is an irregular plural of child.
Not this:
One childwaited near the entrance. What changes: Child is the singular form. -
We saw two deer at the edge of the field.
Deer has the same form for one and for more than one.
Not this:We saw
one deerat the edge of the field. What changes: The noun deer does not change after one.
Read the full guide
First decide whether you mean one or more than one. Then check the end of the noun. If it has an ordinary spelling pattern, add the right ending. If it is a common exception, choose the plural you have learned for that word.
Start with one or more than one
A singular noun names one item. A plural noun names more than one. Numbers often make the choice clear, but words such as many, a few, and several also need a plural noun.
A few customers asked the same question.
A few means more than one, so customer needs its plural form, customers.
Which noun fits after two: ticket or tickets?
Use tickets. A number greater than one takes a plural countable noun.
Add -s to most nouns
For many countable nouns, add -s to make the plural. This is the pattern to try first with ordinary nouns such as table, phone, bag, and lesson.
The students opened their notebooks.
Notebook becomes notebooks by adding -s. The same pattern appears in student and students.
Our neighbors planted new flowers.
Do not add an apostrophe just because a noun is plural. Flowers names more than one flower; it does not show possession.
Use -es after certain endings
Nouns ending in -s, -x, -z, -ch, or -sh usually add -es. The extra vowel makes the ending easier to say: buses, boxes, quizzes, watches, and dishes.
The waiter carried clean glasses to the table.
Glass ends in -ss, so the plural is glasses, not glasss.
We watched three short videos in class.
What is the plural of brush?
Brushes. The noun ends in -sh, so add -es.
Check nouns ending in -y, -f, and -fe
A consonant plus y often changes to -ies: city becomes cities. A vowel plus y usually keeps the y and adds -s: day becomes days. Several nouns ending in -f or -fe change to -ves, including leaf, life, and shelf.
The city repaired several busy streets.
City becomes cities because a consonant comes before y. Day becomes days because a vowel comes before y.
Autumn leaves covered the path.
Not every noun ending in -f changes to -ves. Roof becomes roofs. Learn these less regular words one at a time.
Learn common irregular plurals as pairs
Some important nouns do not use the regular endings. Child becomes children, person becomes people, man becomes men, woman becomes women, mouse becomes mice, and foot becomes feet.
Several people joined the online meeting.
People is the usual plural of person. Persons is used in some formal notices and legal contexts, but it is not the ordinary choice for a group.
The hikers changed their boots before the walk.
Boot is regular: boots. Foot is irregular: feet. Store each pair together when you learn it.
What is the usual plural of mouse when you mean the animal?
Mice. This is an irregular plural, so it does not take -s.
Notice nouns that do not change
A few nouns have the same singular and plural form. Deer, sheep, and fish often work this way. The words around the noun show the number.
One sheep stood near the gate, and two sheep crossed the field.
Sheep stays sheep in both parts of the sentence. One and two show the difference in number.
When you meet a noun with an unusual plural, write down the whole pair. A short note such as one deer, two deer is more useful than a rule that does not fit every noun.
Before you go
Remember this
Choose a plural when you mean more than one. Add -s for most nouns, add -es after certain endings, and learn irregular forms such as children and people as pairs. Check a dictionary when the spelling looks unusual.
Practice with the written examples
You can practice with the written questions in the Learn tab. Each answer includes an explanation.
Try the written questionsListening test not available yet
This lesson does not have the recordings needed for a listening test. Use the written questions in the guide to check your understanding.
Try the written questionsQuestions about "English plurals: regular patterns and common exceptions"
What is a plural noun in English?
A plural noun names more than one person, place, thing, or idea. Most countable nouns take a plural form after numbers greater than one and words such as many or several. For example, shirts is plural, while shirt is singular.
We packed three shirts for the trip.
When do I add -s or -es to a plural noun?
Add -s to most countable nouns, as in shirts. Add -es to nouns ending in sounds or spellings such as -s, -x, -z, -ch, and -sh. For example, the plural of bus is buses and the plural of peach is peaches.
We packed one shirt for the trip.
Why does city become cities?
For many nouns that end in a consonant plus y, change y to ies for the plural. City becomes cities. When a vowel comes before y, the word usually keeps y and adds -s, as in day and days.
The buses stop outside the station.
What are some common irregular plurals?
Common irregular plurals include child and children, person and people, foot and feet, and mouse and mice. These forms do not follow the usual -s pattern, so learn the singular and plural together.
The bus stops outside the station.
Which English nouns have the same singular and plural form?
Some nouns use the same form for one and more than one. Deer and sheep are common examples. The number word or the rest of the sentence shows whether the noun is singular or plural.
The library has several shelves for new books.
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