Lesson 6 of 36 · beginner
Plural Nouns
Learn how to make singular nouns plural correctly.
Regular plurals
Add -s to most nouns. Add -es after s, x, ch, sh, or o.
- cat → cats
- bus → buses
- box → boxes
- watch → watches
- potato → potatoes
Nouns ending in -y
If a consonant comes before -y, change y to i and add -es. If a vowel comes before -y, just add -s.
- baby → babies
- city → cities
- day → days
- toy → toys
Irregular plurals
Some nouns don't follow the rules and must be memorized.
- man → men
- woman → women
- child → children
- foot → feet
- mouse → mice
- person → people
Nouns that don't change
Some nouns have the same form in singular and plural — you tell them apart using the surrounding words.
- one fish / three fish
- one sheep / ten sheep
- one deer / a herd of deer
- one aircraft / two aircraft
More examples in context
Practice spotting plural forms across a mix of regular and irregular nouns.
- We saw several wolves in the forest.
- There are two knives missing from the drawer.
- She collects old photographs.
- The children left their shoes by the door.
- How many leaves fell from that tree?
- The buses were late again this morning.
Common mistakes to avoid
These are frequent plural noun errors, and how to correct them.
- ✗ I have two knifes. → ✓ I have two knives. (-fe → -ves)
- ✗ There are many mans here. → ✓ There are many men here.
- ✗ She has three childs. → ✓ She has three children.
- ✗ I saw two sheeps. → ✓ I saw two sheep. (unchanged plural)
Quick practice
Write the correct plural form for each noun, then check your answer.
- leaf → ___ (answer: leaves)
- tooth → ___ (answer: teeth)
- class → ___ (answer: classes)
- wife → ___ (answer: wives)
- goose → ___ (answer: geese)