Learn English at Engspire โSingular Plural
Regular Nouns
Most singular nouns form the plural by adding -s.
Examples
| Singular | Plural |
|---|---|
| boat | boats |
| house | houses |
| cat | cats |
| river | rivers |
A singular noun ending in -s, -x, -z, -ch, -sh makes the plural by adding -es.
Examples
| Singular | Plural |
|---|---|
| penny | pennies |
| spy | spies |
| baby | babies |
| daisy | daisies |
Irregular Nouns
There are some irregular noun plurals. The most common ones are listed below.
Examples
| Singular | Plural |
|---|---|
| woman | women |
| man | men |
| child | children |
| person | people |
| tooth | teeth |
| foot | feet |
| leaf | leaves |
| mouse | mice |
| louse | lice |
| goose | geese |
| half | halves |
| knife | knives |
| wife | wives |
| life | lives |
| elf | elves |
| loaf | loaves |
| tomato | tomatoes |
| cactus | cacti |
| focus | foci |
| fungus | fungi |
| nucleus | nuclei |
| syllabus | syllabi/syllabuses |
| analysis | analyses |
| diagnosis | diagnoses |
| oasis | oases |
| thesis | theses |
| crisis | crises |
| phenomenon | phenomena |
| criterion | criteria |
| datum | data |
Some nouns have the same form in the singular and the plural.
Examples
| Singular | Plural |
|---|---|
| sheep | sheep |
| fish | fish |
| deer | deer |
| species | species |
| aircraft | aircraft |
Subject-Verb Agreement of Irregular Nouns
Plural noun with a singular verb
Some nouns have a plural form but take a singular verb.
Examples
news
- The news is at 6.30 p.m.
athletics
- Athletics is good for young people.
linguistics
- Linguistics is the study of language.
darts
- Darts is a popular game in England.
billiards
- Billiards is played all over the world.
Plural noun with a plural verb
Some nouns have a fixed plural form and take a plural verb. They are not used in the singular, or they have a different meaning in the singular. Nouns like this include: trousers, jeans, glasses, savings, thanks, steps, stairs, customs, congratulations, tropics, wages, spectacles, outskirts, goods, wits
Examples
trousers
- My trousers are too tight.
jeans
- Her jeans are black.
glasses
- Those glasses are his.