Singular and plural of nouns.

How to make the singular and plural of English nouns.

Basic rules.

In general, making the plural of English nouns just needs an "s" at the end of the word:

car - cars
table - tables
bull - bulls
computer - computers
boy - boys

We add "es" to some nouns in the plural when they end in "o":

tomato - tomatoes
potato - potatoes
cargo - cargoes

but the rule has exceptions:

kilo - kilos (kilo, kilos)
silo - silos

When nouns end in the letters "sh", "ch", "s", "z", we must add "es" to make the plural:

wash - washes
coach - coaches
bus - buses
buzz - buzzes

See how verb conjugations in English follow the same rules...

Some nouns that end in the sound "f" make the plural by changing "f" to "v" + "es". Though the "fs" form is sometimes possible:

dwarf - dwarves / dwarfs
wife - wives

Nouns that end in consonant + y change the "y" to "i" + "es":

party - parties
cry - cries
fly - flies
poppy - poppies
copy - copies
daddy - daddies

Irregular plurals.

Some words from foreign origin use a different way to show the plural:

child - children (German)
man - men (German)
woman - women (German)
fungus - fungi (Latin)
phenomenon - phenomena (Greek)

The plural of person is usually people:

There were a lot of people in the town centre (not persons).

The plural, persons is used if we mean particular individuals:

The persons responsible should pay for the damage.

Other irregular plurals or collective nouns are:

foot - feet
cow - cattle (when thought of as a business)
dozen - dozen
mouse - mice
die (dice) - dice
goose - geese

Some names for animals are the same in singular and plural:

sheep
deer
fish

Singular nouns used as plurals and plurals used as singular words.

Some countable nouns in other languages are uncountable when used in English. Look at these Italian food words in the English language; they never take the "s":

spaghetti (never spaghettis)
macaroni
cannelloni

Some singular nouns in English can be used with plural verbs and pronouns because we think about the individuals that make up the group:

Our football team are the best, aren't they?
The British police do not wear guns, do they?
The government are having problems.
My family are on holiday.

Other common words in this group are: club, class, school, staff, firm (company).

More details on the plural of nouns.

There are words that look like plurals but are used in the singular:

The news is on television.
There is a means to do it.
A series on the television.
Turn right when you see a crossroads.
The United States is between Canada and Mexico.

Of course, we can also say these words in the plural: insufficient means, two series, three crossroads but uncountable nouns need other words to make them countable:

Two items of news.
A few pieces of advice / information.
Some sheets of paper (or papers when we mean documents).

Everybody, somebody, nobody, etc. in singular and plural.

All the words from the family some, any, no, every, such as everybody, somebody, nobody, etc. take the singular verb:

Everything is here.
Everybody has gone home.

However, we often use these words with plural pronouns and possessive adjectives:

Nobody is coming, are they?
Everybody is on the beach, aren't they?
Someone has forgotten their umbrella.
Nobody is taking their children.

In an informal style, we can generalise about personal singular nouns by referring to someone in the plural. In this way, we don't need to say him or her, his or her.

If a student finds English study hard, a teacher should give them lots of encouragement (informal).
If a student finds English study hard, a teacher should give him or her lots of encouragement (more formal).

A new English teacher may take a long time planning their lessons (informal).
A new English teacher may take a long time planning his or her lessons (more formal).

For the plurals of numbers like: thousands, millions, etc...

None, neither and either.

Usually, these words take a singular noun:

None of the children wants to stay.
Neither of them likes pizza.
Either of us is happy to go.

In informal styles, the plural of the verb is possible with all these words:

None of the children want to stay, etc.

Nouns as adjectives.

When we use nouns as adjectives, they usually take a singular form in the plural:

cigarette packet - cigarette packets
toothbrush - toothbrushes
plasma television - plasma televisions

Even nouns that are usually used in plural will take a singular form when they are adjectives:

trousers - trouser pockets
pyjamas - pyjama tops

There are exceptions to this rule with the noun adjectives: sports, customs, arms, clothes, accounts - always in plural:

sports car
customs official
arms race
clothes shop
accounts department

Number + noun.

When we make adjectives by combining number + noun, we use these noun adjectives in the singular.

a five-day holiday (a holiday for five days)
a ten-euro note (a note of ten euros)
a twenty-kilometre run (a run of twenty kilometres)
three two-man canoes (three canoes for two people in each one)

Exercises on the plural of nouns...