Spelling
The plural of a countable noun is usually formed by adding –s to the noun.
|
singular (= one) |
plural (= two or more) |
|
a book |
some books |
|
a day |
two days |
|
a lovely house |
a lot of lovely houses |
|
that boy |
those boys |
|
Nouns ending in –s, -ss, -sh, -ch, -x or –o take –es in the plural |
bus → buses, dress → dresses, dish → dishes, peach → peaches, box → boxes, potato → potatoes |
|
BUT some nouns ending in –o take only –s
|
radio → radios, piano → pianos, studio → studios, video → videos, kilo → kilos, rhino → rhinos |
|
Nouns ending in a vowel + y take –s in the plural
|
toy → toys, boy → boys |
|
BUT nouns ending in a consonant + y drop the –y and take –ies in the plural
|
berry → berries, lady → ladies |
|
Nouns ending in –f or –fe drop the –f or –fe and take –ves in the plural
|
loaf → loaves, wife → wives |
|
BUT some nouns ending in –f or –fe take only –s
|
roof → roofs, giraffe → giraffes, cliff → cliffs |
Pronunciation
The suffix of the plural form is pronounced:
|
/ s / when the noun ends in a / f /, / k /, / p /, / t / or / θ / sound
|
roofs, ducks, lamps, skirts, myths |
|
/ iz / when the noun ends in a / s /, / ks /, / ʃ /, / tʃ /, / z /, / dʒ / or / ʒ / sound
|
glasses, boxes, dishes, torches, noses, fridges, mirages |
|
/ z / when the noun ends in any other sound
|
girls, dogs, knives, hens, beds |
Remember that a number of things are always plural in English.
scissors, glasses, trousers, jeans, shorts, tights, pyjamas
Where are the scissors? I need them.
He never wears jeans to work.
Do you wear glasses?
You can also say a pair of scissors / a pair of trousers / a pair of pyjamas etc. Compare:
These trousers are rather short.
This pair of trousers is rather short.
Irregular nouns
Some plurals do not end in –s.
|
this man |
these men |
|
a woman |
some women |
|
a person |
a lot of people |
|
a child |
three children |
|
one foot |
two feet |
|
a tooth |
all my teeth |
|
that mouse |
those mice |
|
a sheep |
a lot of sheep |
|
a fish |
some fish |
|
a deer |
some deer |
|
an ox |
some oxen |
He is a friendly person.
They are friendly people.
Remember that «people» is plural (= they), so the verb is also in the plural.
Business people travel a lot.
I like the people here. They are very hospitable.
«Police» is also plural.
The police want to see you.
The police are on the way.
Упражнения
Beginner
Упражнения на окончания -s и -es у существительных
Elementary
Упражнения на образование множественного числа существительных
Pre-intermedaite
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