When we communicate in English, pluralizing nouns is a fundamental aspect of grammar that impacts the clarity and precision of our messages. Did you know that there are several rules to make a plural word in English? In this blog you will learn how to pluralize some nouns when communicating in English.
First of all, a noun refers to a person, a place, an animate or inanimate object, an animal, among other things. Most of these words can be pluralized by just applying the general rule that consists of adding an -S- at the end of the word. (car-cars)
However, this rule is not always followed. There are regular and irregular nouns. For this reason, it is very important to ask yourself the question: Is this noun regular or irregular? Once you have the answer, follow the corresponding rules according to the category:
Regular Nouns
These are nouns that have different rules for pluralization.
1️⃣ Add an -S- at the end of the noun.
Example - Examples
Rule - Rules
Computer - Computers
2️⃣ Add -ES- to the end of the noun when the word finishes in O, S, SS, SH, CH, X, Z
Mango - Mangoes
Bus - Buses
Dress - Dresses
Match - Matches
Watch - Watches
Fox - Foxes
Quiz - Quizzes
3️⃣ Add -IES- to the end of the noun when it ends in consonant + Y. (remove the Y).
Baby - Babies
Story - Stories
Country - Countries
🚨ATTENTION🚨
If the noun ends in a vowel + Y, add -S- instead of -IES-.
Boy - boys
Donkey - Donkeys
Day - days
4️⃣ Add -VES- to the end of the noun when the word ends in F, FE. (remove the F/FE.)
Life - lives
Shelf - Shelves
Thief - Thieves
⚡Irregular Nouns⚡
Irregular nouns are those that do not respect the rules of regular nouns. Although they share certain endings, their plural equivalents change to improve the pronunciation of the words or simply to distinguish them more easily, or in some cases, there is no reason why they are different.
Some examples are the following:
Person - People
Child - Children
Man - Men
Woman - Women
Tooth - Teeth
Foot - Feet
Fish - Fish
Deer - Deer
Sheep - Sheep
Mastering the pluralization of nouns in English is essential for effective communication in the language. Through clear patterns and specific rules, we can convert singular nouns into their plural forms appropriately. Although exceptions and irregular nouns do exist, with practice and attention, anyone can improve their skills at pluralizing English nouns. So do not hesitate to put what you have learned into practice and continue expanding your knowledge of the language!
If you want to practice about this topic, go to the following links:
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