The Plural of Nouns

THE PLURAL OF NOUNS

Most nouns form the plural by adding -s or -es.

Examples

Singular	Plural
boat	boats
hat	hats
house	houses
river	rivers

A noun ending in -y preceded by a consonant makes the plural with -ies.

Examples

Singular	Plural
a fly	flies
a nappy	nappies
a poppy	poppies
a lady	ladies
a baby	babies

There are some irregular formations for noun plurals. Some of the most common ones are listed below.

Examples of irregular plurals

Singular	Plural
woman	women
man	men
child	children
tooth	teeth
foot	feet

Nouns ending in -f or - fe add - ves in their plural forms

leaf / leaves

wife  / wives 

knife / knives 

half  / halves

loaf  / loaves    

but,

some nouns ending in -f, add only an -s to make their plural forms:

chief  -  chiefs

chef   -  chefs

roof  -  roofs

proof  -  proofs

belief - beliefs

        handkerchief - handkerchiefs

cliff - cliffs

Uncountable Nouns = Non-Count Nouns : English nouns that require a singular verb:

information

luggage [ baggage-AE],

news,

money,

knowledge,

furniture,

advice,

evidence[dovezi],

billiards,

soap,

gold,

mail, e-mail,

silver,

coal,

rice,

bread,

homework,

soup,

measles,

mumps,

beer,

pork,

ink,

butter,

wax,

poetry,

smoking ,

music,

anger,

love,

hatred,

pity,

mercy,

relief,

suspicion,

experience,

work,

help,

courage,

desire,

coffee,

tea,

paper,

wood,

sand,

juice,

jam,

sugar,

stone,

cream,

dust,

gin,

glass,

ice,

oil,

The following nouns require a singular verb form:

Phonetics, Acoustics, Statistics, Mathematics, Electronics, Philosophy, History, the new[ noul], the beautiful [ frumosul], the sublime, the good, the evil, the infinite, the fantastic, the grotesque, progress, traffic, behaviour, weather, work, etc news - The news is on 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. Some nouns are both countable and uncountable in English, depending on their use in the sentence: Hair – hairs [ fire de par] Work – works [lucrari] Paper- papers [ = newspapers] Time – times[ori] Light – lights[becuri, surse de lumina] Noise – a noise Room [ spatiu] – room [ camera] E.g. I don`t have much hair.  There are two hairs in my coffee. Close the curtains: There`s too much light.  There are two lights in my bedroom. I thought I heard a noise. There`s too much noise and I can`t work. Have you got some paper? I`d like to draw something. Have you bought the today`s newspaper? Is there room for me to sit here? Our house has four rooms. Have you got time for a coffee? We had a great time at the party. I have no money. I need work. Macbeth is one of Shakespeare`s greatest works. Note: Drinks [ coffee, water, orange juice] are usually uncountable. But if we are thinking of a cup or a glass, we can say [in a restaurant, for example]: Two teas and one coffee, please. That news doesn`t make me happy. Bad news doesn`t make me happy. Less money does not mean lack of happiness. There was little evidence against him. The upper nouns can be counted if a quantifier is used: a piece of, an item of, a fit of [ fever], a bit of, a word / a piece of [ advice], a bowl of, a plate of, a glass of, a bottle of,,, Examples: A piece of : news / furniture / bread / chocolate / bacon An An item of : furniture / news / infinformation An article / item of furniture A word of abuse / advice A bit / piece of luck A piece of advice / evidence / research A loaf of / a piece of bread A cup of coffee A slice / a piece of cake A piece / sheet of paper A bar of chocolate / soap A piece / stick of chalk A piece / strip of land A bit / blade of grass An item / A bit of business A fit of passion An attack of fever e.g. I`ve got two pieces of good information. Some nouns have a plural form and take a plural verb. Examples: trousers - My trousers are too tight. jeans - Her jeans are black. glasses - Those glasses are his. others include: savings [ economii ], thanks, steps, stairs, customs [ vama; obiceiuri ], congratulations, tropics, wages, spectacles, outskirts [ periferie ], goods, wits EXERCISE Choose the correct answer: Here is the latest news.  … about the elections. a) They are b) It is c) There are There is too … furniture in my room. a) much b) many c) few I can see three … working on the site. a) mans b) men c) man The police … caught the burglars. a) has b) was c) have My family … made up of 5 persons. a) are b) were c) is The programme includes visiting several … a) cities b) citys c)cityes All … strive to be happy. a) people b) peoples c)peopleses What do they need two ... for? a) pianoes b) pianoses c) pianos We did hope there wouldn’t be any ………. in the forest. a) wolfs b) wolves c) wolfes ... aren’t always considered the most pleasant persons. a) Mother-in-laws b) Mothers-in-laws c) Mothers-in-law She’s got the most beautiful … I’ve ever seen. a) tooths b) teeths c) teeth They have lots of animal species on their farm, including ……. a) oxen b) oxes c) oxs He promised to finish both ………. by the end of the year. a) thesis b) theses c) thesises The … live mainly in China. a) Chineses b) Chinesis c) Chinese Cattle ... domestic animals. a) are b) is c) was Please give me another …of paper. a) slice b) item c)sheet Dominoes … very entertaining to play. a) are b) are being c) is Waiter, two ... , please! a) coffees b) cups of coffee c) cups of coffees Where ……… my jeans? a) are b) it is c) is Can you lend me that …? a) scissors b) scissor c) pair of scissors I can’t find my glasses. Have you seen …? a) it b) him c) them He was blamed for his bad … a) manners b) manneres c) manner The young ……. very energetic. a) are b) is c) has been … is an interesting school subject. a) Mathematic b) Mathematices c) Mathematics In this river you can find several … a) fish b) fishes c) fishs We need to settle a few definite … to select the best candidate for the job. a) criterion b) criterions c) criteria He gave her a bunch of … on Valentine’s Day. a) forgets-me-not b) forget-me-nots c) forgets-me-nots These clothes were in fashion in the ... a) 1940s b) 1940 c) 1940s’ How many …have you got lately? a) informations b) information c) pieces of information Could you give me a / an…of      chocolate, please? a) item b) bar c) lump Look! There’s a …of fish swimming among the stones! a) shoal b) flock c) crowd Although she looks nice, I don’t like her … a) way b) ways c) waies Here is your change: 3 pounds and 5 ... a) pennies b) pence c) pences They have dug through several ……….. of soil. a) strata b) stratum c) stratus Being his elder brother, he thought of giving him ………… advice. a) a b) an c) some