The Number-Making Singular and Plural
Making Singular and Plural
A list of some important words:
a. Singular noun +
s. ( cat- cats, book-books, madam-madams / mesdames etc)
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b. Singular
ending ---s / ss/ sh / ch /x / z / + es. (Prince-princes, fox- foxes, bench-
benches, bus- buses). Exception: monarchs, stomachs, oxen.
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c. Singular
ending ---f / fe, changes into—ves. ( half- halves, knife- knives, leaf-
leaves, grief- grieves,) Exception: chief- chiefs, dwarf-
dwarfs, roof- roofs.
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d. Consonant
+ y changes into consonant + ies ( army- armies, baby- babies, city- cities)
but vowel + y takes only –s ( boy- boys, ray- rays, way- ways).
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e. Consonant
+ o takes ‘es’ in plural. ( buffalo- buffaloes, mango- mangoes, hero-heroes )
but vowel + o takes ‘s’ in plural (bamboo-bamboos, studio-studios) Exception:
canto- cantos, photo- photos, halo- halos)
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f. Irregular
plural: man- men, foot- feet, mouse- mice, louse- lice, tooth- teeth, goose-
geese, ox- oxen.
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g. Compound
nouns: Brother-in-law--- brothers-in-law, Englishman – Englishmen, Fisherman-
fishermen, German- Germen, Handful- handfuls, Bookcase- bookcases.
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