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Regular and Irregular Plural Nouns

This document discusses regular and irregular plural nouns in English. It explains that most nouns form the plural by adding -s, but there are exceptions. Nouns ending in consonant + y change the y to i and add -es. Nouns ending in -o, -f, or -fe have different plural rules. Some nouns are always plural, like "people." Some have irregular plural forms, like "child/children." The document also notes nouns borrowed from other languages may have foreign plurals.

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Dr. Shadia
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14K views21 pages

Regular and Irregular Plural Nouns

This document discusses regular and irregular plural nouns in English. It explains that most nouns form the plural by adding -s, but there are exceptions. Nouns ending in consonant + y change the y to i and add -es. Nouns ending in -o, -f, or -fe have different plural rules. Some nouns are always plural, like "people." Some have irregular plural forms, like "child/children." The document also notes nouns borrowed from other languages may have foreign plurals.

Uploaded by

Dr. Shadia
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© Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
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You are on page 1/ 21

REGULAR AND I RREGULAR

PLURAL NOUNS

By: Dr. Shadia Y. Banjar http://www.kau.edu.sa/SBANJER


http:/ / wwwdrshadiabanjar.blogspot.com

1/ 3/ 2009 Dr. Shadia Y. Banjar 1


FORM

1/ 3/ 2009 Dr. Shadia Y. Banjar 2


1/ 3/ 2009 Dr. Shadia Y. Banjar 3
(Add –s to the end of noun)
The plural of most nouns is formed by adding final –s.
cup cups
student students
song songs

1/ 3/ 2009 Dr. Shadia Y. Banjar 4


Plural (nouns)
(Add –s to the end of noun)
table girl

tables
s girls
s

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Add –esto a singular noun that
ends with s, z , x, ch, or sh.

glass glasses

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Plural (nouns)

fox foxes

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Plural (nouns)

lunch lunches

1/ 3/ 2009 Dr. Shadia Y. Banjar 8


Plural (nouns)

dish dishes

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If a noun ends in a consonant + -y,
change the y to an i and add –es.

baby
y babies
ies

1/ 3/ 2009 Dr. Shadia Y. Banjar 10


Plural (nouns)
Some nouns end in -o need –es to form the plural.

tomato
o tomatoes
es potato
potat o potatoes
es

1/ 3/ 2009 Dr. Shadia Y. Banjar 11


Plural (nouns)
Some nouns end in -o need only –s to form the plural.

photo
phot o photoes
es kangaroo
kangaroo kangaroos
s

1/ 3/ 2009 Dr. Shadia Y. Banjar 12


Plural (nouns)
Some nouns end in –f/ -fe are
changed to –ves to form the plural.

knife
knife knives
es thieves
s
thieff
thie

1/ 3/ 2009 Dr. Shadia Y. Banjar 13


Plural (nouns)
Some nouns end in -f simply need
only –s to form the plural.

rooff
roo roofs
s

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Pronunciation of plurals(s
plurals (s / es
es))
A. Final –sis pronounced / z/ after voiced sounds
(taxicabs, beds, dogs, balls, years, days, boys, trees, etc.)

B. Final –s is pronounced / s/ after voiceless sounds


(books, cups, groups, cats, students, desks, etc.)

C. Final –s, es is pronounced / ez/


after “s” sounds (classes, horses, boxes, faces)
after “z” sounds (sizes, roses, noises)
after “sh” sounds (dishes, bushes)
after “ch” sounds (matches, sandwiches)
after “ge/ dge” sounds (pages, ages, bridges, edges)

1/ 3/ 2009 Dr. Shadia Y. Banjar 15


Some nouns have irregular plural
forms that do not end in -s.

oxen
child
children
ox

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• Man men
• Woman women
• Child children
• Ox Oxen
• Foot feet
• Mouse mice
• Tooth teeth
• Fish fish
• _____ people
(is always plural) (no s)

1/ 3/ 2009 Dr. Shadia Y. Banjar 17


Some nouns have the same
singular and plural forms.

Two fish

One sheep One fish

Two sheep

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Some nouns that English has
borrowed from other languages
have foreign plurals.

criterion criteria
fungus fungi
vertebra vertebrae
appendix appendices/ appendixes
analysis analyses
medium media

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