Plural Nouns Exercises (-s, -es, -ies, Irregular)
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Plural nouns: one book, two books
A plural noun is for two or more things. Most nouns add -s, but some nouns change in other ways.
- Most nouns: + s:
- Add -s: book → books, car → cars, apple → apples.
- -s, -x, -ch, -sh: + es:
- Add -es after s, x, ch and sh: bus → buses, box → boxes, watch → watches, dish → dishes.
- Consonant + y: y → ies:
- Change y to i and add -es: baby → babies, city → cities. But vowel + y only adds -s: boy → boys, day → days.
- -f / -fe: → ves:
- Many nouns with f or fe change to -ves: leaf → leaves, knife → knives, wife → wives.
- Irregular plurals:
- Some nouns change in a different way: man → men, woman → women, child → children, person → people, foot → feet, tooth → teeth, mouse → mice.
- Same form:
- Some nouns do not change: one fish → two fish, one sheep → ten sheep.
- Plural + are:
- A plural noun takes are, not is: The boxes are big. The children are happy.
Examples
The books are new.
Most nouns add -s.
The buses are red.
Bus ends in s, so we add -es.
The babies are happy.
Baby ends in consonant + y, so y changes to ies.
The knives are clean.
Knife ends in fe, so it changes to -ves.
The children are at school.
Child → children. It is an irregular plural, with no -s.
The fish are orange.
Fish is the same for one fish and for many fish.
Practice exercises
Choose the Correct Plural
Choose the correct plural noun.
1.The ___ are big.
2.The ___ are at school.
3.The ___ are very small.
4.The two ___ are friends.
5.The ___ are new.
6.The ___ are white.
Fill in the Blank
Write the plural of the word in brackets.
Put the Words in Order
Click the words in the correct order to build the sentence.
13. Build the sentence:
14. Build the sentence:
15. Build the sentence:
16. Build the sentence:
True or False
Decide if each statement is true or false.
17.The plural of 'child' is 'childs'.
18.The plural of 'city' is 'cities'.
19.The plural of 'tooth' is 'teeth'.
20.The plural of 'boy' is 'boies'.
21.The plural of 'watch' is 'watchs'.
22.'Sheep' is the same in the singular and the plural.
Plural Nouns in English: The Rules and the Exceptions
A noun is a word for a person, an animal or a thing: book, cat, teacher. One is singular. Two or more is plural. In English, most plural nouns end in -s: one book, two books; one car, three cars.
The end of the word tells you the plural. After s, x, ch and sh, add -es: buses, boxes, watches, dishes. You can hear the extra part: bus-es, box-es. After a consonant + y, the y changes: baby, babies; city, cities. After a vowel + y, only add -s: boy, boys.
Many nouns with f or fe change to -ves: leaf, leaves; knife, knives. Some very common nouns are irregular: man, men; woman, women; child, children; person, people; foot, feet; tooth, teeth; mouse, mice. And some nouns are the same in the plural: one fish, two fish; one sheep, ten sheep.
A plural noun takes are, not is: The children are at school. The boxes are big. People is plural too, so we say The people are nice. The exercises above practice all these rules in short sentences with the verb to be.
Frequently asked questions
How do I make a noun plural in English?
Most nouns add -s: book, books. Nouns that end in s, x, ch or sh add -es: bus, buses. Nouns that end in consonant + y change to -ies: city, cities. Some nouns are irregular, like child, children.
Why is it 'babies' but 'boys'?
Look at the letter before the y. If it is a consonant, change y to i and add -es: baby, babies. If it is a vowel (a, e, i, o, u), only add -s: boy, boys; day, days.
Which plurals are irregular?
The most common are man, men; woman, women; child, children; person, people; foot, feet; tooth, teeth; and mouse, mice. They do not add -s, so learn them one by one.
Is it 'fish' or 'fishes'?
Use fish: one fish, two fish. Sheep is the same: one sheep, ten sheep. You can sometimes see fishes, but it is rare. At this level, use fish.
Is 'people' plural?
Yes. People is the plural of person, so it takes are: The people are nice. Not 'The people is nice.'
Do all nouns with f or fe change to -ves?
No. Many do: leaf, leaves; knife, knives; wife, wives. But some only add -s: roof, roofs. If you are not sure, check a dictionary.
Answer key
1. The ___ are big.
Answer: boxes
Box ends in x, so we add -es: boxes.
2. The ___ are at school.
Answer: children
Child is irregular. The plural is children, with no -s.
3. The ___ are very small.
Answer: babies
Baby ends in consonant + y. Change y to i and add -es: babies.
4. The two ___ are friends.
Answer: women
Woman is irregular. The plural is women, with no -s.
5. The ___ are new.
Answer: knives
Knife ends in fe, so the plural is knives.
6. The ___ are white.
Answer: sheep
Sheep does not change: one sheep, two sheep.
7. The ___ are clean.
Answer: dishes
Dish ends in sh, so we add -es: dishes.
8. Twenty ___ are at the party.
Answer: people
Person is irregular. The plural is people.
9. Paris and Rome are big ___.
Answer: cities
City ends in consonant + y. Change y to i and add -es: cities.
10. The ___ are in the kitchen!
Answer: mice
Mouse is irregular. The plural is mice.
11. The ___ are doctors.
Answer: men
Man is irregular. The plural is men, with no -s.
12. The two ___ are brothers.
Answer: boys
Boy ends in vowel + y, so we only add -s: boys.
13. happy / the / are / . / children
Answer: The children are happy.
Children is plural, so we use are.
14. boxes / big / ? / are / the
Answer: Are the boxes big?
Boxes is plural, so we use are. In a question, are comes first.
15. from / women / . / Spain / the / are
Answer: The women are from Spain.
Woman → women. Women is plural, so we use are.
16. green / not / leaves / . / the / are
Answer: The leaves are not green.
Leaf → leaves. In a negative sentence, not comes after are.
17. The plural of 'child' is 'childs'.
Answer: False
Child is irregular. The plural is children.
18. The plural of 'city' is 'cities'.
Answer: True
City ends in consonant + y, so y changes to ies.
19. The plural of 'tooth' is 'teeth'.
Answer: True
Tooth is irregular: one tooth, two teeth. Foot is the same: one foot, two feet.
20. The plural of 'boy' is 'boies'.
Answer: False
Boy ends in vowel + y, so we only add -s: boys.
21. The plural of 'watch' is 'watchs'.
Answer: False
Watch ends in ch, so we add -es: watches.
22. 'Sheep' is the same in the singular and the plural.
Answer: True
Sheep does not change: one sheep, ten sheep. Fish is the same.