Plural number

The plural number in English grammar refers to the form of a noun (or verb) that indicates more than one person, thing, or concept. It contrasts with the singular number, which indicates one.

Plural number is the form of a noun (or sometimes a verb) used to indicate that there is more than one of the person, thing, or idea being described. It is often marked by adding an "s" or "es" to the singular form of the noun (e.g., cat becomes cats, box becomes boxes).

Plural nouns are generally formed by following these basic rules:

• 1. Regular Plural Formation: For most nouns, add -s to the singular form:
  • book → books
  • car → cars
  • dog → dogs
• 2. Nouns Ending in '-s, -x, -z, -ch, -sh': For nouns that end in -s, -x, -z, -ch, or -sh, add -es:
  • box → boxes
  • fox → foxes
  • wish → wishes
  • church → churches
• 3. Nouns Ending in '-y' (Consonant + y): If the noun ends in -y preceded by a consonant, change -y to -ies:
  • baby → babies
  • city → cities
  • party → parties
• 4. Nouns Ending in '-y' (Vowel + y): If the noun ends in -y preceded by a vowel, simply add -s:
  • boy → boys
  • key → keys
• 5. Nouns Ending in '-f' or '-fe': For many nouns ending in -f or -fe, change -f to -ves:
  • leaf → leaves
  • wolf → wolves
  • knife → knives
  • wife → wives
  - Some nouns, however, just add '-s':
  • roof → roofs
  • chief → chiefs
• 6. Irregular Plurals: Some nouns have irregular plural forms that don’t follow the general rules. These must be memorized:
  • man → men
  • woman → women
  • child → children
  • tooth → teeth
  • foot → feet
  • mouse → mice
  
  Nouns Ending in '-o': For many nouns ending in '-o', add '-es'.
  • tomato → tomatoes
  • hero → heroes
  
  Some, however, just add '-s':
  • photo → photos
  • piano → pianos
• 8. Foreign-Origin Nouns: Some nouns from Latin, Greek, or other languages maintain their original plural forms:
  • cactus → cacti (Latin)
  • thesis → theses (Greek)
  • appendix → appendices (Latin)
  • criterion → criteria (Greek)
• 9. Nouns that Don't Change: Some nouns remain the same in both singular and plural forms:
  • sheep → sheep
  • deer → deer
  • fish → fish

In English, irregular plural nouns do not follow the standard rule of adding "s" or "es" to form the plural. Instead, they change in various ways, and the plural forms must often be memorized. Here are some common types of irregular plural nouns:

Change in Vowel (Ablaut): Some nouns change their internal vowels to form plurals.

• man → men
• woman → women
• foot → feet
• tooth → teeth
• goose → geese
• mouse → mice

No Change (Same Singular and Plural): Some nouns have the same form in both singular and plural.

• sheep → sheep
• deer → deer
• moose → moose
• fish → fish
• salmon → salmon
• trout → trout
• swine → swine
• bison → bison
• aircraft → aircraft
• spacecraft → spacecraft

3. Change in Spelling: Some nouns change their endings in unique ways.

• child → children
• ox → oxen
• person → people
• brother → brethren (rarely used)
• louse → lice
• die → dice

4. Latin and Greek Origin Plurals: Many words borrowed from Latin and Greek follow their original pluralization rules.

• cactus → cacti
• fungus → fungi
• nucleus → nuclei
• syllabus → syllabi
• alumnus → alumni
• stimulus → stimuli
• radius → radii
• focus → foci


• analysis → analyses
• crisis → crises
• basis → bases
• thesis → theses
• diagnosis → diagnoses
• axis → axes


• phenomenon → phenomena
• criterion → criteria
• datum → data
• medium → media

5. French-Origin Plurals: Some nouns borrowed from French retain their plural forms.

• bureau → bureaux or bureaus
• plateau → plateaux or plateaus
• tableau → tableaux or tableaus

6. Italian-Origin Plurals: Words borrowed from Italian often change their endings in plural form.

• appendix → appendices
• index → indices (for math) / indexes (for books)
• matrix → matrices
• vertex → vertices
• vortex → vortices

7. Irregular Compound Nouns: For some compound nouns, the plural is formed by changing the main word.

• manservant → menservants
• womanhood → womenhood

8. Miscellaneous Irregular Plurals: These nouns do not fit into a specific category and must be memorized.

• curriculum → curricula
• memorandum → memoranda
• erratum → errata
• formula → formulae or formulas

Plural pronouns are used to refer to more than one person, thing, or concept. Here are the main plural pronouns:

We: Used when referring to the speaker and one or more others.

• We are going to the park.

You: The same form is used for both singular and plural (in most contexts), but it can refer to multiple people.

• You all are invited to the party.

They: Used to refer to multiple people, things, or concepts.

• They went to the store together.

In addition to these, their, theirs, them, and other possessive forms are also used with plural pronouns:

• Their – Possessive form.
  • Their house is on the corner.
• Theirs – Possessive pronoun.
  • The book is theirs.
• Them – Object form.
  • I saw them at the concert.

Nouns can be classified as countable and uncountable based on whether they can be counted or not. Here’s a brief explanation of how pluralization works for both:

Countable Nouns in Plural:

Countable nouns refer to things that can be counted as individual units. These nouns have both singular and plural forms.

Examples:

• Singular: book, chair, apple
• Plural: books, chairs, apples

To form the plural of countable nouns, we generally add -s to the singular form. If the noun ends in -s, -x, -z, -ch, or -sh, we add -es.

Examples:

• box → boxes
• watch → watches
• bus → buses

Uncountable Nouns:

Uncountable nouns refer to things that cannot be counted individually. They are considered a whole or mass and do not have a plural form.

Examples:

• - water, sugar, air, rice, knowledge, music

Since these nouns represent substances, abstract concepts, or groups that can't be divided into individual units, they remain the same in both singular and plural contexts. They do not take the -s form in plural.

Note: While uncountable nouns do not have a plural form, you can use words like some, much, or a lot of to express quantity.

Example:

• There is some water in the glass.
• We need a lot of sugar for this recipe.

Plural-Only Nouns are those that are only used in their plural form, and they don't have a singular equivalent. These nouns are always treated as plural, and you don't use an article or modifier like "a" or "an" with them in the singular form. Here are some examples:

• Scissors – The scissors are on the table.
• Glasses – My glasses need cleaning.
• Clothes – He bought new clothes.
• Pants – I need to buy new pants.
• Trousers – These trousers are too tight.
• Binoculars – I need to bring my binoculars on the trip.
• News – The news is on at 6 p.m.
• Mathematics – Mathematics is my favorite subject.
• Cattle – The cattle are grazing in the field.

These nouns may seem plural, but they don’t have a singular form and are always treated as plural.

In English grammar, subject-verb agreement refers to the rule that a subject and its corresponding verb must agree in number (singular or plural). When the subject is plural, the verb must also be plural.

Here are the general rules for subject-verb agreement in the plural number:

Plural Subjects with Plural Verbs: When the subject is plural, the verb should also be in its plural form.

• The dogs run in the yard.
  (Here, "dogs" is plural, and "run" is the plural form of the verb "run.")

Regular Plural Forms of Verbs: For most regular verbs, the plural form is the same as the base form (no 's' or 'es' at the end).

• The children play outside every day.
• The teachers discuss the lesson.

Irregular Plural Verbs: Irregular verbs also follow the same rule, where plural subjects take the plural form of the verb.

• The men go to the store.
  (Here, 'go' is used with the plural subject 'men'.)

Special Cases: Collective nouns (e.g., team, family, group) can sometimes take a plural verb when they are considered as individual members rather than a single unit.

• The team are arguing among themselves.

Nouns that appear plural but are actually singular in meaning (e.g., "news", "mathematics") take a singular verb.

• The news is surprising.

Verb "To Be" (in the plural form): When using the verb 'to be', the plural form is 'are'.

• The cars are parked outside.
• The students are studying hard.

There are certain words where the singular and plural forms are the same. These words do not change when referring to one or more items. Here are some examples:

• Sheep – I saw one sheep / I saw many sheep.
• Fish – I caught one fish / I caught several fish.
• Deer – A deer is grazing / Deer are grazing.
• Moose – A moose crossed the road / Moose are common in this forest.
• Aircraft – An aircraft is landing / Several aircraft are landing.

These words don’t follow the typical rule of adding an "s" or "es" to form the plural.

Measurements and Quantities are usually singular when referring to specific amounts, but they can be plural if referring to more than one unit. Here’s a breakdown of how to handle plural forms with measurements and quantities:

When using a specific quantity (singular):

Examples:

• -The recipe calls for 1 cup of sugar.
• I need 1 liter of milk.

In these cases, even though "cup" or "liter" is a countable noun, it is used in singular form because the quantity is singular.

When using more than one unit (plural):

Examples:

• I need 2 cups of sugar.
• We have 5 liters of milk.

Here, the noun (cups, liters) becomes plural because the quantity is greater than one.

Plural with "of": When you use "of" to refer to a quantity, the unit of measurement is usually plural if the number is more than one.

• Three tablespoons of butter.
• Several meters of fabric.

For non-countable measurements: Some measurements, like weight or mass, are often treated as uncountable nouns even in plural form, and they don't change based on the number.

• We bought a kilo of flour. (singular)
• We bought two kilos of flour. (plural, but "kilos" is still the unit, not "flour")

Use of fractions or decimals: When using fractions or decimals, the measurement itself is usually treated as singular regardless of the quantity.

• I need half a cup of sugar.
• The bottle contains 0.5 liters of water.

Summary:

• Singular when the quantity is one or a non-countable unit.
• Plural when the quantity is greater than one, and the measurement unit also takes the plural form.

Here are some common mistakes in using plurals in English grammar:

Incorrect Formation of Regular Plurals: Adding “es” to form the plural of nouns that don’t need it.

• ✘ I have two bookes.
• ✓ I have two books.

Irregular Plurals: Applying the regular plural rule to irregular nouns.

• ✘ She has many childes.
• ✓ She has many children.

Unnecessary Pluralization of Non-Count Nouns: Making non-count nouns plural.

• ✘ We need informations.
• ✓ We need information.

Incorrect Plural Forms with Compound Nouns: Incorrectly pluralizing compound nouns.

• ✘ I have two passers-by.
• ✓ I have two passers-by.

Using Apostrophes for Plurals: Adding an apostrophe when forming plurals.

• ✘ The girl’s are playing outside.
• ✓ The girls are playing outside.

Confusion with Collective Nouns: Treating collective nouns like "team" or "family" as plural when they are used as singular.

• ✘ The team are playing well.
• ✓ The team is playing well.

Making Irregular Nouns Plural with '-s': Adding “-s” to irregular nouns.

• ✘ I have many mouse.
• ✓ I have many mice.

Pluralizing Foreign Words Incorrectly: Incorrect pluralization of words borrowed from other languages.

• ✘ I have many agenda.
• ✓ I have many agendas.

Here are some tips for practicing the plural form in English grammar:

• Know Regular and Irregular Plurals: Regular plurals typically add -s or -es to the singular form.
  • book → books
  • box → boxes
  Irregular plurals change entirely or follow a specific pattern.
  • child → children
  • mouse → mice
• Master the "es" Rule: For words ending in s, x, z, ch or sh, add -es to form the plurall.
  • bus → buses
  • dish → dishes
• Handle Vowel Changes: Some nouns change vowels to form their plurals.
  • man → men
  • foot → feet
• Special Plural Forms: Some words have the same singular and plural form.
  • sheep
  • deer
  • fish
• Practice with Countable Nouns: Countable nouns can have both singular and plural forms, so practice forming the plural of common nouns.
  • cat → cats
  • apple → apples
• Watch for Irregulars: Some words don’t follow regular patterns, so it's important to memorize irregular plural forms.
  • ox → oxen
  • tooth → teeth
• Use the Plural in Sentences: Practice using plurals in context by creating simple sentences with plural nouns.
  • I saw three dogs in the park.
• Subject-Verb Agreement: Remember that the verb must agree with the subject in number. For plural subjects, use plural verbs.
  • The children are playing outside.
• Group Nouns and Plurals: Some collective nouns are treated as singular.
  • team
  • family
  but when referring to individual members, they can take a plural form.
  • The families are here.