Everything You Need To Know About Plural Noun Rules

Although you learn plural nouns early on, they can be challenging. There are many rules and exceptions to remember plus English often borrows words from other languages. No wonder even high-level students still slip up occasionally.

Don’t worry, we’re here to take you through the plural noun rules step by step. Discover the differences between all the types of plurals including their spelling, pronunciation and when you can use them.

How to spell and pronounce regular plural nouns

Although it might seem like there isn’t a pattern to plural nouns, many of them follow strict rules.

Most nouns: +s

cat → cats

dog → dogs

Nouns ending in s, x, z, ch, or sh: +es

bus → buses

class → classes

fox → foxes

quiz → quizzes

church → churches

match → matches

dish → dishes

The -es ending makes an /ɪz/ sound which adds an extra syllable to the word. Try saying fox and then foxes to hear what we mean.

Nouns ending in a consonant and y: -y and +ies

baby → babies

penny→ pennies

The -ies ending makes an /iːz/ sound. Although it sounds similar to the -es ending and adds an extra syllable, it’s actually longer.

Note how nouns that end in a vowel and a consonant don’t follow this rule:

toy → toys

day → days

Nouns that end in o: +es

potato → potatoes

tomato → tomatoes

hero → heroes

The final -oes spelling always makes an /oʊz/ sound as in toes.

You’ll be happy to hear all these spelling and pronunciation rules also apply to the third person in the present simple tense. Match is a good example as it’s both a noun and a verb:

I have one match.

You have a box of fifteen matches.

The twins match all their clothes when they go out.

He matches the words in English to their pictures.

How to use irregular plural nouns

Many plural nouns don’t follow the rules above so we call them ‘irregular’. As they don’t all have patterns you can learn, it’s easier to memorise the most common ones. We’ll use some popular ones in our examples.

Nouns that change their central vowels

man → men

woman → women

foot → feet

tooth → teeth

goose → geese

Nouns that change their endings

child → children

person → people

Nouns that stay the same

sheep → sheep

fish → fish

deer → deer

species → species

Nouns which end in a ‘f’ sound

leaf → leaves

wife → wives

knife → knives

How to use collective nouns

A collective noun is a word that refers to a group. We can talk about this group as one thing or many different things together.

Even native speakers get confused about how to use collective nouns. The problem is that the noun doesn’t change, the verb does instead. For example:

My family lives around the corner.

His family are arriving at different times.

How can you decide whether to use the third person singular or plural? Ask yourself whether everyone in the group is acting together or individually.

Here’s a mental exercise you can try. In your next class, think about whether everyone is doing an activity together. What verb should you use?

Everyone must give a presentation alone. → The class are doing presentations.

The teacher is holding the class in room 4B. → The class is in room 4B.

We work on our projects in pairs. → The class work on their projects.

There’s a trip planned for tomorrow. → The class is going on a field trip.

What are ‘pluralia tantum’ and how do they work?

When you hear ‘pluralia tantum’, you might think it sounds like a spell from Harry Potter! But you can’t levitate objects or turn invisible by saying these words. ‘Pluralia tantum’ means ‘plurals only’ in Latin and refers to nouns that are never singular.

Here are some of the most common ones:

✔scissors

✔glasses

✔trousers

✔clothes

✔jeans

✔shorts

✔headphones

It may help you to remember these words better when you know they all have two parts. For example, glasses have two lenses, one for each eye, and jeans have two legs.

Common mistakes students make with plural nouns

If you often get plurals confused, perhaps it’d help to understand what errors you’re making. Here are some common spelling and grammar mistakes.

Conclusion

Forming plural nouns can be challenging when there are so many different rules to remember. But if you keep practising, you can develop an instinct for when they’re right and wrong. There are also many popular language apps with memory games to help you memorise them.

If you’re looking for more guidance on English grammar, book a lesson with Oxford House.

Glossary for Language Learners

Find the following words in the article and then write down any new ones you didn’t know.

Exception (n): a special case where you don’t follow the rules.

Slip up (pv): make a small mistake.

Species (n): type or types of animals and plants.

Syllable (n): a part of a word with one vowel sound.

Third person (phr): when you refer to ‘he’, ‘she’ or ‘they’.

Levitate (v): to make something rise in the air.

Instinct (n): when you know or do something without being taught.

Key

n = noun

pv = phrasal verb

phr = phrase

v = verb