First Grade English: Singular and Plural Nouns
When you look around a room, you might see a single pencil resting on a desk, or you might see a whole box filled with twenty pencils. In English grammar, we have special naming words that tell our listeners exactly how many people, places, or things we are talking about. A noun that names just one single item is called a singular noun. A noun that names more than one item—whether two, ten, or a million—is called a plural noun. In this chapter, you will master the rules for turning singular nouns into plurals.
Singular vs. Plural: The Core Concept
The word "singular" has the word "single" inside it, reminding you of the number one. The word "plural" means more than one.
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| SINGULAR VS. PLURAL SCALE |
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| SINGULAR (Exactly 1) PLURAL (2 or More) |
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| cat cats |
| /\_/\ /\_/\ /\_/\ |
| ( o.o ) ( o.o ) ( o.o ) |
| > ^ < > ^ < > ^ < |
| |
| One Cat Two Cats! |
| |
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The Standard Rule: Add -S
For most everyday nouns in the English language, turning a singular noun into a plural noun is as simple as attaching the letter -s to the very end of the base word. One book becomes two books. One dog becomes three dogs. One tree becomes a forest of trees.
The Special Rule: When to Add -ES
Some singular nouns end in sounds that buzz, hiss, or pop. If you tried to add only the letter -s to these words, your tongue would trip and stumble! For these nouns, grammar gives us the plural ending -es.
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| THE HISSING -ES RULE |
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| If a singular noun ends in: |
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| S , SS , X , CH , or SH |
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| You MUST add - E S to make it plural! |
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| - bus ===> buses |
| - glass ===> glasses |
| - box ===> boxes |
| - bench ===> benches |
| - dish ===> dishes |
| |
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The Syllable Beat Test
Notice that when you add -es to these hissing words, you add a brand-new spoken syllable! "Box" has one syllable; "box-es" has two syllables! "Watch" has one syllable; "watch-es" has two syllables! The extra vowel e provides a smooth vocal cushion between the hissing consonants.
Irregular Plural Nouns: The Rule Breakers
While most nouns obey the -s and -es rules, a small band of famous rule-breaking nouns completely changes their spelling when they become plural. These are called irregular plural nouns.
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| IRREGULAR PLURAL SHOWCASE |
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| Singular (One) | Plural (More Than One) | The Secret |
| -------------------+------------------------+--------------|
| child | children | adds -ren |
| man | men | a changes to e|
| woman | women | a changes to e|
| foot | feet | oo turns to ee|
| tooth | teeth | oo turns to ee|
| mouse | mice | turns to -ice|
| goose | geese | oo turns to ee|
| sheep | sheep | NO CHANGE! |
| deer | deer | NO CHANGE! |
| fish | fish | NO CHANGE! |
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The Unchanging Animals
Notice "sheep," "deer," and "fish"! You can have one fluffy sheep in the barn, or you can have one hundred fluffy sheep grazing on the hillside. The spelling stays identical whether you have one or a whole herd!
The "No S" Trap
Be careful never to say "childs," "feets," or "teeths." Because words like "children" and "feet" are already plural, adding an s is an error. Saying "my two feet" is already completely plural and grammatically perfect.
Practice Exercises
Exercise 1: Convert each of the following singular nouns into its plural form: cup, fox, watch, star, bush, class.
Exercise 2: Identify the plural noun in each sentence and state whether it is regular (uses -s or -es) or irregular: The children built a snowman. Three mice ran across the kitchen floor. Five red apples fell from the tree branch.
Exercise Solutions
Solution to Exercise 1: "cup" becomes cups (add -s); "fox" becomes foxes (add -es); "watch" becomes watches (add -es); "star" becomes stars (add -s); "bush" becomes bushes (add -es); "class" becomes classes (add -es).
Solution to Exercise 2: In the first sentence, "children" is an irregular plural (plural of child). In the second sentence, "mice" is an irregular plural (plural of mouse). In the third sentence, "apples" is a regular plural (apple + -s).