Second Grade English: Regular Plural Nouns (-s, -es, -ies)

When speaking or writing, you must tell your listener how many objects you are discussing. A noun that names exactly one person, place, or thing is called a singular noun. A noun that names more than one person, place, or thing is called a plural noun. In this chapter, you will master the three foundational rules for forming regular plural nouns: adding -s, adding -es, and changing y to -ies.

The Singular vs. Plural Contrast

The word singular comes from the root single, meaning one. The word plural comes from the root plus, meaning more.

+-----------------------------------------------------------------+
|                    SINGULAR VS. PLURAL OVERVIEW                 |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------+
|                                                                 |
|   SINGULAR (Exactly 1):        PLURAL (More Than 1):            |
|                                                                 |
|          [ * ]                       [ * ]  [ * ]  [ * ]        |
|                                                                 |
|   one cat, one cup, one tree   three cats, five cups, many trees|
|                                                                 |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------+

Regular vs. Irregular Plurals

Most English nouns are "regular," meaning they follow reliable spelling patterns when becoming plural. You do not need to memorize a brand-new word; you simply attach the correct ending to the singular base word.

The Three Core Regular Plural Rules

Let us explore the three rules that govern regular plurals in second grade.

+-----------------------------------------------------------------+
|                   REGULAR PLURAL SPELLING RULES                 |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------+
|  Rule 1: Standard Rule   | Add -s     | cat -> cats, book -> books|
|  Rule 2: Hissing Endings | Add -es    | box -> boxes, bus -> buses|
|  Rule 3: Consonant + Y   | Drop y,    | baby -> babies,           |
|                          | add -ies   | puppy -> puppies          |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------+

Rule 1: The Standard -s Addition

For the vast majority of nouns in English, making a plural is as simple as adding the letter -s to the end. Examples: dog becomes dogs; apple becomes apples; desk becomes desks; friend becomes friends.

Rule 2: The -es Addition for Hissing Sounds

If a singular noun ends in the hissing, buzzing, or chugging sounds: s, x, z, ch, or sh, you must add -es. Why? Because your mouth cannot pronounce two hissing sounds back to back without a vowel cushion! Examples: Ends in s: bus becomes buses; glass becomes glasses. Ends in x: box becomes boxes; fox becomes foxes. Ends in z: buzz becomes buzzes; quiz becomes quizzes. Ends in ch: bench becomes benches; peach becomes peaches. Ends in sh: dish becomes dishes; brush becomes brushes.

Rule 3: The Consonant + Y Rule (Drop Y, Add -ies)

Look closely at singular nouns that end in the letter y. You must look at the letter right before the y: If a consonant comes before y, change the y to i and add -es (-ies): ba-b-y (consonant b before y) -> babies pu-p-p-y (consonant p before y) -> puppies stor-y (consonant r before y) -> stories pon-y (consonant n before y) -> ponies

What if a Vowel Comes Before Y?

Do not change the y if a vowel comes before it! If a vowel (a, e, i, o, u) sits right before y, simply add -s: toy (vowel o before y) -> toys day (vowel a before y) -> days monkey (vowel e before y) -> monkeys key (vowel e before y) -> keys

Visual Decision Flowchart for Plurals

Use this mental flowchart whenever you need to spell a plural noun.

+-----------------------------------------------------------------+
|                 PLURAL NOUN SPELLING FLOWCHART                  |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------+
|  Does the noun end in s, x, z, ch, or sh?                       |
|  --> YES: Add [ -ES ] (benches, foxes)                          |
|  --> NO:  Check the next question:                              |
|                                                                 |
|  Does the noun end in Consonant + Y?                            |
|  --> YES: Change Y to I and add [ -ES ] (puppies, candies)      |
|  --> NO:  Simply add [ -S ] (trees, toys, pencils)              |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------+

Practice Exercises

Exercise 1: Write the plural form for each of the following singular nouns: watch, penny, blanket, dish, monkey, lunch.

Exercise 2: Identify the plural spelling error in this sentence and write the corrected word: "The two boyes saw three foxs playing in the grassy field."

Exercise Solutions

Solution to Exercise 1: The correct plural forms are watches (ends in ch, add -es), pennies (ends in consonant + y, change y to -ies), blankets (regular, add -s), dishes (ends in sh, add -es), monkeys (vowel before y, add -s), and lunches (ends in ch, add -es).

Solution to Exercise 2: There are two errors in that sentence: boyes is incorrect because boy has a vowel before y, so it should be spelled boys; foxs is incorrect because fox ends in x, so it should be spelled foxes. The corrected sentence reads: "The two boys saw three foxes playing in the grassy field."