Most nouns form the plural by adding -s or -es.
Examples
Singular Plural
boat
boats
hat
hats
house
houses
river
rivers
A noun ending in -y preceded by a consonant makes the plural with -ies.
Examples
Singular Plural
a cry
cries
a fly
flies
a nappy
nappies
a poppy
poppies
a city
cities
a lady
ladies
a baby
babies
There are some irregular formations for noun plurals. Some of the most common ones are listed below.
Examples of irregular plurals
Singular Plural
woman
women
man
men
child
children
tooth
teeth
foot
feet
person
people
leaf
leaves
half
halves
knife
knives
wife
wives
life
lives
loaf
loaves
potato
potatoes
cactus
cacti
focus
foci
fungus
fungi
nucleus
nuclei
syllabus
syllabi/syllabuses
analysis
analyses
diagnosis
diagnoses
oasis
oases
thesis
theses
crisis
crises
phenomenon
phenomena
criterion
criteria
datum
data
Some nouns have the same form in the singular and the plural.
Examples
Singular
Plural
sheep
sheep
fish
fish
species
species
aircraft
aircraft
Some nouns have a plural form but take a singular verb.
Examples
* news The news is on at 6.30 p.m.
* athletics Athletics is good for young people.
* linguistics Linguistics is the study of language.
* darts Darts is a popular game in England.
* billiards Billiards is played all over the world.
Some nouns have a plural form and take a plural verb.
Examples
* trousers My trousers are too tight.
* jeans Her jeans are black.
* glasses Those glasses are his.
others include:
* savings, thanks, steps, stair, customs, congratulations, tropics, wages, spectacles, outskirts, goods, wits
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