Grammar-Quizzes › Noun Phrases › Nouns › Regular Plural Nouns

Regular Plural Nouns

Mark these nouns with plural form -s

-S
We add the plural suffix –s to most words.
SINGULAR	PLURAL

apple (æ-pul)	apples (æ-pulz)
book	books
chair	chairs
picture	pictures
page	pages
key	keys
computer	computers

-ES
After sounds s /s/, z /z/, sh /ʃ/, ch /tʃ/ and j /dʒ/, we add the plural suffix -e /ɪz/.
SINGULAR	PLURAL

box /bɒks/	boxes /bɒks-iz/
kiss	kisses /kɪs-ɪz/
wish	wishes /wɪʃ-ɪz/
watch	watches /watʃ-ɪz/
buzz	buzzes /bʌz-ɪz/
garage	garages /gəˈrɑʒ-ɪz/
judge	judges /ˈdʒʌdʒɪz/

IPA pronunciation key

Also see Irregular Plural Nouns and Spelling (See plural spellings within each vowel sound.)

Plural Noun Markers

After -o

–ES
We add the plural suffix -es to most words that end in o.
SINGULAR	PLURAL

tomato /təˈmeɪtoʊ, -ˈmɑ-/	tomatoes /təˈmeɪtoʊz/
echo /ˈɛkoʊ/	echoes /ˈɛkoʊz/
embargo	embargoes /ɛmˈbɑrgoʊz/
hero	heroes /ˈhɪəroʊz/
potato	potatoes /pəˈmeɪtoʊz/
veto	vetoes /ˈvitoʊz/
OPTIONAL	OS / OES
buffalo	buffalos or buffaloes /ˈbʌfəˌloʊz/
cargo	cargos or cargoes /ˈkɑrgoʊz/
halo	halos or haloes /ˈheɪloʊz/
mosquito	mosquitos or mosquitoes
no	nos or noes /noʊz/
torpedo	torpedos or torpedoes
zero	zeros or zeroes /ˈzɪəroʊz/

–S
We add the plural suffix -s to words of foreign origin (Latin, Greek, etc.)
SINGULAR	PLURAL

piano	pianos /piˈænoʊz, ˈpyænoʊz/
auto	autos /ˈɔtoʊz/
avocado	avocados /ˌɑvəˈkɑdoʊz/
ghetto	ghettos /ˈgɛtoʊz/
kilo	kilos /ˈkɪloʊz/
memo	memos /ˈmɛmoʊz/

photo	photos /ˈfoʊtoʊz/
portfolio	portfolios /ˈfoʊtoʊz/
pro	pros /proʊz/
radio	radios /ˈreɪdiˌoʊz/
soprano	sopranos /səˈprænoʊz, -ˈprɑnoʊz/
solo	solos /ˈsoʊloʊz/
studio	studios /ˈstudiˌoʊz/
video	videos /ˈvɪdiˌoʊz/

double oo – tattoos, kangaroos, loos, zoos (regular)

IPA pronunciation key

Plural Noun Markers

After -Y and -F, -FE

Y → I + ES
When a word ends in Y and there is a consonant before Y, we change the Y to I and add -ES.
SINGULAR	PLURAL

baby	babies /ˈbeɪbiz/
fry	fries /fraɪz/
supply	supplies /səˈplaɪz/
fly	flies /flaɪz/
ally	allies /ˈælaɪz, əˈlaɪz/
BUT NOT AFTER—VOWEL+Y
boy	boys /bɔɪz/
toys	toys /tɔɪz/
key	keys /kiz/
monkey	monkeys /ˈmʌŋkiz/
day	days /deɪz/
play	plays /pleɪz/

FE or F → V + ES
When a word ends in -F or -FE, we change the F to V and add -ES.
SINGULAR	PLURAL

leaf	leaves /livz/
half	halves /hævz, hɑvz/
life	lives /laɪvz/ /lɪvz/
self	selves /sɛlvz/
thief	thieves /θivz/

scarf	scarves /skɑrvz/
calf	calves /kævz, kɑvz/
knife	knives /naɪvz/
loaf	loaves /loʊvz/
shelf	shelves /ʃɛlvz/
wolf	wolves /wʊlvz/
BUT NOT IN THESE WORDS
cliff	cliffs /klɪfs/
roof	roofs /rufs, rʊfs/
belief	beliefs /bɪˈlifs/
chief	chiefs /tʃifs/

lives – noun /laɪvz/ ; verb /lɪvz/

IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) and sounds — pronunciation key
To hear the pronunciation of a word, search for the word and click the sound symbol — Dictionary.com

Related page FinalS-audio

▼ Hide Grammar Notes

Grammar Notes

Traditional and Linguistic Description

TRADTIONAL DESCRIPTION
6-1 Subject-Verb Agreement (Azar) 1. final k, t, p, g, d, b ⇒ -s 2. final sh, ch, s, x, z dge/dge ⇒ -es 3. final vowel + y ⇒ -oys / final consonant + y ⇒ -ies 523-4 Singular and plural (Swan) 1. consonant + y ⇒ -ies 2. final -sh, -ch, -s, -x or -z ⇒ -es 3. final -o ⇒ -es / loan words -s / both -es or -os 4. final -f ⇒ -ves / -s or -ves 5. irregular ⇒ -en, -ee- and others. 712-5 Chicago Manual of Style Italicized words— two Chicago Tribunes, too many sics Words in quotation marks—How many more "To be continued's" will you use? Coined words— too many ifs and buts, so many dos and donts, four thank-yous, yeses and nos/ yes's and no's, maybe's Letters, Abbreviations and Numberals—the three Rs. the 1990s. URLs 601–625 Forming Plurals (Gregg) Titles, Names, Letters, Numbers and Symbols Titles—Messrs. MMes. Misses, Mses. Measures—oz/oz, ft/ft, in/in but lb/lbs, yd/yds, qt/qts (Also see Apostrophes for numbers and letters.)

TRADTIONAL DESCRIPTION

6-1 Subject-Verb Agreement (Azar)

1. final k, t, p, g, d, b ⇒ -s

2. final sh, ch, s, x, z dge/dge ⇒ -es

3. final vowel + y ⇒ -oys / final consonant + y ⇒ -ies

523-4 Singular and plural (Swan)

1. consonant + y ⇒ -ies

2. final -sh, -ch, -s, -x or -z ⇒ -es

3. final -o ⇒ -es / loan words -s / both -es or -os

4. final -f ⇒ -ves / -s or -ves

5. irregular ⇒ -en, -ee- and others.

712-5 Chicago Manual of Style

Italicized words— two Chicago Tribunes, too many sics

Words in quotation marks—How many more "To be continued's" will you use?

Coined words— too many ifs and buts, so many dos and donts, four thank-yous, yeses and nos/ yes's and no's, maybe's

Letters, Abbreviations and Numberals—the three Rs. the 1990s. URLs

601–625 Forming Plurals (Gregg) Titles, Names, Letters, Numbers and Symbols

Titles—Messrs. MMes. Misses, Mses.

Measures—oz/oz, ft/ft, in/in but lb/lbs, yd/yds, qt/qts

(Also see Apostrophes for numbers and letters.)

LINGUISTIC DESCRIPTION
5 §3.2, Singular and Plural Nouns (Huddleston) singular—dog fox, child mouse, sheep plural—dogs, foxes, children, mice, sheep (See 18 §4.1) Base Plural — plural is same form as singular edible game: carp, code, perch, salmon, etc. game animals and birds: deer moose, bison… (base form) elk, reindeer… (both forms) elephant, giraffe, lion… (may occur as base form) Nouns whose base form ends in -s / -z barracks, crossroads, gallows, innings, works, oats… (plural & singular) Chinese, Portuguese, Lebonese, Maltese, Swiss… (more plural than singular use) Vowel changes tooth/teech, foot/feet, goose/geese (alternate from back vowel to front vowel) louse/lice, mouse/mice man, men Old English ox/oxen, child/children, brother/brethren (brothers) Foreign (See 18 §4.1.6.) Compounds (See 18 §4.1.7.)

LINGUISTIC DESCRIPTION

5 §3.2, Singular and Plural Nouns (Huddleston)

singular—dog fox, child mouse, sheep
plural—dogs, foxes, children, mice, sheep (See 18 §4.1)

Base Plural — plural is same form as singular

edible game: carp, code, perch, salmon, etc.
game animals and birds:
deer moose, bison… (base form)
elk, reindeer… (both forms)
elephant, giraffe, lion… (may occur as base form)

Nouns whose base form ends in -s / -z

barracks, crossroads, gallows, innings, works, oats… (plural & singular)
Chinese, Portuguese, Lebonese, Maltese, Swiss… (more plural than singular use)

Vowel changes

tooth/teech, foot/feet, goose/geese (alternate from back vowel to front vowel)
louse/lice, mouse/mice
man, men

Old English

ox/oxen, child/children, brother/brethren (brothers)

Foreign (See 18 §4.1.6.)

Compounds (See 18 §4.1.7.)

Works Cited

Achoubey, baby image, 2015. Wikimedia Commons, Licensed by CC by 4.0.
Azar, Betty Schrampfer, and Stacy A. Hagen. Understanding and Using English Grammar. 4th ed., Pearson Education, 2009.
The Gregg Reference Manual. Edited by William A. Sabin, 11th ed., McGraw-Hill Education, 2011.
Huddleston, Rodney D., and Geoffrey K. Pullum. The Cambridge Grammar of the English Language. Cambridge UP, 2002.
Swan, Michael. Practical English Usage. 3rd ed., Oxford UP, 2005.
The Chicago Manual of Style. 16th ed., U of Chicago P, 2010.

Practice

Plural Nouns

What is the plural form?

Select the response from the list that best completes the sentence.
Compare your response to the feedback by clicking the "Check 1-25" button at the bottom.