Singular and Plural

Singular and Plural: Theory and Practice

Read these four rules twice or three times. Then, do the activities.

1. When the word ends in -s, -sh, -x, -z, -ch, -o , it forms the plural by adding -es       :

Church- churches............... Bus-buses............ Brush-brushes................. Potato-potatoes

(the ending -es is usually pronounced /iz/)

2. When the word ends in consonant + y, the -y changes to IES in the plural form.               

Spy-spies................... Body-bodies  

3. Words ending in -f or -fe sometimes get VES in the plural form

Knife-knives (cuchillo/s).................. Leaf-Leaves(hoja/s)............Life-Lives(vida/s)          

(but  chief-chiefs, bluff-bluffs...)  

4. And there are some words with irregular plurals:

Tooth-Teeth (diente/s)..................... Foot-Feet (pie/s)

Child-Children (niño/s).................. Man-Men (hombre/s)............... Woman-Women(mujer/es)

Sheep-Sheep(oveja/s)...................... Fish-Fish(pescado/s)

Mouse-mice (ratón/es)...........................Louse-lice(piojo/s)

Activities