The number means indicating one or more than one noun. Two numbers exist in our language, singular, and plural.
Noun Number:
A noun that denotes only one person, thing, or place is known as a singular noun—for example, chair, student, book, class, city, country, match, etc.
Plural Noun:
A noun that expresses more than one person, place, or thing is known as a plural noun—for example, catches, feet, hands, roofs, chairs, glasses, etc.
Noun Number: Rules of Forming the Plural of a Noun
Rule-1.
Most nouns can be made plural when “s” is added to the singular noun.
Examples
| Singular | Plural |
|---|---|
| Boy | Boys |
| Student | Students |
| Table | Tables |
| Book | Books |
| Pen | Pens |
| Cat | Cats |
| Teacher | Teachers |
| Pencil | Pencils |
| Desk | Desks |
| Apple | Apples |
| Youth | Youths |
| Stone | Stones |
| Path | Paths |
| Nose | Noses |
| Hand | Hands |
| Tree | Trees |
| Waiter | Waiters |
| Eye | Eyes |
| Meter | Meters |
Rule-2.
The plurals of most nouns that end in (s, ss, x, z, ch, sh) are formed by adding “es” to the singular.
Examples
| Singular | Plural |
|---|---|
| Gas | Gases |
| Dress | Dresses |
| Match | Matches |
| Catch | Catches |
| Sandwich | Sandwiches |
| Box | Boxes |
| Bus | Buses |
| Class | Classes |
| Church | Churches |
| Glass | Glasses |
| Fox | Foxes |
| Dish | Dishes |
| Bench | Benches |
| Wishes | Wishes |
| Fish | Fishes |
| Kiss | Kisses |
| Branch | Branches |
| Bunch | Bunches |
| Coach | Coaches |
| Inch | Inches |
| Bush | Bushes |
| Ax | Axes |
| Tax | Taxes |
| Topaz | Topazes |
Rule-3.
Nouns ending in a vowel (a, e, I, o, u) + “-y” can be converted to plural form by adding “s” to the singular.
Examples
| Singular | Plural |
|---|---|
| Key | Keys |
| Play | Plays |
| Way | Ways |
| Day | Days |
| Turkey | Turkeys |
| Tray | Trays |
| Chimney | Chimneys |
| Valley | Valleys |
| Toy | Toys |
| Trolley | Trolleys |
| Kidney | Kidneys |
| Donkey | Donkeys |
| Jersey | Jerseys |
| Monkey | Monkeys |
| Cowboy | Cowboys |
Noun Number : Nouns ending in “y” and “o”
Rule-4.
Nouns ending in “y” proceeded by consonant form plurals by dropping “y” at the end and adding “-ies” instead of it.
Examples
| Singular | Plural |
|---|---|
| Baby | Babies |
| Country | Countries |
| Cry | Cries |
| Cherry | Cherries |
| Try | Tries |
| Story | Stories |
| Army | Armies |
| Lady | Ladies |
| City | Cities |
| Duty | Duties |
| Diary | Diaries |
| Fly | Flies |
| Teddy | Teddies |
| Puppy | Puppies |
| Dictionary | Dictionaries |
| Library | Libraries |
| Lily | Lilies |
| Fairy | Fairies |
| Party | Parties |
| Sky | Skies |
| Strawberry | Strawberries |
Rule-5.
Nouns ending in “o” form the plural by suffixing “es.”
Examples
| Singular | Plural |
|---|---|
| Potato | Potatoes |
| Hero | Heroes |
| Tomato | Tomatoes |
| Cargo | Cargoes |
| Volcano | Volcanoes |
| Negro | Negroes |
| Buffalo | Buffaloes |
| Echo | Echoes |
| Motto | Mottoes |
Rule-6.
But some nouns ending in “o” take “s” in their plural form.
Examples
| Singular | Plural |
|---|---|
| Logo | Logos |
| Video | Videos |
| Solo | Solos |
| Studio | Studios |
| Photo | Photos |
| Kilo | Kilos |
| Radio | Radios |
| Bamboo | Bamboos |
| Piano | Pianos |
| Cameo | Cameos |
| Folio | Folios |
| Portfolio | Portfolios |
| Dynamo | Dynamos |
| Hippo | Hippos |
| Rhino | Rhinos |
| Kangaroo | Kangaroos |
| Mosquito | Mosquitos |
Rule-7.
In plural of the following nouns, we drop “f” or “-fe” at the end and adding “-ves.”
Examples
| Singular | Plural |
|---|---|
| Wife | Wives |
| Knife | Knives |
| Shelf | Shelves |
| Wolf | Wolves |
| Thief | Thieves |
| Life | Lives |
| Loaf | Loaves |
| Calf | Calves |
| Half | Halves |
| Leaf | Leaves |
| Self | Selves |
| Sheaf | Sheaves |
But some nouns end in “f” take “s” in the plural form.
Examples
| Singular | Plural |
|---|---|
| Proof | Proofs |
| Cliff | Cliffs |
| Belief | Beliefs |
| Roof | Roofs |
| Gulf | Gulfs |
| Chief | Chiefs |
| Chef | Chefs |
| Handkerchief | Handkerchiefs |
| Hoof | Hoofs |
| Dwarf | Dwarfs |
| Grief | Griefs |
| Reef | Reefs |
| Safe | Safes |
| Turf | Turfs |
| Puff | Puffs |
| Sheriff | Sheriffs |
Rule-8.
Some nouns ending in “-is” in the singular form changed to “-es” in the plural form.
| Singular | Plural |
|---|---|
| Basis | Bases |
| Synopsis | Synopses |
| Hypothesis | Hypotheses |
| Diagnosis | Diagnoses |
| Crisis | Crises |
| Analysis | Analyses |
| Oasis | Oases |
| Thesis | Theses |
Rule-9.
The plural of irregular nouns is formed in different ways.
Examples
| Singular | Plural |
|---|---|
| Man | Men |
| Child | Children |
| Person | People |
| Woman | Women |
| Datum | Data |
| Tooth | Teeth |
| Ox | Oxen |
| Mouse | Mice |
| Goose | Geese |
| Foot | Feet |
| Penny | Pence |
| Penny | Pence |
| Louse | Louse |
| Die | Dice |
| Phenomenon | Phenomena |
Note: The plural of the mouse that we use with our computer is either mice or mouses.
Rule-10.
The following nouns have no corresponding singular and should be used with plural verbs.
Scissors
Annals
Trousers
Matins
Dregs
Gallows
Artillery
Pincers
Poultry
Shorts
Bellows
Goods
Gentry
Goods
Police
People etc.
These nouns can be made singular by using a pair of before them. For example
a pair of jeans
———–spectacles
a pair of pliers
a pair of shoes
Examples
- The police have arrested him.
- My shorts are dirty.
- People are angry.
Rule-11.
The following nouns are used in singular form only. These nouns always take singular verbs.
Information, advice, scenery, news, business, stationery, mischief, issue, innings.
Information, advice, scenery, news, business, stationery, mischief, issue, innings.
Names of some subjects like
Mathematics
Physics
Economics
statistics
Food, substances, and materials are always singular.
Grass, steel, bread, milk, snow, cotton, glass.
Physics
Economics
statistics
Food, substances, and materials are always singular.
Grass, steel, bread, milk, snow, cotton, glass.
Examples
- We defeated their team by an innings.
- Economics is easy to learn.
- The scenery of Kashmir is beautiful.
- This bread is stale.
Rule-12.
The singular and plural forms of some nouns are identical. It does not matter whether we are referring to one of them or hundreds of them. We can use them in singular or plural without changing their form.
Examples
Singular- Plural
Sheep
Craft
Salmon
Deer
Wages
fish
offspring
apparatus
duck
swine
Examples
- The wages of sin is death.
- Our wages have been increased by 10%.
- I bought a sheep for my son.
- Sheep are grazing in the field.
Rule-13.
The following nouns express number, length, weight, money, measure, etc. when these nouns are proceeded by a numeral (adjective), they will remain in a singular form.
Inch, meter, foot, mile, year, dozen, horse-power, score, pair, hundred, thousand, million
Examples
- He gives me five hundred rupees.
- I bought two dozen eggs.
- Five miles is a long distance.
Rule-14.
The collective nouns can be either singular or plural, depending on the meaning they express.
Public
Jury
Team
Government
Committee
Audience
Orchestra
Congregation
Public
Jury
Team
Government
Committee
Audience
Orchestra
Congregation
Example
- His family is wealthy.
- His family is invited to a party.