Plural Nouns Explained in Simple Words

In the English language, we use nouns to name people, places, animals, or things. Nouns are divided into singular and plural forms based on the number they represent. Singular nouns refer to one person, place, animal, or thing, while plural nouns refer to more than one. This distinction applies mostly to common nouns, as proper nouns like “John” or “Paris” always refer to a specific person or place. In this article we will discuss the details of plural nouns, including their definition, rules, and examples.

What Is a Plural Noun?

A plural noun is a word that refers to more than one person, place, animal, or thing. According to simple grammar rules, we can usually make a noun plural by adding certain endings like ‘s’ or ‘es’. Some nouns, however, follow special rules when changing from singular to plural form.

For example:

• Singular: cat
• Plural: cats
• Singular: bus
• Plural: buses

Rules for Changing Singular Nouns to Plural Nouns

You can make singular nouns plural by following specific rules. Let’s explore these rules with examples:

1. Adding ‘s’ to Most Nouns

For most common nouns, simply add ‘s’ at the end.

• Car → Cars
• Book → Books
• Tree → Trees
• Hat → Hats

2. Adding ‘es’ to Nouns Ending in ‘s’, ‘x’, ‘z’, ‘sh’, or ‘ch’

If a noun ends in these sounds, add ‘es’ to make it plural.

• Bus → Buses
• Box → Boxes
• Church → Churches
• Brush → Brushes

3. Changing ‘y’ to ‘ies’ for Nouns Ending in ‘y’ Preceded by a Consonant

If the noun ends in ‘y’ and there is a consonant before it, change ‘y’ to ‘ies’.

• Baby → Babies
• City → Cities
• Story → Stories

4. Adding ‘s’ for Nouns Ending in ‘y’ Preceded by a Vowel

If the noun ends in ‘y’ and a vowel comes before it, just add ‘s’.

• Toy → Toys
• Key → Keys
• Day → Days

5. Changing ‘f’ or ‘fe’ to ‘ves’

For nouns ending in ‘f’ or ‘fe’, change the ending to ‘ves’ to make them plural.

• Knife → Knives
• Wolf → Wolves
• Shelf → Shelves

6. Adding ‘es’ to Nouns Ending in ‘o’

If a noun ends in ‘o’, add ‘es’ to make it plural.

• Tomato → Tomatoes
• Potato → Potatoes
• Hero → Heroes

7. Irregular Plural Forms

Some nouns have irregular plural forms, meaning they don’t follow typical rules.

• Man → Men
• Woman → Women
• Child → Children
• Mouse → Mice
• Foot → Feet

8. Nouns That Stay the Same

Some nouns have the same form in both singular and plural.

• Sheep → Sheep
• Fish → Fish
• Deer → Deer

9. Changing ‘us’ to ‘i’

For certain Latin-based nouns, change ‘us’ to ‘i’.

• Alumnus → Alumni
• Cactus → Cacti
• Fungus → Fungi

10. Changing ‘is’ to ‘es’

For some nouns, change the ending ‘is’ to ‘es’.

• Analysis → Analyses
• Crisis → Crises

11. Hyphenated Nouns

For hyphenated nouns, make the main part of the noun plural.

• Mother-in-law → Mothers-in-law
• Sister-in-law → Sisters-in-law

Examples of Plural Nouns in Sentences

Here are examples to show how these nouns are used in everyday sentences:

1. The dogs are playing in the park.
2. She bought two dresses for the party.
3. All the chairs in the room are arranged neatly.
4. The babies were crying loudly in the nursery.
5. Farmers grow tomatoes and potatoes in this area.
6. The geese flew over the lake early this morning.
7. Many women joined the march for equality.
8. The fish in the pond are swimming happily.

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Subject-Verb Agreement with Plural Nouns

When using plural nouns, make sure the verb matches the noun in number. Plural nouns require plural verbs. Let’s look at examples:

1. Simple Present Tense

• The boys run fast in the race.
• The girls sing beautifully.

2. Present Continuous Tense

• The children are drawing pictures.
• The workers are building a new house.

3. Present Perfect Tense

• The students have completed their homework.
• The flowers have bloomed beautifully.

4. Simple Past Tense

• The players won the match.
• The tourists visited the museum yesterday.

5. Past Continuous Tense

• The dogs were barking all night.
• The children were playing in the backyard.

6. Future Tense

• The teachers will prepare the exam papers.
• The buses will arrive on time.

Plural Forms for Family and Relationships

Here are examples of plural nouns related to family and relationships:

• Brother → Brothers
• Sister → Sisters
• Uncle → Uncles
• Aunt → Aunts
• Grandfather → Grandfathers
• Cousin → Cousins

Examples:

1. My brothers and sisters are very supportive.
2. Both my uncles live in different cities.
3. The cousins came together for the family reunion.

Test Your Understanding

Try changing these singular nouns into plural forms and use them in sentences:

1. That cat is sleeping on the couch.
2. She bought a loaf of bread.
3. The child loves playing with a toy.
4. He fixed the broken shelf.
5. The teacher praised the student.

Answers:

1. Those cats are sleeping on the couches.
2. She bought loaves of bread.
3. The children love playing with toys.
4. He fixed the broken shelves.
5. The teachers praised the students.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q1: What is a plural noun with an example?

A plural noun refers to more than one person, place, animal, thing, or idea. It is typically formed by adding -s or -es to the singular form. For example:

• Singular: cat
• Plural: cats

Q2: How do I form plural nouns?
You can add endings like ‘s’, ‘es’, ‘ies’, or ‘ves’ to form plural nouns. Some words follow irregular rules, such as “man” becoming “men.”

Q3. What are 20 examples of plural nouns?

Here are 20 examples of plural nouns:

1. Dogs
2. Books
3. Cars
4. Chairs
5. Apples
6. Houses
7. Trees
8. Stars
9. Tables
10. Horses
11. Bananas
12. Bottles
13. Schools
14. Planets
15. Shoes
16. Birds
17. Keys
18. Toys
19. Cities
20. Buses

Q4. What are 10 examples of plural sentences? 

Here are 10 examples of sentences with plural nouns and verbs:

1. The children play in the garden.
2. The teachers explain the lessons clearly.
3. The buses stop at the station every hour.
4. The students work hard on their projects.
5. The birds fly across the sky.
6. The workers clean the streets every morning.
7. The cars park in the lot outside.
8. The dogs bark loudly at night.
9. The houses on this street have beautiful gardens.
10. The books on the shelf belong to the library.