Plural Nouns: Regular and Irregular Forms
Most English nouns add -s to become plural: cat/cats. Add -es after -s, -ss, -sh, -ch, -x, -z and -o; change consonant + y to -ies (baby/babies). A small group is irregular and must be learned: child/children, foot/feet, man/men.
Level: A1. A plural noun means “more than one”. Most English plurals are easy — just add -s — but a few spelling rules and a short list of irregular forms trip up almost every learner.
The rule
A noun is a word for a person, place or thing (cat, city, box). The singular is one; the plural is two or more. The default way to make a plural is to add -s: cat → cats, book → books, house → houses.
The spelling changes a little depending on how the word ends. After a hissing or -o sound (-s, -ss, -sh, -ch, -x, -z, -o) you add -es so the ending can be pronounced: box → boxes, watch → watches, potato → potatoes. When the word ends in a consonant + y, the y changes to -ies: baby → babies, city → cities. But a vowel + y just adds -s: boy → boys, key → keys.
A small group of nouns is irregular: they change in an old, unpredictable way (child → children, foot → feet, man → men) or don’t change at all (sheep → sheep). There is no rule for these — you learn them as pairs.
Plural spelling forms
| Noun ends in… | Add | Example |
|---|---|---|
| most sounds | -s | cat → cats, book → books |
| -s, -ss, -sh, -ch, -x, -z, -o | -es | box → boxes, watch → watches, potato → potatoes |
| consonant + y | -ies | baby → babies, city → cities |
| vowel + y | -s | boy → boys, key → keys |
| many -f / -fe | -ves | knife → knives, leaf → leaves |
| irregular | (changes) | child → children, foot → feet, man → men |
| no change | (same) | sheep → sheep, fish → fish |
How to say it
The written -s ending is pronounced in three different ways. Match it to the sound just before it:
- After a voiceless sound (p, t, k, f), say /s/: cats, books, maps.
- After a voiced sound (b, d, g, l, m, n and all vowels), say /z/: dogs, pens, cars, days.
- After a hissing sound (s, z, sh, ch, x), say an extra syllable /ɪz/: boxes, watches, buses.
So cats is one syllable but boxes is two. Adding the wrong sound is the most common pronunciation slip with plurals.
Example sentences
- I have two cats.Most nouns: just add -s.
- She bought three books.Regular -s plural.
- There are many houses on this street.Regular -s.
- We need some boxes for the move.-es after -x.
- He watches two watches in the shop window.-es after -ch.
- The buses are late today.-es after -s.
- I love fresh tomatoes.-es after -o.
- Both babies are asleep.consonant + y becomes -ies.
- How many cities have you visited?city becomes cities.
- The boys are playing outside.vowel + y just adds -s.
- Put the knives in the drawer.-fe becomes -ves.
- The trees lost their leaves.-f becomes -ves.
- My children go to the same school.Irregular: child → children.
- My feet hurt after the walk.Irregular: foot → feet.
- Three men are waiting outside.Irregular: man → men.
- The farmer keeps twenty sheep.No change: sheep → sheep.
- We caught six fish.No change: fish → fish.
- Brush your teeth twice a day.Irregular: tooth → teeth.
Common mistakes
- ❌ I have two childs. → ✅ I have two children. Child is irregular, not regular -s.
- ❌ I need some informations. → ✅ I need some information. Information is uncountable and has no plural.
- ❌ She has three babys. → ✅ She has three babies. Consonant + y changes to -ies.
- ❌ There are many boxs. → ✅ There are many boxes. After -x you add -es.
- ❌ My foots hurt. → ✅ My feet hurt. Foot is irregular: feet.
- ❌ I saw two sheeps. → ✅ I saw two sheep. Sheep doesn’t change.
A short conversation
A: How many children do you have? B: Two — and three cats and a lot of books! A: Busy house. Do the kids brush their teeth without arguing? B: Never. But we try.
Usage notes
- Pronunciation changes some vowels. In a few words the spelling and the vowel both change: man → men, woman → women (said “WIM-in”), mouse → mice, goose → geese.
- Some -f words are regular. Not every -f becomes -ves: roof → roofs, chief → chiefs, belief → beliefs just add -s.
- Latin and Greek endings. A few academic words keep an older plural: analysis → analyses, crisis → crises, phenomenon → phenomena. You’ll meet these later; at A1 the common everyday irregulars matter most.
Compared with…
- Countable vs uncountable nouns. Only countable nouns have a plural (one cat, two cats). Uncountable nouns (water, music, information, advice) have no plural form at all — never add -s to them. If you can’t put a number in front of a noun, it probably has no plural.
Quick recap before you practise.
Practice
Plural nouns practice
Try each one, then press Check. No sign-up, nothing is sent anywhere — it all runs in your browser.
Hint: consonant + y
Show answer
babies — Consonant + y changes to -ies: babies.
3 Put the words in order to make a correct sentence.
Show answer
I have two children — Irregular plural: child → children.
4 Match each singular noun to its plural.
- city
- knife
- foot
- sheep
Show answer
- city → cities
- knife → knives
- foot → feet
- sheep → sheep
-y→-ies; -fe→-ves; foot is irregular (feet); sheep does not change.
Quiz
Plural nouns quiz
12 questions · pick an answer and you'll see straight away if it's right.
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Show answer
cats — Most nouns just add -s: cats.
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watches — After -ch add -es: watches.
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cities — Consonant + y becomes -ies: cities.
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Show answer
boys — Vowel + y just adds -s: boys.
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Show answer
knives — Many -f/-fe words change to -ves: knives.
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Show answer
children — Irregular: child → children.
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Show answer
feet — Irregular: foot → feet.
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Show answer
sheep — 'sheep' does not change in the plural.
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Show answer
I need two pieces of information. — 'information' is uncountable; count it with 'pieces of'.
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Show answer
tomatoes — Most -o nouns add -es: tomatoes.
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Show answer
teeth — Irregular plural: tooth → teeth.
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Show answer
boxes — After a hissing sound (-x) the -s is a syllable: box-es.
Recap cheat-sheet
| Ending | Rule | Example |
|---|---|---|
| most nouns | + -s | cat → cats |
| -s/-ss/-sh/-ch/-x/-z/-o | + -es | box → boxes |
| consonant + y | y → -ies | baby → babies |
| irregular / no change | learn it | child → children, sheep → sheep |
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Grammar path
A1 30 topics · 30 ready
- 01 Verb 'To Be' in the Present (am, is, are)
- 02 Subject Pronouns: I, You, He, She, It, We, They
- 03 Present Simple: Affirmative and the -s Ending
- 04 Present Simple: Negatives and Questions (do/does)
- 05 Articles: a / an and When to Use Each
- 06 The Definite Article 'The': When to Use It
- 07 Zero Article: When to Use No Article
- 08 Plural Nouns: Regular and Irregular Forms You are here
- 09 This, That, These, Those (Demonstratives)
- 10 Possessive Adjectives: my, your, his, her
- 11 Possessive 's and s' (Showing Belonging)
- 12 There Is / There Are (Saying What Exists)
- 13 Have Got: Talking About Possession
- 14 Can and Can't for Ability
- 15 Present Continuous (am/is/are + -ing)
- 16 Imperatives: Giving Orders and Instructions
- 17 Adjectives: Position and Basic Use
- 18 Prepositions of Place: in, on, at
- 19 Prepositions of Time: in, on, at
- 20 Question Words: What, Where, When, Who, Why, How
- 21 How Much vs How Many
- 22 Countable and Uncountable Nouns
- 23 Some and Any: Which One to Use
- 24 Object Pronouns: me, you, him, her, us, them
- 25 Adverbs of Frequency and Their Position
- 26 Like, Love, Hate + -ing (Expressing Preferences)
- 27 Would Like: Polite Wants and Offers
- 28 Making Requests: Can, Could, May I
- 29 Past Simple of 'To Be' (was / were)
- 30 Let's and Shall We: Making Suggestions
A2 25 topics · 25 ready
- 31 Past Simple: Regular Verbs and -ed Spelling
- 32 Past Simple: Irregular Verbs (go, see, have)
- 33 Past Simple: Negatives and Questions (did)
- 34 Comparative Adjectives (bigger, more expensive)
- 35 Superlative Adjectives (the biggest, the most)
- 36 Going To: Plans and Predictions
- 37 Will: Predictions, Decisions and Offers
- 38 Present Continuous for Future Arrangements
- 39 Present Perfect for Experience (ever / never)
- 40 Present Perfect with just, already, yet
- 41 Present Perfect vs Past Simple
- 42 Have To and Don't Have To (Obligation)
- 43 Should and Shouldn't for Advice
- 44 Could: Past Ability and Polite Use
- 45 Much, Many, A Lot Of
- 46 A Few, A Little, Few, Little
- 47 Adverbs of Manner (quickly, well, hard)
- 48 Verb + -ing or Verb + to (Introduction)
- 49 Zero Conditional (Facts and Rules)
- 50 First Conditional (Real Future Possibility)
- 51 Prepositions of Movement (to, into, through)
- 52 Possessive Pronouns: mine, yours, hers
- 53 Past Continuous (was/were + -ing)
- 54 Too and Enough (Degree)
- 55 Order of Adjectives Before a Noun
B1 27 topics · 27 ready
- 56 Past Continuous vs Past Simple
- 57 Used To and Would for Past Habits
- 58 Present Perfect Continuous (have been -ing)
- 59 Present Perfect: Simple vs Continuous
- 60 Past Perfect (had + past participle)
- 61 Second Conditional (Unreal Present/Future)
- 62 Third Conditional (Unreal Past)
- 63 Reported Speech: Statements (Backshift)
- 64 Reported Questions
- 65 Reported Commands and Requests
- 66 Passive Voice: Present and Past Simple
- 67 Must and Mustn't (Strong Obligation)
- 68 May, Might, Could for Possibility
- 69 Defining Relative Clauses (who, which, that)
- 70 Non-Defining Relative Clauses (with commas)
- 71 Gerunds and Infinitives: Full Verb Patterns
- 72 Verbs Where -ing vs to Changes Meaning
- 73 Future Continuous (will be -ing)
- 74 So and Such (Emphasis)
- 75 As...As Comparisons (equality)
- 76 Question Tags (isn't it? do you?)
- 77 Phrasal Verbs: Separable and Inseparable
- 78 Linking Words: because, so, although, but
- 79 Infinitive of Purpose (to / in order to)
- 80 Indirect Questions (Can you tell me...)
- 81 Make, Let, Allow, Help (Causatives Intro)
- 82 Be Used To and Get Used To (+ -ing)
B2 25 topics · 25 ready
- 83 Narrative Tenses for Storytelling
- 84 Past Perfect Continuous (had been -ing)
- 85 Mixed Conditionals
- 86 Wish and If Only (Regrets and Wishes)
- 87 Wish/If Only + would (Complaints)
- 88 Passive Voice: All Tenses and Modals
- 89 Reporting Passive (It is said that / is said to)
- 90 Causative: Have/Get Something Done
- 91 Reduced Relative Clauses (Participles)
- 92 Modals of Deduction: Present and Past
- 93 Needn't Have vs Didn't Need To
- 94 Future Perfect (will have done)
- 95 Participle Clauses (-ing / -ed / having done)
- 96 Advanced Comparatives (far/much + er, the more)
- 97 Conditional Alternatives: unless, as long as, provided
- 98 Advanced Determiners: each, every, either, neither
- 99 Intensifiers and Adverbs of Degree
- 100 Advanced Contrast: despite, in spite of, however
- 101 Advanced Linkers: therefore, moreover, consequently
- 102 Advanced Article Use (generalisations, names)
- 103 Verb + Preposition and Adjective + Preposition
- 104 Relative Clauses: whose, where, when, quantifier + whom
- 105 Subject-Verb Agreement: Tricky Cases
- 106 Emphatic Do (I do like it)
- 107 Would for Past Habits (Formal Narrative)
C1 18 topics · 18 ready
- 108 Inversion with Negative Adverbials
- 109 Inversion in Conditionals (Had I known)
- 110 Cleft Sentences (It was... / What I need is...)
- 111 Fronting and Emphasis (Word Order)
- 112 Subjunctive and Mandative (I suggest he be)
- 113 Ellipsis and Substitution (so, do, one)
- 114 Hedging and Cautious Language
- 115 Nominalisation (Academic Noun Style)
- 116 Advanced Discourse Markers (Spoken & Written)
- 117 Advanced Passive (passive + infinitive, get-passive)
- 118 Advanced Comparative Structures (no sooner...than)
- 119 Future in the Past (was going to / would)
- 120 Advanced Modals (may well, might as well, would rather)
- 121 Advanced Reported Speech (Reporting Verbs + Patterns)
- 122 Advanced and Idiomatic Phrasal Verbs
- 123 Collocation and Colligation (Natural Combinations)
- 124 Advanced Concession (much as, whatever, however + adj)
- 125 Absolute and Non-Finite Clauses (Formal)