Plural |
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Regular |
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General rule: singular + S: |
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Nouns ending in -S, -SS, -SH, -CH, -X get -ES: |
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SOME nouns ending in -O behind a consonant get -ES: |
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Nouns ending in -Y behind a consonant change -Y into -IES: |
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SOME nouns ending in -F or -FE change -F(E) into -VES: |
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Irregular |
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You will have to learn these by heart |
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man foot woman tooth goose mouse louse child penny |
men feet women teeth geese mice lice children pence |
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Always plural, Always singular |
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Some nouns are always PLURAL: clothes, jeans, trousers, shorts, people, police, glasses, scissors, mathematics |
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Some nouns (abstract, materials, kinds of food) are always SINGULAR: bread, tea, cheese, jam, soup, soap, snow, cotton, wood, water, information, advice, knowledge, furniture, news |
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Some nouns have the SAME FORM for singular and plural: Names of kind of fish: cod, herring, salmon, trout, ... Names of some animals: deer, sheep, swine, ... |
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Plural of compounds |
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If you are not sure of the plural form, check in a good dictionary. dining-room - dining-rooms sister-in-law - sisters-in-law forget-me-not - forget-me-nots |