Number.

Nouns have two Numbers, namely, the Singular Number and the Plural Number . The Singular Number shows only one person, animal,thing or place, e.g.boy, cow, pencil, garden, etc. The Plural Number shows more than one person , animal, thing or plate, e.g. boys, sows, gardens, etc.

The Plurals of Nouns are formed in the following ways:

1. By adding “s” to the singular (the general rule).

Singular Plural
Boy boys
Girl girls
Day days
Pen pens
River rivers
Thing things
Picture pictures

2. By adding “es” to Nouns ending in a hissing sound, that is, ending in ‘x’, “sh” and “s”.

Singular Plural
Box boxes
Fish fishes
Bush bushes
Church churches
Inch inches
Class classes
Glass glasses


3. By adding “es” to Nouns ending “o”.

Singular Plural
Pototo pototoes
Tomato tomatoes
Mosquito mosquitoes
Hero heroes
Buffalo buffaloes
Mango mangoes

There are however exceptions to this rule, e.g.

Singular Plural
Photo photos
Piano pianos
Bamboo bamboos
Dynamo dynamos
Pomelo pomelos




4. By changing “y” (after a consonant) into “ies”.
(note: a, e, i ,o, u, are vowels. All the other letters are Consonants, e.g. b, c, d, f, g, etc.)

Singular Plural
Lady ladies
Army armies
City cities
Fly flies
Story stories
Baby babies

If the “y” is after a vowel (a,e,i,o,u) we follow the ordinary rule and add “s”.

Singular Plural
Day days
Play plays
Key keys
Monkey monkeys
Boy boys
Toy toys
Guy guys


5. By changing words “f” or “fe” Into “ves”.

Singular Plural
Half halves
Loaf loaves
Wolf wolves
Calf calves
Leaf leaves
Thief thieves
Life lives
Wife wives
Knife knives

There are exceptions to this rule, e.g.

Singular Plural
Roof roofs
Chief chiefs
Hoof hoofs
Proof proofs
Belief beliefs
Cliff cliffs
Mischief mischiefs
Gulf gulfs


6. By changing the inside vowel (s)

Singular Plural
Man men
Woman women
Foot feet
Tooth teeth
Goose geese
Mouse mice
Phenomenon phenomena


7. By having the same form for both the Singular and the Plural.

Singular Plural
Sheep sheep
Deer deer
Cattle cattle
Fish fish
Furniture furniture
News news
Advice advice
Knowledge knowledge
Information information
Scenery scenery
Equipment equipment
Information information


8. Compound Nouns (i.e. word formed by joining other words), add “s”.

Singular Plural
Son-in-law sons-in-law
Father-in-law fathers-in-law
Brother-in-law brothers-in-law
Sister-in-law sisters-in-law
Looker-in-law lookers-in-law
Commander-in-chief commanders-in-chief
Passer-by passers-by
Director-general directors-general
Attorney-general attorneys-general
Secretary-general secretaries-general

10. Some nouns are used in the Plural only, e.g. trousers, shorts, pants, pyjamas, scissors, spectacles, compasses, clothes, goods, people, thanks,riches, contents.

11. Some Nouns are plural in form but are used in the Singular. E.g. mathematics, physics, politics, news.


12. The following are foreign words (although most have become acceptable English words).

Singular Plural
Formula formulas or formulae
(note: prononced as “formu-lee”)
Index indices
Fungus fungi or funguses
Stratum strata
Analysis analyses
Series series
Axis axes
Specie species
Syllabus syllabuses or syllabi
(Note:pronounced as “sylla-bai”)
Crisis crises
Oasis oases
Datum data
Terminus termini
(note: pronounced as “termi-nai”)
Locus loci
(note: pronounced as “lo-sai”)
Radius radii
(note: pronounced as “radi-ai”)
Thesis theses.