A noun is a word used to name a person, an animal, a place or a thing.

Watch this video and learn more about nouns and how they change to plural.

Nouns also indicate quantity; the quantity being the difference between singular (one) and plural (more than one).

The plural form of a singular nouns can be formed in various ways:

(a) by adding -s to the noun

These are nouns that can take a plural form:

Singular          Plural

car                   cars

chair                chairs

girl                   girls

tree                  trees

bicycle              bicycles

boy                  boys

(c) (i) by adding –s or –es to nouns ending in ‘O’ 

Singular          Plural

tomato            tomatoes

potato              potatoes 

dynamo           dynamoes

echo                echoes

volcano            volcanoes

hero                 heroes

(ii) by adding –s to nouns ending in Y 

Singular          Plural

day                  days

key                  keys

donkey            donkeys

monkey           monkeys

quay                quays

toy                   toys

(d) by changing –y into –i and add -es 

Singular          Plural

berry                berries

pony                ponies

puppy              puppies

story                stories

baby                babies

sky                   skies

city                  cities

lady                 ladies

(e) (i) by adding –s at the end of words ending in –f

Singular          Plural

roof                 roofs

chief                chiefs

cliff                 cliffs

dwarf              dwarfs

belief               beliefs

hoof                 hoofs

(ii) by changing –f or –fe to –v and add –es

Singular          Plural

leaf                  leaves

calf                  calves

loaf                  loaves

knife                knives

dwarf              dwarves

hoof                 hooves

thief                thieves

wife                 wives

(f) Some nouns do not take –s in the plural form.

Instead, there is a vowel change added inside the word. 

Singular          Plural

tooth               teeth

ox                   oxen

mouse              mice

foot                  feet

man                  men

child                children

(g) Some nouns do not change into a plural form. 

 Singular          Plural

salmon             salmon

wool                wool

bread               bread

sheep               sheep

deer                deer

water               water

(h) Some nouns are always in plural form. 

Singular          Plural

spectacles         spectacles

trousers             trousers

scissors             scissors

pincers              pincers

binoculars         binoculars

measles             measles

(i) by changing the main part of a word or a phrase. 

Singular                      Plural

passerby                       passersby

spoonful                      spoonfuls

stepchild                      stepchildren

mother-in-law               mothers-in-law

commander in chief       commanders in chief