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A plural noun means more than one of something, like people, places, things, or ideas. Usually, you add –s or –es to a word to make it plural. For instance, ‘dog’ becomes ‘dogs’ when talking about more than one. But some words don’t follow these rules and have their own special ways of becoming plural.
Most words just need an –s added to become plural. Different words have different rules for making them plural. Words that don’t follow these rules are called irregular plurals, and you need to remember or check a dictionary to know how they change.
Definition of a Plural Noun
A plural noun is a word showing there’s more than one person, animal, place, thing, or idea. When you talk about many of something, it’s a plural noun. Usually, you add ‘s,’ ‘es,’ or ‘ies’ to make a word plural. There are a few exceptions, like ‘moose.’ One moose is ‘moose,’ and many moose are still called ‘moose.
Difference Between Singular and plural nouns
| Singular Noun | Plural Noun |
|---|---|
| Refers to one person, thing, etc. | Refers to more than one person, thing, etc. |
| Typically, ends in ‘s,’ ‘x,’ ‘ch,’ ‘sh,’ or ‘o’ (with some exceptions) | Often formed by adding ‘s,’ ‘es,’ or ‘ies’ to the singular form |
| Example: cat, book, house | Example: cats, books, houses |
| Used with singular verbs | Used with plural verbs |
Also Check: Singular Nouns
Plural Noun Examples
- Dog (singular) becomes Dogs (plural)
- Cat (singular) becomes Cats (plural)
- House (singular) becomes Houses (plural)
- Book (singular) becomes Books (plural)
- Car (singular) becomes Cars (plural)
The Golden Rule of Using Plural Nouns in Sentences
When you have more than one thing, change the verb to match it. This keeps the sentence right. For example, with many things, you use words like “are,” “were,” or “have been” with the verb to make it fit.
The verbs forms used along with a plural noun include, are (simple present tense), were (simple past tense), are+verb+ing, were+verb+ing, have+past participle, have+been+past participle, will+have+verb+ing and will+have+past participle.
Examples
- None of the students has completed their work. (Group of people)
- All the rescued dogs have been returned to their natural habitats safely. (Group of different animals)
- The textbooks and notebooks are kept on the shelves. (Objects)
- All collages in the city are shut down due to the political protests carried out in and around the city.
How to Change Singular Noun To Plural Noun
To make a regular noun plural, you usually add an ‘s’, ‘es’, ‘ies’, ‘ves’, or change some letters. But some nouns stay the same in both singular and plural. Then there are irregular nouns—they don’t follow the usual rules. They become plural in different ways, like changing the word or adding something to it.
Examples
| Singular Form | Plural Form |
|---|---|
| Adding ‘s’ | |
| Dog | Dogs |
| Pen | Pens |
| Chair | Chairs |
| Adding ‘es’ | |
| Box | Boxes |
| Tax | Taxes |
| Bus | Buses |
| Adding ‘ves’ for nouns ending with an ‘f’ or ‘fe’ | |
| Wolf | Wolves |
| Calf | Calves |
| Knife | Knives |
| Wife | Wives |
| Adding ‘es’ to nouns ending with an ‘o’ | |
| Mango | Mangoes |
| Potato | Potatoes |
| Tomato | Tomatoes |
| Mosquito | Mosquitoes |
| Volcano | Volcanoes |
| Adding ‘ies’ to words ending with a ‘y’ preceded by a consonant | |
| City | Cities |
| Strawberry | Strawberries |
| Puppy | Puppies |
| Adding ‘s’ to words ending with a ‘y’ preceded by a vowel | |
| Ray | Rays |
| Toy | Toys |
| Boy | Boys |
| Changing ‘us’ to ‘i’ | |
| Alumnus | Alumni |
| Syllabus | Syllabi |
| Cactus | Cacti |
| Fungus | Fungi |
| Nucleus | Nuclei |
| Changing ‘is’ to ‘es’ | |
| Crisis | Crises |
| Analysis | Analyses |
| Diagnosis | Diagnoses |
| Thesis | Theses |
| Changing ‘on’ to ‘a’ | |
| Criterion | Criteria |
| Phenomenon | Phenomena |
| Nouns with a common singular and plural form | |
| News | News |
| Scissors | Scissors |
| Furniture | Furniture |
| Deer | Deer |
| Fish | Fish |
| Police | Police |
| Sheep | Sheep |
| Irregular nouns | |
| Man | Men |
| Woman | Women |
| Ox | Oxen |
| Goose | Geese |
| Child | Children |
| Tooth | Teeth |
| Foot | Feet |
| Mouse | Mice |
| Plural form for hyphenated nouns and relationships | |
| Mother-in-law | Mothers-in-law |
| Father-in-law | Fathers-in-law |
| Brother-in-law | Brothers-in-law |
| Daughter-in-law | Daughters-in-law |
| Son-in-law | Sons-in-law |
| Grandmother | Grandmothers |
| Grandfather | Grandfathers |
| Grandson | Grandsons |
| Granddaughter | Granddaughters |
| Cousin | Cousins |
| Brother | Brothers |
| Sister | Sisters |
| Uncle | Uncles |
| Aunty | Aunties |
| Aunt | Aunts |
Plural Nouns FAQs
What is a plural noun with an example?
A plural noun names more than one person, place, thing, or idea. Example: Apples is a plural noun because it refers to more than one apple.
What are singular nouns?
Singular nouns name just one person, place, thing, or idea. For instance, Cat is a singular noun as it refers to a single cat.
What is a plural noun or pronoun?
A plural noun or pronoun refers to more than one person, place, thing, or idea. Example: They is a plural pronoun indicating multiple people.
What are 10 plural nouns?
Examples of plural nouns include dogs, houses, books, pencils, cars, bottles, trees, tables, flowers, and computers.
What is a plural noun example?
An example of a plural noun is children, which refers to more than one child.
