All about using plurals in English

The English language employs a variety of rules to form plurals from singular nouns, reflecting both its structured nature and its rich history of borrowing from other languages. While many nouns follow straightforward patterns, such as adding “-s” or “-es,” others undergo more complex transformations or retain forms from their Latin or Greek origins. Additionally, exceptions and irregular cases abound, making pluralization a fascinating yet occasionally challenging aspect of English grammar. This guide outlines the primary rules for forming plurals, complete with examples, while highlighting key exceptions and variations.

Plurals in English

Forming plurals in English involves several rules, with some exceptions. Here are the main guidelines:

Add -s

• Most nouns form their plural by simply adding an “s” to the singular form.
  • Examples: dog → dogs, book → books, house → houses

Add -es

• If a noun ends in -s, -ss, -sh, -ch, -x, or -z, you add “-es” to form the plural.
  • Examples: bus → buses, dress → dresses, brush → brushes, church → churches, box → boxes, quiz → quizzes

Change -y to -ies

• When a noun ends in a consonant followed by “y”, change the “y” to “i” and add “-es”.
  • Examples: city → cities, baby → babies
• But if “y” follows a vowel, just add “s”.
  • Examples: boy → boys, key → keys

Words ending in -f or -fe

• For some words ending in -f or -fe, change the “f” or “fe” to “ves”.
  • Examples: leaf → leaves, knife → knives
• However, many words simply add “-s” or “-es”:
  • Examples: chief → chiefs, roof → roofs, safe → safes

Irregular plurals

• Some nouns change their form completely in the plural:
  • Examples: man → men, woman → women, child → children, tooth → teeth, foot → feet, mouse → mice

Same for singular and plural

• Some nouns have the same form in both singular and plural:
  • Examples: sheep, deer, fish (though “fishes” can be used for different species), series, species

Latin and Greek origins

• Many words of Latin or Greek origin retain their original plural forms:
  • Examples:
    • Latin: cactus → cacti, fungus → fungi, datum → data, medium → media (although some of these are becoming regularized with “-s” plurals in common usage)
    • Greek: criterion → criteria, phenomenon → phenomena, analysis → analyses

Compounds

• With compound nouns, usually only the main noun is pluralized:
  • Examples: mother-in-law → mothers-in-law, passerby → passersby

Numbers, letters, and symbols

• When pluralizing numbers, letters, and symbols, add an apostrophe followed by “s” (though this is less common in modern usage):
  • Examples: A’s, 1990s (or just 1990s without the apostrophe)

Hyphenated words

• For hyphenated compound nouns, pluralize the principal word:
  • Example: attorney general → attorneys general

Notes:

• English pluralization can be inconsistent, especially with words from other languages or with historical forms.
• Context often dictates which form is more commonly accepted or understood.
• Some words have multiple acceptable forms (e.g., octopus can be octopuses, octopi, or octopodes).

In summary

Forming plurals in English generally involves adding “-s” to most nouns, “-es” to those ending in sibilants like -s or -ch, or modifying endings such as -y to -ies when preceded by a consonant. Nouns ending in -f or -fe may shift to -ves, though many simply take -s, and irregular plurals like “men” or “children” defy standard patterns entirely. Some nouns, such as “sheep” or “fish,” remain unchanged in plural form, while words of Latin or Greek descent (e.g., “cacti,” “criteria”) often preserve their original plurals. Compound nouns typically pluralize the main word, and numbers or letters may use an apostrophe-s, though modern usage often omits it. Despite these guidelines, English pluralization is rife with exceptions and inconsistencies that are shaped by context, history, and evolving conventions, underscoring the importance of practice in mastering this skill.