PLURALS OF NOUNS

Regular plurals

Most nouns have a plural form. These nouns are marked [C] for “countable.” Usually the plural is regular, and it is not given in the dictionary. Nouns such as furniture or assistance that have no plural are marked [U] for “uncountable”—you cannot count them. Here are the rules for spelling regular plurals:

            noun ends in   change examples

            -s/-ss/-sh/-ch/-x/-z     + es     bus, buses • class, classes • wish, wishes • match, matches • box, boxes • quiz, quizzes

 (Note that a final z may be doubled.)

            consonant + y y • i + es         baby, babies • university, universities

            other regular nouns    + s       hand, hands • store, stores • play, plays • monkey, monkeys

Nouns for which the plural is the same as the singular

aircraft, craft [TRANSPORT], deer, moose, offspring, reindeer, sheep, and the names of some fish

Noun endings that sometimes have irregular plurals

Some irregular plurals are replaced by regular forms, especially in situations that are informal or not specialized. Words like this are marked * in the following table.

            singular ending          regular plurals            irregular plurals

            -a         agendas, areas, dilemmas, diplomas,           -ae algae, antennae*, larvae, vertebrae*

                        encyclopedias, eras, guerrillas, quotas        

            -ex/-ix Almost all these nouns have an -es plural:   -ices appendices*, indices*

                        apexes, complexes, mixes, sixes.     

            -f/-fe   beliefs, chiefs, cliffs, handkerchiefs,            -ves calves, halves, hooves*,

                        proofs, roofs, safes    knives, leaves, lives, loaves,scarves*,

                        Roofs is sometimes pronounced /ru:vz/.      selves, shelves, thieves, wives, wolves

            -is        irises, metropolises    -es analyses, axes, bases, crises, diagnoses, hypotheses, neuroses, oases, parentheses, psychoses, syntheses, theses

            -o        Many nouns form the plural with -s:

autos, memos, photos, pianos, radios,

solos, studios, videos, zoos.

The following common nouns take -es:

echoes, embargoes, heroes, potatoes,

tomatoes, vetoes.

Some nouns can take either -es or -s:

cargoes or cargos,mosquitoes or mosquitos,

mottos or mottoes,

tornados or tornadoes, volcanoes or volcanos,

zeros or zeroes.

            -on      Almost all -on nouns add -s: -a criteria, phenomena

            aprons, electrons, lions, moons, nations.

            -um     Most nonspecialized words:  -a Mainly specialized or formal words:

            albums, forums, gymnasiums, museums,    bacteria, curricula*, memoranda*,

            premiums,      millennia*, spectra*, strata

            Some nouns are usually regular, but also have

            irregular plurals with -a:

            aquariums or aquaria, mediums or media (= methods).

            -us       Most -us nouns add -es:        -i Mainly specialized words:

            bonuses, campuses, choruses, geniuses,       alumni, cacti*, foci*, fungi, nuclei, radii, stimuli.

            prospectuses, surpluses, viruses.      Notice: genus, genera.

Other irregular plurals

child, children • ox, oxen • foot, feet • tooth, teeth • goose, geese • man, men • woman, women • mouse, mice • louse, lice • person, people or persons