Nouns: Singular, Plural forms

Singular and plural nouns, irregular forms, family name.

Count Nouns: singular and plural form

Example: I’ve a car and two bikes.
Count nouns have two forms: singular and plural.

Singular count nouns refer to one person or thing:

a book; a teacher; a wish; an idea …

Plural count nouns refer to more than one person or thing:

books; teachers; wishes; ideas …

Singular count nouns:

Singular count nouns cannot be used alone.
They must have a determiner: a/an, the, that, my …
a book; that English teacher; the wish; my car,

Plural forms: You want to make a plural noun?

We usually make it with the « -s » form: (plural in -s):
We usually add -s to the singular noun:
book > books; school > schools; friend > friends.

Count nouns ending in –ss, -ch, -s, -sh, -x : Add -es (plural in -es):

class > classes; watch > watches; gas > gases; wish > wishes; box > boxes.

Count nouns ending in a consonant + -y: Add -ies to (plural in -ies):

country > countries; lady > ladies; party > parties.

Count nouns ending in a vowel + -y: Add -s to (plural in -s):

boy > boys; day > days; play > plays.

Irregular plurals: Some common nouns have irregular plurals:

a man > two men; a woman > two women; a child > some children;
a goose > lots of geese; a mouse > several mice;
a foot > two feet; a tooth > your teeth;
person > people

Plural count nouns without a determiner:

When they refer to people/ things as a group, don’t have a determiner:
Computers are very expensive.
Do you sell old books?

Plural form with Family Names:

we add -s: Shall we invite the Pitts?

Object with « A pair of … »:

« A pair of » cisors, glasses,
« A pair of » jeans, trousers,

ENGLISH NOUNS: