Singular and Plural Nouns for intermediate learners
Anything that is just one in quantity is singular. But what if there is more than one? Nouns that are two or more are called plurals! Simple, yes? Let's see!
What Are Singular and Plural Nouns?
In English, when we want to refer to one or more things, we use different forms of nouns. They are categorized as listed below:
- Singular Nouns
- Plural Nouns
Singular Nouns
When we want to talk about one item or person, we use a singular noun. It can be used with an indefinite article or a definite article. Look at the following examples:
She gave me a single black
As you can see, the sentence is about one item.
Julie wanted to wear a
Plural Nouns
When we want to refer to two or more objects, things, or people, we mainly use plural nouns. However, regular and irregular nouns have different plural forms.
Regular Nouns
- We normally add an '-s' to the end of the nouns.
She reads 3 book
- When the noun ends in '-y', we remove the -y and add an '-ies' to it.
He took care of the bab
- When we have a singular noun that ends in '-o', we add an '-es' to it.
The tomato
Please note that not all nouns with '-o' at the end will become plural like this.
Irregular Nouns
Some nouns are irregular and they completely change when they become plural. Let us learn some of them.
Shape-Shifters
There are specific nouns in English that shape-shift when they become plural. You can memorize them from a dictionary. Take a look at the table below:
| Singular Noun | Plural Noun |
|---|---|
| Man | Men |
| Mouse | Mice |
| Woman | Women |
| Person | People |
| Foot | Feet |
| Child | Children |
Unchanged Nouns
Some nouns remain the same when they change into plural form. Nothing is added to them or removed from them. Pay attention to the examples below:
There is too many
As you can see, the sentence is about a large amount of water but the noun is singular.
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Warning!
Please note that when we use a singular noun as the subject, the verb is also singular. When the subject is a plural noun, the verb is changed to the plural form accordingly. Look at the following examples:
The
( Not the children is ...)
The
( Not the cat eat meat... )
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