Language Course
Learn English with the Fernandez family as they start a new exciting life in England.
Content
The plural of nouns
The plural of countable nouns
Nouns that you can count as separate items are called countable nouns. Take for example the word coin: you can have one coin, two coins, three coins, four coins and so on.
The plural of most nouns is formed by adding an s to the end of the noun:
one coin 
two coins, one house two houses, one brother three brothers, one cat two cats, one book three books, one plane two planes, one train two trains, one car two cars.
two coins, one house two houses, one brother three brothers, one cat two cats, one book three books, one plane two planes, one train two trains, one car two cars.There are some exceptions, however.
There are nouns that end with the sound /dʒ/ as in sandwich, witch, the sound /s/ as in class, glass, the sound /z/ as in blouse or the sound /ks/ as in box, fox. You can hear the sound endings when you speak the words out loud.
To form the plural, add es to the end of the noun: one sandwich two sandwiches, one match two matches, one class two classes, one box two boxes
two sandwiches, one match two matches, one class two classes, one box two boxesUsing Drag and Drop, decide which nouns need the plural ending -s and which nouns need the plural ending -es.
Choose the correct plural ending for the noun.
Read the text. Then write the nouns (in brackets) in the gaps. Decide whether you need the plural ending -s or -es or none at all.
[Entwurf]
- Some nouns have special plural forms: for example one mouse two mice, one man two men, one woman two women.
- If a noun ends with -y after a consonant, it becomes -ie when you form the plural (but don‘t forget the plural "s" at the end!): a party two parties, a family two families.
- Some plural forms you just have to learn by heart: for example one tomato two tomatoes, one knife two knives.
The plural of uncountable nouns:
Remember: uncountable nouns are things that you cannot count as seperate items.
Never add a plural "s" to an uncountable noun! Use a partitive structure which you can mark with a plural "s": for example two slices of bread, two bottles of milk.
What is a partitive structure?
Partitive structures are measurements. In order to count "rain", you have to use a partitive structure like "a drop of". Partitive structures always have the structure "X of Y".
Source: http://www.learning-english-online.net/areas/grammar/parts-of-speech-and-sentence-structure/nouns/the-plural-of-nouns/
English for:
Contribute
Use the contact form for suggestions and critique or to report bugs or content errors.
Blog
Visit our blog to find news and background info about our language learning portals. Exchange ideas and experiences with learners and teachers.
