Plural nouns
Introduction
In this lesson, you will learn about singular nouns, their categories and how to use them correctly.
Singular Nouns
Singular nouns are used to describe one person, place, animal, thing, or idea.
Plural Nouns
Plural nouns are used to describe more than one person, place, animal, thing, or idea. Plural nouns can be formed by adding -s/-es to the end of the word. For example:
- Table(s)
- Girl(s)
- House(s)
- Dog(s)
- Idea(s)
- Peach(es)
- Kiss(es)
- Brush(es)
There are also irregular plural nouns that do not end in -s/-es. Here are some examples:
- Men (man)
- Women (woman)
- Children (child)
- Feet (foot)
- Teeth (tooth)
- Mice (mouse)
- Geese (goose)
There are also nouns that remain the same in both singular and plural. For example:
- Deer
- Fish
- Sheep
- Aircraft
- Species
Practice
Let’s practice identifying singular and plural nouns. Please underline the noun in each sentence:
- I have one book to read before bed. (book is singular)
- The girls are jumping rope. (girls is plural)
- There are many houses on this street. (houses is plural)
- My cat loves to play with mice. (cat is singular, mice is plural)
- The deer ran across the road. (deer is singular)
Conclusion
Now that we have learned about singular and plural nouns, you can practice by looking for them in books, articles, and conversation. Just remember, singular nouns describe one person, place, animal, thing, or idea, while plural nouns describe more than one. Keep practicing and have fun!
Exercise 1
Identifying Singular and Plural Nouns In the following sentences, identify whether the underlined words are singular or plural nouns.
- Jenny owns a cat and a dog.
- The children are playing outside.
- Sarah ate four apples for breakfast.
- The library has many books on history.
- My friend is studying mathematics.
Exercise 2
Changing Singular Nouns to Plural Rewrite the following sentences by changing the singular nouns to plural.
- The car is parked in the garage.
- My brother enjoys playing video games.
- She bought a new watch yesterday.
- The flower is blooming in the garden.
- The student received a good grade on the exam.
Exercise 3
Changing Plural Nouns to Singular Rewrite the following sentences by changing the plural nouns to singular.
- The dogs barked loudly in the park.
- My friends and I went to the movies last night.
- The birds flew south for the winter.
- The houses on this street are all for sale.
- The vegetables in the garden are ready to be picked.
Exercise 4
Singular and Plural Noun Agreement Choose the correct form of the noun (singular or plural) to complete the following sentences.
- The _______ (child/children) is playing with a ball.
- The _______ (book/books) on my desk are all overdue.
- She has three _______ (apple/apples) in her bag.
- The _______ (tree/trees) in the park are very tall.
- The _______ (car/cars) in the parking lot are all new.
Exercise 5
Irregular Plural Nouns Identify the irregular plural form of the following nouns.
- tooth
- foot
- mouse
- goose
- man
- woman
- child
- fish
- sheep
- deer
Answers:
Exercise 1: 1. singular, singular 2. plural 3. plural 4. plural 5. singular
Exercise 2: 1. The cars are parked in the garage. 2. My brothers enjoy playing video games. 3. She bought some new watches yesterday. 4. The flowers are blooming in the garden. 5. The students received good grades on the exam.
Exercise 3: 1. The dog barked loudly in the park. 2. My friend and I went to the movie last night. 3. The bird flew south for the winter. 4. The house on this street is all for sale. 5. The vegetable in the garden is ready to be picked.
Exercise 4: 1. child 2. books 3. apples 4. trees 5. cars
Exercise 5: 1. teeth 2. feet 3. mice 4. geese 5. men 6. women 7. children 8. fish (same for singular and plural) 9. sheep (same for singular and plural) 10. deer (same for singular and plural)