Plural nouns
One book, two books: when to add -s, -es or -ies, and how to say the ending.
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A plural noun means more than one: one bag, two bags. Most nouns add -s, some add -es or change their ending, and a few common nouns have their own plural form.
Most nouns: add -s
One | More than one |
|---|---|
a book | two books |
a car | three cars |
a day | many days |
- I've got two sisters.
- The shops open at nine.
- Incorrect: I've got two brother.
- Correct: I've got two brothers.After two, three and other numbers above one, the noun is plural.
-s, -sh, -ch, -x: add -es
Nouns that end in -s, -ss, -sh, -ch or -x add -es. It makes an extra syllable, so the word is easy to say.
One | More than one |
|---|---|
a bus | two buses |
a glass | two glasses |
a dish | two dishes |
a watch | two watches |
a box | two boxes |
Some nouns that end in -o add -es too: potatoes, tomatoes. Others just add -s: photos, radios, pianos.
- Can I have two glasses of water?
- We need four tomatoes for the salad.
Consonant + y: -ies
When a noun ends in a consonant + y, change the y to i and add -es. When it ends in a vowel + y (ay, ey, oy), just add -s.
Ending | One | More than one |
|---|---|---|
consonant + y | a city | two cities |
consonant + y | a party | two parties |
vowel + y | a key | two keys |
vowel + y | a day | two days |
- There are two parties on Saturday.
- Incorrect: I can't find my keies.
- Correct: I can't find my keys.Key ends in a vowel + y, so we just add -s.
How to say the ending
The ending has three sounds. You don't need to think about the letters, only about the last sound of the word.
Last sound of the word | Ending sounds like | Examples |
|---|---|---|
p, t, k, f | /s/ | cups, hats, books, chefs |
a vowel, or b, d, g, l, m, n, ng, v | /z/ | days, bags, phones |
s, z, sh, ch, x, the "j" sound in page | /ɪz/ | buses, dishes, pages |
- Oranges has three syllables: o-ran-ges.
- Books has one syllable.
Irregular plurals
A few common nouns have their own plural: man → men, woman → women, child → children, person → people, foot → feet. Some nouns in -f or -fe change to -ves: knife → knives. The page on irregular plurals and uncountable nouns has the full list, and the nouns that are always plural, like jeans.
- Two men and three women work in our team.
- Incorrect: They have got two childs.
- Correct: They have got two children.