Changing a singular noun to plural Rules for PLurals Changing a singular noun to plural

#1: for most nouns… just add What? book→books pencil→pencils student→students idea→ideas

#2: When do you add –es to make a word plural? branch→branches brush→brushes dress→dresses fox→foxes

#3: For words that end with –f or –fe, how do you form the plural? leaf→leaves loaf→loaves life→lives wife→wives

#4: If the noun ends with a consonant + Y, then what do you do? baby→babies city→cities party→parties discovery→discoveries

#4a: If the noun ends with a vowel + Y, then what do you do? boy→boys holiday→holidays key→keys toy→toys

#5: Some nouns are irregular, so you just need to do what? child→children man→men foot→feet mouse→mice

#6: some nouns do not change, so you just need to do what? fish →fish deer→deer sheep→sheep shrimp→shrimp

There are a few more other rules, but these should cover the majority of plural nouns!

Special note: When you want to mention ONE of something, the “something” must be in PLURAL form! One of the best students is Lauren. NOT: One of the best student is…. One of my favorite subjects is history. NOT: One of my favorite subject is….

Pay close attention to your spelling when changing a singular noun to a plural noun. If you do not know, then you will have to check a dictionary!