Most nouns make the plural with -s or -es. A few do not: men, children, feet, people. Some things, such as trousers and scissors, are always plural in English.
A Plural with -s and -es
The plural of a noun is usually -s: a train, two trains. A single rose in a glass is a rose. A vase full of them is some roses.
| singular (one) | plural (two or more) |
|---|---|
| a train | some trains |
| a day | three days |
| a good shop | lots of good shops |
| this street | these streets |
Spelling
| ending | plural | examples |
|---|---|---|
| -s, -sh, -ch, -x | -es | bus, buses; wish, wishes; match, matches; fox, foxes |
| also | -es | potato, potatoes; tomato, tomatoes |
| consonant + -y | -ies | lady, ladies; city, cities; lorry, lorries |
| but -ay, -ey, -oy | -ys | holiday, holidays; key, keys; toy, toys |
| -f, -fe | -ves | loaf, loaves; knife, knives; life, lives |
- We waited for two buses, and then three came at once.
- Both my sisters had babies last year.
- Put the plates on the shelves, please.
B Things that are always plural
These words are plural in English: scissors, glasses, trousers, jeans, shorts, tights, pyjamas. They take are and them.
To talk about one, say a pair of: a pair of trousers, a pair of scissors. You can also use some. It is never a new jeans.
- Does your dad wear glasses?
- Where are the scissors? I can't find them.
- I need a new pair of shorts.
- I need some new shorts.
C Plurals without -s
| this man, these men | one foot, two feet | that sheep, those sheep |
| a woman, some women | a tooth, all my teeth | a fish, lots of fish |
| a child, three children | a mouse, two mice |
Also: a person, two people, lots of people. The plural is people, not persons.
- My nan is a lovely person.
- Her neighbours are lovely people.
- There were sheep all over the road.
- I brush my teeth twice a day.
D people and police are plural
People is plural, the same as they. Say people are, people have, people speak.
Police is plural too. Say the police are, the police have.
- Lots of people work from home now. (not works)
- I like the people in this street. They're really friendly.
- "The police are outside." "What do they want?"
Exercises
66.1 Write the plural.
cup: cups
cup, cups
car:
car, cars
man:
man, men
baby:
baby, babies
orange:
orange, oranges
glass:
glass, glasses
loaf:
loaf, loaves
watch:
watch, watches
lorry:
lorry, lorries
tooth:
tooth, teeth
key:
key, keys
tomato:
tomato, tomatoes
66.2 Read each scene and complete the sentence with a plural noun.
A green hillside is covered with white, woolly farm animals.
There are hundreds of sheep on the hillside.
There are hundreds of sheep on the hillside.
Gary is sitting in the dentist's chair with his mouth wide open.
The dentist is checking Gary's .
The dentist is checking Gary's teeth.
Four people are standing in a line at a cash machine.
There are four in the queue.
There are four people in the queue.
Mrs Hughes is walking to school with three small boys.
Mrs Hughes has got three .
Mrs Hughes has got three children.
A garden pond is full of small orange goldfish.
There are a lot of in the pond.
There are a lot of fish in the pond.
It is autumn. A tree is dropping brown leaves onto the grass.
The are falling from the tree.
The leaves are falling from the tree.
66.3 Some of these sentences are right, but most are wrong. If a sentence is right, write OK. If it is wrong, write it correctly.
I bought some new socks.
OK
I bought some new socks.
I need a new shorts.
I need a new pair of shorts.
I need a new pair of shorts.
It's a nice street with a lot of old house.
It's a nice street with a lot of old houses.
There was a man on the bus with two womans.
There was a man on the bus with two women.
Fish live in water.
Fish live in water.
Sarah is married and has got two childs.
Sarah is married and has got two children.
Most of my neighbour are teacher.
Most of my neighbours are teachers.
She put on her pyjama and went to sleep.
She put on her pyjamas and went to sleep.
There were a lot of sheep on the road.
There were a lot of sheep on the road.
How many persons work in your office?
How many people work in your office?
I like your jean. Where did you buy it?
I like your jeans. Where did you buy them?
The beach is always full of family in August.
The beach is always full of families in August.
My grandad has got false teeth.
My grandad has got false teeth.
This trouser is too long.
These trousers are too long.
66.4 Which is right? Complete the sentences.
It's a lovely town. Lots of people ___ there. (live / lives)
live
It's a lovely town. Lots of people live there.
Some people ___ never on time. (is / are)
Some people are never on time.
The new manager isn't popular. The people in the office ___ trust her. (don't / doesn't)
The new manager isn't popular. The people in the office don't trust her.
A lot of people ___ coffee every morning. (drink / drinks)
A lot of people drink coffee every morning.
Two people ___ hurt in the fire. (was / were)
Two people were hurt in the fire.
How many people ___ in that factory? (work / works)
How many people work in that factory?
___ the police wear hats in your country? (Do / Does)
Do the police wear hats in your country?
The police ___ talking to the driver. (is / are)
The police are talking to the driver.
Where are my scissors? I can't find ___. (it / them)
Where are my scissors? I can't find them.
I need to buy ___ new shorts for the holiday. (a / some)
I need to buy some new shorts for the holiday.