CBSE Class 3 English Singular and Plural Nouns Notes Set 02

Singular and plural nouns

A noun that names only one person, animal, place or thing is called a singular noun. A noun that names more than one is called a plural noun.

Singular: a boy, a cat, a house, a flower. Plural: boys, cats, houses, flowers.

Rules for making plurals

Rule 1. Add -s to most nouns. book, books; cat, cats; flower, flowers.

Rule 2. Add -es to nouns that end in ch, sh, o, s, ss, x or z. bench, benches; dish, dishes; ostrich, ostriches; bus, buses; box, boxes; mango, mangoes.

Rule 3. Some nouns ending in o take only -s. piano, pianos; photo, photos.

Rule 4. If a noun ends in a consonant followed by y, change y to i and add -es. city, cities; country, countries; lady, ladies; baby, babies; fairy, fairies; lily, lilies.

Rule 5. If a noun ends in a vowel followed by y, simply add -s. key, keys; monkey, monkeys; toy, toys.

Rule 6. For most nouns ending in -f or -fe, replace the f or fe with -ves. leaf, leaves; knife, knives; life, lives; loaf, loaves; shelf, shelves; wolf, wolves. A few such words, like chief, only add -s: chiefs.

Rule 7. Some nouns change their spelling completely. man, men; woman, women; child, children; ox, oxen; goose, geese; mouse, mice; foot, feet; tooth, teeth.

Rule 8. Some nouns have the same form in singular and plural. sheep, deer, fish, bison.

Key points

1. Check the last letter or letters of the noun before choosing a rule.

2. Say the plural aloud; if it sounds wrong, it may be an irregular noun.

3. Words like sheep and deer do not change at all.

Worked examples

Example 1. Write the plural of fox.

Fox ends in x, so add -es. Answer: foxes.

Example 2. Write the plural of puppy.

Puppy ends in a consonant (p) followed by y, so change y to i and add -es. Answer: puppies.

Example 3. Rewrite in plural: The calf drank milk.

Calf ends in f, so it becomes calves. Answer: The calves drank milk.

More examples

1. Nouns ending in -s, -ss, -x, -z, -ch or -sh take -es: bus, buses; glass, glasses; box, boxes; church, churches; brush, brushes.

2. Nouns ending in consonant + y change to -ies: story, stories; family, families; puppy, puppies.

3. Nouns ending in vowel + y take -s: boy, boys; day, days; key, keys.

4. Irregular plurals have to be learnt by heart: man, men; foot, feet; tooth, teeth; mouse, mice.

Plural nouns in sentences

The verb sometimes changes with the noun. We say "The child is playing" but "The children are playing". Make other changes in the sentence if they are needed.

Quick Check Questions