Irregular Plurals

 
 
Singular and Plural Nouns

In terms of quantity, nouns take on singular or plural forms. Singular nouns indicate one person or thing. Plural nouns refer to two or more persons or items.

The plurals of English nouns are further divided in regular and irregular forms.

 

Regular Plural Nouns

Regular plurals are formed by affixing the suffix –s, –es, or –ies to their singular forms. Most nouns have regular plural forms.

Regular plural noun = (singular noun)-s/-es/-ies.

 
Examples:

Singular	Plural
cow	cows
star	stars
tornado	tornados
chief	chiefs
truck	trucks
lash	lashes
dish	dishes
tomato	tomatoes
cherry	cherries

 

Irregular Plural Nouns

Irregular plurals do not adhere to the “s-rule” above. Instead they follow a miscellany of patterns.

-f or -fe to -ves

About a dozen nouns that end in -f or –fe, change to -ves in the plural:

 

Singular	Plural
half	halves
wife	wives
wolf	wolves
thief	thieves
calf	calves
elf	elves
knife	knives
loaf	loaves
life	lives
hoof	hooves

 
The Same

Some nouns have the same form in both the singular and the plural.

• barracks
• deer
• sheep
• moose


Respond to the following

1. Where does Santa Claus get all the presents he gives to good boys and girls?
2. What does a shepherd do?
3. What can you say about cats?

 

 

Answer the following Questions

Or respond to the statements. Say if they are true, not true/false, yes, no, yes and no, sometimes, maybe, it depends, in the middle, possibly, I agree, I disagree. Say why and give examples.

1. Most teachers, nurses, store clerks (shop keepers) are women, and most construction workers, mechanics and truck drivers are men.

2. What sort of hobbies or pastimes do men have? What are some popular hobbies or pastimes for women?

3. Wolves have a very effective hunting strategy. What is it? Can you describe it?

4. Do fairy tales often feature wolves? Are wolves often part of fairy tales?

5. Are there (many) thieves in your area? Are there many thieves online? What do they steal? How should thieves be dealt with?

6. Should military barracks be converted into homeless shelters, dormitories and temporary, emergency housing? Should these shelters be modeled after military barracks?

7. Some people are like sheep: they simply follow the herd wherever it goes. Do you know anyone who is like a sheep? I know people who are like shepherds. Yes or no?

8. Is bread the staple food of your country? Is it made and sold by the the loaves? How is bread consumed? Do you produce leavened (yeast) bread or unleavened (flat) bread?

9. Which are safer: sharp knives or dull knives? Describe a Swiss Army knife. Is it necessary for kitchen knives to be pointed?

10. Paul’s friends call him “Moose”. Paul’s nickname is “Moose”. Why do people call him Moose?

11. Describe some persons who had or have had very interesting lives.

12. Is it better for people to use the right side of their brain (the creative, artistic half), the left side (the logical, mathematical part), or both halves?

13. In some societies, men are permitted to several wives (polygyny). Do you think this good, bad, both good and bad, neither, in between or it depends?