English grammar: Singular and plural nouns

What this grammar point covers

Singular and plural nouns in English show if we talk about one thing (singular) or more than one (plural).

When to use it

Use singular nouns when talking about one person, animal, or thing. Use plural nouns when talking about two or more.

Key forms

• Most nouns: add -s for plural (cat → cats)
• Nouns ending in -ch, -sh, -s, -x, -z: add -es (bus → buses)
• Nouns ending in -y (after a consonant): change -y to -ies (baby → babies)

Examples

Tips

• Most plurals just add -s, but watch for spelling changes.
• Some words do not change in plural (sheep, deer).
• Some words have irregular plurals (child → children, man → men).

Exceptions and edge cases

• Some nouns do not follow the regular rules (man → men, woman → women, child → children, foot → feet, tooth → teeth, mouse → mice).
• Some nouns are the same in singular and plural (sheep, fish, deer).