PluralsA0–A1
Most nouns add -s (books), nouns ending in s, sh, ch or x add -es, and consonant + y becomes -ies. Irregular plurals take no -s and people takes a plural verb: three children, The people are nice.
No information at the current level. This view starts at A0: choose A0 or a higher level.
No information at the current level. This view starts at A0: choose A0 or a higher level.
CheatsheetA0–A1
| Point | Rule | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Most nouns | + s | two books |
| -s, -ss, -sh, -ch, -x, -z | + es | bus → buses / box → boxes |
| consonant + y | y → ies | city → cities |
| vowel + y | + s | boy → boys |
| A1-o / -f / -fe | some + es; -f / -fe → ves | potato → potatoes / knife → knives |
| Irregular | no -s: man, woman, child, person | three children |
| A1foot, tooth, mouse | irregular | feet / teeth / mice |
| A1jeans, trousers, glasses | plural only, plural verb | My jeans are new. |
| A1Sound of -s | /s/ after voiceless sounds, /z/ after voiced sounds, /ɪz/ after /s z ʃ tʃ dʒ/ | cups /kʌps/ · dogs /dɒɡz/ · buses /ˈbʌsɪz/ |
| Trap | people takes a plural verb | The people are nice. |
| A1Trap | sheep and fish keep one form | two sheep |
Form: regular pluralsA0
| Singular | Plural | Example |
|---|---|---|
| a book | two books | I have two books. |
| a car | three cars | There are three cars here. |
| an apple | apples | I like apples. |
- Most nouns add -s in the plural.
- Adjectives stay the same: a red car → two red cars.
- A plural subject takes a plural verb: The books are new.
- Uncountable nouns have no plural: see Countable and uncountable nouns.
Spelling: -s and -esA0–A1
| Noun ending | Rule | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| most nouns | + s | book → books / day → days |
| -s, -ss, -sh, -ch, -x, -z | + es | bus → buses / glass → glasses / dish → dishes / watch → watches / box → boxes |
| consonant + y | y → ies | city → cities / baby → babies |
| vowel + y | + s | boy → boys / key → keys |
| A1consonant + o: some nouns | + es | potato → potatoes / tomato → tomatoes |
| A1-f, -fe | → ves | leaf → leaves / knife → knives / wife → wives / half → halves |
A1
- Other nouns in -o add only -s: photo → photos, piano → pianos, kilo → kilos.
- Some nouns in -f add only -s: roof → roofs, chef → chefs.
Pronunciation: the -s endingA1
| Sound | After | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| /s/ | voiceless sounds /p t k f θ/ | cups /kʌps/ · books /bʊks/ · months /mʌnθs/ |
| /z/ | voiced sounds and vowels | dogs /dɒɡz/ · pens /penz/ · days /deɪz/ |
| /ɪz/ | /s z ʃ tʃ dʒ/ | buses /ˈbʌsɪz/ · dishes /ˈdɪʃɪz/ · pages /ˈpeɪdʒɪz/ |
- In houses /ˈhaʊzɪz/, the s of house becomes /z/.
- The same rule gives the sound of the verb ending: see Present simple.
Irregular pluralsA0–A1
| Singular | Plural | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| man | men | /men/ |
| woman | women | /ˈwɪmɪn/ |
| child | children | /ˈtʃɪldrən/ |
| person | people | /ˈpiːpl/ |
| A1foot | feet | /fiːt/ |
| A1tooth | teeth | /tiːθ/ |
| A1mouse | mice | /maɪs/ |
- Irregular plurals take no -s: two children, three men.
- people is plural and takes a plural verb: The people here are friendly.
Same form and plural-only nounsA1
| Group | Nouns | Example |
|---|---|---|
| same singular and plural | sheep, fish | one sheep, two sheep |
| plural only: things with two parts | trousers, jeans, glasses, scissors | My jeans are new. |
- Count plural-only nouns with a pair of: a pair of jeans, two pairs of glasses.
- US: trousers are pants.
Typical errorsA0–A1
| ✗ | ✓ | Rule |
|---|---|---|
| three childs | three children | irregular plural |
| The people is nice. | The people are nice. | people + plural verb |
| two babys / two boxs | two babies / two boxes | consonant + y → ies / -x → -es |
| A1two sheeps | two sheep | sheep has the same form |