Plural forms
The plural form of a noun indicates simply that there are more than one of
the person or thing in question. For most nouns, the plural form includes the letter
"s" at the end of the word:
Dogs
Trees
Turtles
Nouns ending in s, z, ch, sh, and x
Nouns with these letters at the end call for an "es" in the plural
form. This added syllable makes pronunciation easier.
beaches
foxes
wishes
Nouns ending in o
Some nouns ending in o are pluralized with an "s," while others call for
"es." These words must be memorized, because there is no simple rule to
explain the differences.
| echoes | heroes | potatoes | vetoes |
| autos | memos | pimentos | pros |
Nouns ending in y
To form the plural of nouns ending in y, drop the y and add "ies."
Family becomes families
Story becomes stories
Baby becomes babies
Irregular plural forms
There are several other irregularities in the plural forms of English nouns. Here are
examples:
Man becomes men
Woman becomes women
Fungus becomes fungi
Thief becomes thieves (note that not all words ending in "f" follow this
patttern: roof/roofs)
Species remains species
Medium becomes media
Person becomes people
Plural forms and the apostrophe (Bedford
36)
A common error is to form the plural of a noun by adding "'s" to
the singular form. Try to get out the habit of doing this. A trick for remembering that
the apostrophe signifies the plural is that possessive means "having," and so
the possessive form of the word "has" an apostrophe. How do you tell the
difference in between plural and possessive? Check the meaning of the sentence. Does
the noun simply refer to more than one thing? Or does the sentence mention something that
belongs to the noun?
Although usage has changed in recent years, some handbooks call for an apostrophe in the plural forms of numbers, letters, and words used as words:
How many 1's do we have in the line?
We put x's on the incorrect answers.
The no's resounded loudly throughout the chamber.
Possessive forms (Bedford 36a)
A possessive form of a noun signifies that the noun owns something:
A musician's talent
A woman's ambition
Possessive forms call for a properly placed apostrophe. The placement is different for singular and plural nouns. For this reason, you must know the correct singular and plural noun forms before you can make them possessive.
Singular possessive
The possessive form of a singular noun is an apostrophe followed by the letter
"s."
Kramer's hair
Daphne's patience
the car's engine
Words ending with s, z or x generally omit the "s."
Dr. Seuss' sense of humor
Plural possessive
In order to place the apostrophe correctly in plural nouns, you must first be certain of
the plural form. If you have questions about these forms, you may want to browse the
section on plural nouns above.
For plural nouns ending in "s," add only an apostrophe:
Singers' voices
The cousins' favorite uncle
For plural nouns not ending in "s," add an apostrophe and "s."
Men's clothing
Children's books
Compound nouns (Bedford 36)
When a sentence indicates joint ownership in a compound construction, the possessive form
is attached only to the second noun:
Deanna and Brandi's vacation plans
Tim and Bethany's wedding invitation
Note that individual ownership is marked by a double possessive:
Courtney's and Mem's grade point averages
Tim and Bethany share the same wedding invitation, whereas Courtney and Mem each have their own grade point averages.
Tutorial
Study the choices in each sentence, and determine the correct form.
If you're in doubt, use the hint. Then check your answer.
