Language
Plural rules
Make the plural of a noun using the -s, -es, -ies and -ves rules, and know the words that follow none of them.
Most nouns make their plural by adding -s. The interesting ones are the nouns that cannot: the ending you add depends on the letters already there.
Add -es after a hiss
Nouns ending in s, x, ch, sh or z take -es, because -s alone could not be heard. Bus becomes buses, tax becomes taxes, church becomes churches, wish becomes wishes. A few nouns ending in o join them: tomatoes, mangoes and heroes take -es, while photos and pianos take just -s.
Consonant + y becomes -ies
Look at the letter before the y. If it is a consonant, the y changes to i and -es goes on. Party becomes parties, army becomes armies, berry becomes berries.
Vowel + y just takes -s
If a vowel comes before the y, nothing changes. Toy becomes toys, valley becomes valleys, donkey becomes donkeys, chimney becomes chimneys.
Many f words become -ves
Calf becomes calves, half becomes halves, life becomes lives, elf becomes elves. Say them aloud and you can hear the f turn into a v.
The ones that follow no rule
A small group changes shape instead: foot and feet, ox and oxen, person and people, die and dice. A few do not change at all: one deer, three deer.
Worked example
Make the plural of "family".
Look at the last letter. It is y, so one of the two y rules applies.
The y rules split on what comes before the y, so that is the next thing to check.
Try it together
Let us make three plurals, one for each rule.
Each answer is one word — the plural, spelled correctly.
1.Write the plural of "fox".
Have a go
Which plural is spelled correctly?
Ready to practice?
Eight questions on what you have just read. Nothing is timed, and you can play as many times as you like.