IRREGULAR PLURALS. Worksheets on Vocabulary. Vocabulary Worksheets for ESL. Free eBook and Free printable PDF.
IRREGULAR PLURALS
IRREGULAR PLURALS
The majority of nouns in English follow the same rule to create plural nouns, and that is to add -s. For example,
- A pen / Some pens
- A student / Some students
This is true for all words except words that end in -ch, -sh, -s, -ss, -x, -z, and -o. With these words, we add -es. For example,
- A watch / Some watches
- A tomato / Some tomatoes
And when a word ends in -y, you change the -y to -i and add -es. For example,
- A city / Some cities
- A lady / Some ladies
Irregular Plural Nouns
There are some plural nouns that don’t follow the rule above of using -s. Here are the irregular plural nouns you need to know.
People
- Children (plural of child). “There are some children playing in the park.”
- Women (plural of woman), pronounced /’wi min/. “Two of our top managers are women.”
- Men (plural of man). “The changing room for the men is over there.”
- People (plural of person). “There are over 7.5 billion people in the world.”
Body
- Teeth (plural of tooth). “He has perfect teeth. He never has to go to the dentist.”
- Feet (plural of foot). “You walk and run with your feet.”
Animals
The following animals have the same plural form as the singular form:
- Fish (one fish, two fish)
- Sheep
- Deer
- Shrimp
- Tuna
- Swine
- Species
While some plural nouns for animals change significantly:
- A mouse / Some mice
- A goose / Some geese
- An ox / Some oxen
Words ending in -f
Words that end in -f or -fe change the -f to -v before adding -es. For example,
- A life – Some lives
- A knife – Some knives
- A leaf – Some leaves
- A wife – Some wives
- A calf – Some calves
- A loaf – Some loaves
- A scarf – Some scarves
Words ending in -is
Words that end in -is usually change to -es. For example,
- A hypothesis / Some hypotheses
- A crisis / Some crises
- An analysis / Some analyses
- A thesis / Some theses
Plural Words ending in -a
The following are all common irregular plural words that end in -a:
- Data
- Criteria
- Phenomena
- Media
- Bacteria
- Curricula
IRREGULAR PLURALS
Exercises
EXERCISE 1.
Complete the sentences using the plural of the nouns in the box below
| WOMAN | MAN | POTATO | BUS |
| FOOT | LIFE | PARTY | PENNY |
- Andy thinks that ___________ are more intelligent then _______________. He’s a real male chauvinist.
- John and Ann have just split up. They have decided to live separate _________________.
- There are two ______________ going to the station from here: number 5 and number 9.
- I love _________________! I can dance all night and have lots of fun!
- “How much is a packet of crisps?”“It’s 50 _________________ “
- I’m going to cook chicken and _________________ for my husband tonight.My _______________ are freezing. I should have worn my woollen socks.
EXERCISE 2.
Write the plural or the singular of the following nouns
| SINGULAR | PLURAL |
| PERSON | |
| CANDY | |
| SPECIES | |
| CURRICULUM | |
| MICE | |
| STORIES | |
| MATCH |
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