Plural Noun

Definition of Plural Noun

A noun which represents more than one person, animal, place or a thing is known as a plural noun. We need to add a suffix at the end of a singular noun to make it plural. For example, monkeys, keys, boxes, books, cars, etc.

List of Plural Noun

How to Identify a Plural Noun in a Sentence?

1. First, look for words that have 's' or 'es' at the end as those words are plural nouns. The simplest forms of words that do not have any suffixes added are singular nouns. For example, apple (singular noun), apples (plural noun)
2. Look for plural pronouns like 'we', 'us', 'they', 'them' as plural nouns are replaced by plural pronouns. For example, Jackson and Calvin are brothers. They go to the same school. 
3. The easiest way to identify a plural noun is to consider the number or amount of something it refers to. If something is more than one then we should use plural nouns. For example, 'I need balloons for the party' , here balloons are a plural noun as the speaker wants more than one balloon.



4. To identify a plural noun check whether the verb is plural or singular. If the verb is plural, the subject in the sentence is a plural noun. For example,
   → He (singular pronoun) goes (singular verb) for a walk every evening.
   → They (plural pronoun) go (plural verb) for a walk every evening.

When Do We Use Plural Noun?

1. Plural nouns are used when we talk about or refer to multiple people, animals, places or things. For example, Ellie and James are bright students. 
2. They are used to refer to more than one group of stuff. For example, There are three different piles of clothes.
3. They are used when we discuss a collection of objects or concepts. For example, Sam has a huge collection of stamps.
4. They are used when there are plural verbs in a phrase. For example, My grandparents go to the temple every morning.

Plural Nouns Rules

Rule 1: If the subject of a phrase or a sentence is a plural noun, we must use verbs in a plural form. For example, They (singular subject) go (singular verb) for jogging together.

Rule 2: Plural nouns are used with words like hundreds, thousands, millions or billions if the specific amount is not mentioned. For example, Billions of years.

To Read About Singular Nouns: Click here

Rules for Making Singular Noun to Plural Noun

Rule 1: One of the simplest ways to make a plural noun is to add 's' at the end of singular noun.

Rule 2: When a singular noun ends with 'ch', 's', 'ss', 'sh', 'x', and 'z', we add the suffix 'es' at the end of a singular noun to make it plural. 

Rule 3: Nouns which end with 'f' or 'ef' take an 's'/'-ves' after them to make their plural forms. 

Rule 4: We can change a singular noun to a plural noun when the word ends with a 'y' or when the letter before 'y' is a consonant, by adding '-ies' to the end.

Rule 5: When a singular noun ends with 'y' or when the letter before it is a vowel we have to add suffix 's' to make it plural. 

Rule 6: When a singular noun ends with 'o', we can make it plural by adding 'es' at the end. 

Common Mistakes with Plural Noun

1. Students may forget to add 's' at the end of a singular noun to make it plural.
2. They may forget the rules of converting singular nouns to plural and thus write the wrong word. For example, they may write 'heros' which is incorrect. The correct plural noun is 'heroes'.
3. They may use a singular verb with a plural noun. The correct way to write is to use a plural verb with a plural noun. For example, 'Some dogs loves to play with balls' is an incorrect sentence whereas 'Some dogs love to play with balls' is correct.

Using Plural Nouns in Sentences

→ I have two dogs. 
→ My teachers are very helpful.
→ Children are playing outside. 
→ All the flowers are looking beautiful in the garden. 
→ Mathew loves cars. 

Plural Noun Words

FAQs

1. What is a plural noun ?

Answer: Plural noun refers to more than one or multiple people, animals, places or things. 

2. Can a noun be plural? 

Answer: Yes, a singular noun can be made a plural noun, by adding suffixes like ‘s’ or ‘es’. For example, candle (singular noun), candles (plural noun).

3. Can we use article before plural noun?

Answer: Only definite article like ‘the’ is used with plural noun. For example, Where have you kept all the books? 

4. What are the examples of plural noun?

Answer: Examples of plural noun are dogs, cats, glasses, boxes, shoes, lamps, etc.

Note: There are some words that remain the same in both singular and plural form. Those are: