Singular and Plural Number Rules refer to the numbers of Nouns, Pronouns, and Adjective in English Grammar. “One” denotes a Singular Number and “more than one” refers to Plural numbers. When we change Nouns and Pronouns from Singular Numbers to Plural Number, their form changes.
So, there are certain and some exceptional rules that we require to change Nouns or Pronouns from Singular Numbers to Plural Numbers. These are called Singular and Plural Number Rules.
Singular and Plural Number Rules
Example 1:
One boy is playing football.
Many boys are playing football.
Example 2:
One horse is running.
Many horses are running.
“One” denotes a Singular Number. So, ‘One boy‘ and ‘One horse‘ refer to Singular Numbers.
“Many” refers to “more than one” i.e. Plural Number. Both “Boy” and “Horse” are Common Nouns in Example 1 and Example 2. So, ‘Many boys ‘ and ‘Many horses‘ refers to Plural Numbers.
These numerical changes in Nouns and Pronouns are called Numbers in English Grammar.
There are Two Numbers in English. One is (1) Singular Number, and the other is (2) Plural Number.
Singular and Plural Number Definition
When a Noun relates to one person or thing at a time and not more than one, it is in the Singular Number. As, “cow”.
When a Noun relates to more than one person or thing that is to several persons or things of the same kind, it is in the Plural Number. As, “cows”
Notes: Only Common Nouns may be in either singular or plural as they may relate either to one or more than one. Proper Nouns can only be in the singular as they can relate to only one particular person or thing.
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Rules to Change Singular to Plural Number with Examples.
The following rules for changing Singular Number to Plural Number must be gone through thoroughly.
Rule 1: adding s
The Plural Number is almost always formed by adding “s” to the Singular.
| Singular | Plural |
| Cow | Cows |
| Boy | Boys |
| Bird | Birds |
| Star | Stars |
| Flea | Fleas |
| chair | chairs |
| book | books |
| hen | hens |
| desk | desks |
| cup | Cups |
| map | maps |
| girl | Girls |
| tree | trees |
| pen | Pens |
| star | stars |
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Transitive and Intransitive Verbs: Examples Exercises Answers
Rule 2: adding ‘es’
If the Noun ends in s, x, sh, ch, ss, z, the Plural form is formed by adding “es”.
| Singular | Plural |
| Glass | Glasses |
| Box | Boxes |
| Brush | Brushes |
| Bench | Benches |
| Topaz | Topazes |
| Gas | Gases |
| Dish | Dishes |
| Class | Classes |
| fox | Foxes |
| branch | branches |
Exception 1: If “ch” gives a “k” sound, the plural is formed adding by an “s” only.
| Singular | Plural |
| monarch | monarchs |
| stomach | Stomachs |
| conch | conchs |
Rule 3: noun ends in ‘o’ vowel before it
If a Noun ends in “o” and has a vowel just before “o”, only “s” is added to make the plural.
| Singular | Plural |
| radio | Radios |
| cuckoo | Cuckoos |
| studio | Studios |
| bamboo | Bamboos |
Rule 4: noun ends in ‘o’ consonant before it
If a Noun ends in “o” and has a consonant just before “o”, only “es” is added to make the plural.
| Singular | Plural |
| Mango | Mangoes |
| Potato | Potatoes |
| Hero | Heroes |
| Zero | Zeroes |
| Volcano | Volcanoes |
| Echo | Echoes |
Exception 1: Rhino ( Singular) – Rhinos ( Plural)
Exception 2: Piano ( Singular) – Pianos ( Plural)
Exception 2: casino ( Singular) – casinos ( Plural)
Rule 5: noun ends in ‘y’, consonant before it
If a Noun ends in “y” and has a consonant just before “y”, then “y” is changed into “i” and “es” is added after it.[“y” in singular = “ies” in plural]
| Singular | Plural |
| Baby | Babies |
| City | Cities |
| Lady | Ladies |
| Lily | Lilies |
| Story | Stories |
| duty | Duties |
| Cry | Cries |
| Country | Countries |
| Fly | Flies |
| Army | Armies |
Rule 6: noun ends in ‘y’, vowel before it
If a Noun ends in “y” and has a vowel just before “y”, the plural is formed by simply adding “s” to the singular.
| Singular | Plural |
| Boy | Boys |
| Toy | Toys |
| Day | Days |
| Play | Plays |
| Key | Keys |
| Monkey | Monkeys |
| Essay | Essays |
| Money | Moneys |
| Ray | rays |
Rule 7: noun ends in f or fe
If a Noun ends in “f ” and “fe”, the plural is formed by simply changing “f ” and “fe ” into “ves”. [ “f ” / “fe ” = “ves”]
| Singular | Plural |
| Life | Lives |
| Leaf | leaves |
| Knife | knives |
| Self | Selves |
| Thief | Thieves |
| Wolf | Wolves |
| Wife | Wives |
| Calf | Calves |
| Half | Halves |
| loaf | loaves |
Exception: Some Nouns ending “f” or “fe” forms their plural by only adding “s” at the end.
| Singular | Plural |
| Roof | Roofs |
| Handkerchief | Handkerchiefs |
| Proof | Proofs |
| belief | beliefs |
| Brief | Briefs |
| Safe | Safes |
| gulf | gulfs |
| Chief | Chiefs |
Rule 8: noun with an inside vowel
Some Nouns form the plural by changing the “inside vowel ”and adding “s” or “es” to the singular.
| Singular | Plural |
| Tooth | Tooth |
| Foot | Feet |
| Goose | Geese |
| Man | Men |
| Woman | Women |
| Mouse | Mice |
| Louse | Lice |
Rule 9: adding ‘en’
Some Nouns are changed into a plural by adding “en” to the singular.
| Singular | Plural |
| Child | Children |
| Ox | Oxen |
| Brother | Brethren |
Rule 10: Irregular Plurals Plural
Some Nouns have different forms in the Plural. Those Nouns form Plural either by adding “en” or changing the “inside vowel ”. They are called Irregular Plurals.
| Singular | Plural |
| Tooth | Tooth |
| Foot | Feet |
| Goose | Geese |
| Man | Men |
| Woman | Women |
| Mouse | Mice |
| Louse | Lice |
| Child | Children |
| Ox | Oxen |
| Brother | Brethren |
Rule 11: Compound Plural
The Plural compound Nouns are generally formed by adding “s” to the important main word.
| Singular | Plural |
| Commander-in-chief | Commanders-in-chief |
| Son-in-law | Sons-in-law |
| Fountain-pen | Fountain-pens |
| On-looker | On-lookers |
| Water-fall | Water-falls |
| Passer-by | Passers-by |
| Maid-servant | Maid-servants |
| Governor-general | Governors-general/ Governor-generals |
| Girl-friend | Girl-friends |
| Lady-doctor | Ladies-doctor |
| Man-servant | Men-servant |
| Washer-man | Washer-men |
Rule 12: Letter Alphabet Numbers
Plurals of Letters and Alphabet and Numbers are formed by adding (‘s)
| Singular | Plural |
| B.A. | B.A.’s / B.A.s – Modern English |
| M.A. | M.A.’s / M.A.s- Modern English |
| D.M. | D.M.’s |
| One 4 | Two 4’s |
| One 6 | Two 6’s |
| Y | Y’s |
| 7 | 7’s |
Rule 13: Singular in form but Plural in sense.
There are some Nouns that are Singular in form but Plural in sense.
| Aristocracy |
| Nobility |
| Gentry |
| Poultry |
| Cattle |
| People |
| Vermin |
| Folk |
Rule 14: Plural in form but Singular in sense.
There are some Nouns that are Plural in form but Singular in sense.
| Mathematics |
| News |
| Physics |
| Politics |
| Smallpox |
| Whereabouts |
| The Name of a Country or a thing though Plural in form is treated as Singular. |
| The United States of America is a rich country. |
| The Folk Tales of Bengal is a nice book. |
| The Netherlands is famous for its dairy products. |
Rule 15: Nouns are always used as Singular.
There are some Nouns that are always used as Singular. They have no Plural forms.
| Alphabet |
| Luggage |
| Furniture |
| Information |
| Expenditure |
| Poetry |
| Scenery |
| Hair |
Rule 16: Nouns are always used as Plurals.
There are some Nouns that are always used as a plural. They have no Singular forms.
| Alms |
| Riches |
| Thanks |
| Scissors |
| Glasses (Spectacles) |
| Trousers |
| Wages |
| Bellows |
| Billiards |
| Mumps |
| Annals |
| Ashes |
| Proceeds |
| Measles |
| Entrails |
| auspices |
| vegetables |
| Pajamas |
| Jeans |
| shorts |
| socks |
Rule 17: Nouns: same form both Singular and Plural
There are some Nouns that have the same form in both Singular and Plural Numbers.
| Singular | Plural |
| Apparatus | Apparatus |
| Cannon | Cannon |
| Deer | Deer |
| Sheep | Sheep |
| Innings | Innings |
| Swine | Swine |
| Corps | Corps |
| Dozen | Dozen |
| Score | Score |
| Trout | Trout |
| Species | Species |
| Means | Means |
| cod | cod |
| To express Singular meaning, adjectives such | as a, an, one, this, that are used before them. |
Rule 18: Foreign Plurals
Foreign Plurals in the English Language.
| Singular | Plural |
| analysis | analyses |
| index | indices |
| syllabus | syllabi |
| medium | media |
| agendum | agenda |
| appendix | appendices |
| axis | axes |
| Focus | Foci/focuses |
| radius | radii |
| crisis | crises |
| Oasis | Oases |
| basis | bases |
| Formula | Formulae |
| Bandit | Banditti |
| Terminus | Termini/Terminuses |
| Phenomenon | Phenomena |
| Vertex | Vertices |
| Memorandum | memoranda |
Rule 19: Two plurals have two different meanings.
There are some Nouns that have two plurals and those two plurals have two different meanings.
| Singular | Plural |
| Brother | Brothers – sons of the same parents, Brethren – members of the same society |
| Cloth | Cloths – pieces of cloth, clothes – garments |
| Die | Dies – stamps for coining, Dice – cubes used for games |
| Fish | Fish – collectively, Fishes – separate fishes |
| Genius | Geniuses – men of talent, Genii – spirits |
| Index | Indexes – table of content, indices – signs of Algebra |
| Sail | Sails – sails of ships, Sail- sails of a ship |
| Shot | Shot – bullets, Shots – number of times fired |
Rule 20: Singular in one meaning, other meaning in Plural.
There are two Nouns. Singular in one meaning and the other meaning in Plural.
| Singular | Plural |
| Advice – counsel | Advices – information |
| Air – Atmosphere | Airs – proud manners |
| Good – benefit | Goods – things |
| Iron -metal | Irons -a chain made of irons |
| Physic – medicine | Physics – science |
| Return – come back | Returns – relating to Tax |
Rule 21: one meaning in Singular; two meaning in Plurals.
There are some Nouns, with one meaning in the Singular but two meanings in the plural.
| Singular | Plural |
| Arm – parts of the body | Arms – parts of the body, Arms- weapons |
| Circumstance – fact | Circumstances – facts, Circumstances- condition |
| Color – hue | Colors – huesColours – a flag |
| Custom – habit | Customs – habits, Customs – revenue duties |
| Effect – result | Effect – results, Effect- belongings |
| Manner – method | Manners – methods, Manners – behavior |
| Number – quantity | Numbers – quantities, Numbers – verses |
| Pain – suffering | Pains – sufferings, Pains – trouble |
| Premise – proposition | Premises – proposition, Premises – land in front of the building |
| Quarter – fourth part | Quarters – one-fourth part, Quarters – lodgings |
| Spectacle – a sight | Spectacles – sights, Spectacle–eyeglasses |
Rule 22: Two meanings in Singular; one meaning in Plural.
There are some Nouns, with two meanings in the Singular but one meaning in the Plural.
| Singular | Plural |
| Abuse – wrong use, Abuse – reproach | Abuses – wrong uses |
| Foot – parts of the body, Foot -infantry | Feet – parts of the body |
| Force–armed men, Force – strength | Forces – troops |
| Issue – result, Issue – children | Issues – results |
| People – nation, People – persons | Peoples – Nations |
| Practice – habit, Practice – an exercise in art | Practices – habits |
| Wood–forest, Wood – timber | Woods – forests |
Rule 23: Singular and Plural Number Rules of Exceptional Form
Whether some following important Phrase/ phrases or word/words are treated as Singular or Plural.
| Singular | Plural |
| Counsel[In the sense of barrister]Ex -She hired one counsel to defend his case. | Counsel[In the sense of barrister]She hired three counsels to defend his case. |
| Word[In the sense of promise or speech]Ex- You must keep your word | No plural use [In the sense of promise or speech] |
| Day after day – takes a singular verb Generation to generation – takes a singular verb | No plural use |
| More than one – used as singular and takes singular verb More than one boy is infected. | More than two – used as plural and takes Plural verb More than two boys are infected. |
| Fish / Fishes |
Rule 24: Pronouns for Singular and Plural Number Rules
| Singular | Plural |
| I | We |
| You | You |
| He / She/it | They |
| Me | Us |
| Him /Her | Them |
| His / Her | Their |
| This | These |
| That | Those |
| Self | Selves |
| Myself | Ourselves |
| Yourself | Yourselves |
| Himself/Herself/Itself | Themselves |
| Your | Your |
Read more about Nouns:
| Proper Noun | Material Noun |
| Common Noun | Abstract Noun |
| Collective Noun | Countable and Uncountable Nouns |
| Concrete and Abstract Nouns | Singular and Plural Noun & Number |
| Gender in English Grammar |
