Making Nouns Plural Worksheet printable pdf download

Reteach: Making Nouns Plural

Name:______________________

There are many ways in the English language to make a noun plural.

It can be confusing unless you know some of the basic rules.

•the most common way to make a noun plural is to simply add an “s” to the end of the word:

pencil-pencils, book-books, table-tables.

•For nouns that end in “s,” “z,” “x,” “ch,” or “sh,” add “es”: glass-glasses, branch-branches.

•For nouns that end in a consonant and then “y,” change the “y” to “i” and add “es”:

baby-babies, lady-ladies.

•For nouns that end in a vowel and then “y,” add an “s”: boy-boys, day-days, bay-bays

•For nouns that end in “is,” change the “is” to “es”: basis-bases, crisis-crises.

•For some nouns that end in “f” or “fe,” change the “f” or “fe” to “ves”: wife-wives, elf-elves.

•Some nouns have irregular plural forms: child – children, woman-women, man-men, foot-feet,

tooth teeth goose geese mouse mice

tooth-teeth, goose-geese, mouse-mice.

•Some nouns use their Latin or Greek plural forms: nucleus-nuclei, cactus-cacti/catuses,

phenomenon-phenomena, index-indices/indexes, appendix-appendices/appendixes,

criterion-criteria.

•Some very irregular forms stay the same for plural as they are for singular:

deer, sheep, buffalo, fish, salmon, trout, pike, series, aircraft, offspring, moose.

Guided Practice

Write the plural form of each of the words. Use the rules above to help you.

Add “s”

Add s

1) girl ________________________

2) telephone _____________________

3) planet______________________

4) animal________________________

Add “es”

5) box________________________

6) lunch _________________________

7) brush______________________

8) pass__________________________

Change “y” to “i” and add “es”

9) fairy_______________________

10) cherry________________________

Change “f” or “fe” to “ves”

11) knife______________________

12) shelf_________________________

Greek or Latin form:

13) nucleus___________________

14) cactus________________________

Making Nouns Plural Worksheet