Irregular Plural Nouns
Table of Contents
Exercises
Explanation
Common Irregular Plurals
|
Singular |
Plural |
Example sentence |
|
man |
men |
The men are in the garden. |
|
woman |
women |
The women are doctors. |
|
child |
children |
The children are playing. |
|
foot |
feet |
My feet are cold. |
|
tooth |
teeth |
I brush my teeth every day. |
|
mouse |
mice |
There are mice in the kitchen. |
|
person |
people |
Many people like music. |
|
goose |
geese |
We saw two geese at the lake. |
|
ox |
oxen |
The oxen are working on the farm. |
Same Form in Singular and Plural
Some nouns do not change in plural.
|
Singular = Plural |
Example sentence |
|
sheep |
There are five sheep in the field. |
|
fish |
We saw many fish in the river. |
|
deer |
A deer is eating grass. Two deer are walking. |
|
moose |
We saw a moose / We saw three moose. |
|
aircraft |
The aircraft is landing. The aircraft are ready. |
Plural-Only Nouns
Some nouns are always plural. We use are with them.
|
Noun |
Example sentence |
|
scissors |
The scissors are on the table. |
|
trousers / pants |
His trousers are new. |
|
jeans |
My jeans are comfortable. |
|
glasses |
Where are my glasses? |
|
headphones |
These headphones are loud. |
We can say a pair of: a pair of scissors, a pair of jeans
Plurals Ending in -a / -i / -ae (academic words – don’t worry too much)
|
Singular |
Plural |
Example |
|
cactus |
cacti |
There are many cacti in the desert. |
|
syllabus |
syllabi |
Students got their syllabi. |
|
antenna |
antennae |
Insects have antennae. |
In daily English, many people also say: cactuses, antennas
Nouns That Look Plural but Are Singular
These words end with -s, but use is:
|
Word |
Example sentence |
|
news |
The news is interesting today. |
|
mathematics / maths |
Maths is my favourite subject. |
|
physics |
Physics is difficult for me. |
|
economics |
Economics is useful. |
Quick Tips
-
Many irregular plurals need to be memorized.
-
Some nouns don’t change in plural.
-
Some nouns always look plural but act singular.
