8. Singular, Plural

In our lesson, we will talk about the topic of ‘Singular and Plural’ in English grammar.

Let’s dive into the basics of singular and plural in English grammar. In English grammar, “singular” means one, while “plural” means more than one.

Singular

Singular means one. When we talk about a single item, person, or thing, we use the singular form. For example, if you have one apple, you say “apple.” Similarly, if there is one cat, you say “cat.”

Plural

Plural means more than one. When we have two or more items, people, or things, we use the plural form. To make most nouns plural, we usually add an “s” at the end. So, if you have two apples, you say “apples.” If there are three cats, you say “cats.”

However, English has some rules and exceptions for making plurals:

1. Regular Plurals: As mentioned, most nouns become plural by adding “s” (e.g., book → books, car → cars).
2. Nouns Ending in “s,” “x,” “z,” “ch,” or “sh”: For these, add “es” to make them plural (e.g., bus → buses, box → boxes, watch → watches).
3. Nouns Ending in a Consonant + “y”: Change the “y” to “i” and add “es” (e.g., baby → babies, city → cities).
4. Nouns Ending in “f” or “fe”: Some of these change to “ves” (e.g., leaf → leaves, knife → knives), but there are exceptions like “roof” → “roofs.”
5. Irregular Plurals: Some nouns have unique plural forms (e.g., child → children, mouse → mice, man → men).
6. Unchanging Nouns: Some nouns stay the same whether singular or plural (e.g., sheep → sheep, fish → fish).

Singular	Plural	Rule/Example
cat	cats	Add “s” for most nouns
bus	buses	Add “es” for nouns ending in “s,” “x,” “z,” “ch,” or “sh”
baby	babies	Change “y” to “i” and add “es” for nouns ending in a consonant + “y”
leaf	leaves	Change “f” or “fe” to “ves” for some nouns
child	children	Irregular plural form
mouse	mice	Irregular plural form
sheep	sheep	Unchanging plural form

As mentioned, most nouns become plural by adding “s” (e.g., book → books, car → cars).

Understanding singular and plural helps us communicate clearly about quantities. When you know whether to use singular or plural, you can describe the world around you more accurately. Keep practicing.