REGULAR AND IRREGULAR PLURALS NOUNS

By Miriam Gomez

INTRODUCTIONThis is a course to understand and apply grammar in context (noun and irregular plural nouns ) for communication.

OBJECTIVE Understanding the grammar rules that apply

to Nouns and Irregular Plural Nouns.

REGULAR AND IRREGULAR PLURAL NOUNS Regular plurals: 1. We form the plural of most nouns by

adding –s to the singular noun.Example: book books girl girls

2. Some regular plurals require changes in the spelling of the noun before we add –s.

Example: dish dishes factory factories knife knives

IRREGULAR PLURALS Some nouns form their plural by changing their

vowels.Singular Plural foot feet goose geese man men mouse mice woman women

Some nouns form their plural by adding a syllable. Singular Plural child children ox oxen

IRREGULAR PLURALS Some nouns have the same singular and

plural forms.Singular Pluralaircraft aircraftdeer deerfish fishoffspring offspringseries seriesspacecraft spacecraftspecies species

IRREGULAR PLURALS Some nouns that come from Latin or Greek

have plural endings that come from those languages.

Singular Pluralbacterium bacteriacactus cacticurriculum curriculafocus focifungus fungimedium mediamemorandum memorandathesis theses

IRREGULAR PLURALS Some nouns have only a plural form. We can

also use a pair of before these noun.

Those jeans look great on you.That pair of jeans looks great on you.

Pluraljeanspajamaspantsshortstrousers.

IRREGULAR PLURALS Some nouns end in – s but are not plural.

Economics is interesting to me.Singularnewspoliticsmathematicsathleticsphysicsrabies

IRREGULAR PLURALS The plural of person is usually people (not

persons), but we can use persons in legal contexts.

I know a person who works for your father.I know some people who work for your father.

The person who had broken into a store was arrested.Three persons who had broken into a store were arrested.

ASSIGNMENT Complete the sentences with the plural form of the nouns

in parentheses.

Diego Grande is eighty-nine years old. He is very tall and has a large (foot) _______, a big nose, and no (tooth) _____ at all. His (hobby) ___________ are taking (photo) _________ and fixing old (watch) __________. He has several (pet)___________: three (mouse) ________, five (fish)____________, and two (canary) __________. He had two (wife) _________ during his life, but they both died. His three (child) _________ are all grown up and now have (life) _________ of their own.

APPENDIX 1 SPELLING RULES FOR ENDINGS

APPENDIX 2 IRREGULAR VERBS