Singular and Plural Nouns Making Plural Nouns in English:

Spelling Rules for Adding the Plural S to Singular Nouns A.The general plurals rule: 1. Usually add the letter s to the end of a singular noun to make it plural. Singular book cat mat Plural books cats mats Singular car bicycle room Plural cars bicycles rooms

2. In compound nouns, add s only to the main noun. This family uses one air- conditioner and one washing machine . Their neighbours use three air- conditioners and two washing machines . I have one son-in-law; my friend Frieda has three sons-in-law. 3. Add es to a noun ending with a whistling sound ( s,sh,ch,x,z) to make it plural. one bus three buses, a church many churches, a box boxes, a buzz buzzes 4. If the singular noun ends with a consonant + y, drop the y, replace with an i and add es. Dont drop the y, if the y is preceded by a vowel. Yes: one city two cities, a baby babies, a country countries No: a toy toys, a day days

5. If the singular noun ends with a consonant + o, add es. If the o is preceded by a vowel, only add s to make the plural form. Yes: a potato five potatoes, a hero heroes, an echo echoes No: a radio radios, a studio studios, a kangaroo kangaroos

B. Singular Nouns Ending with f/fe Some nouns ending with f, fe, drop this ending and add ves to make the plural form. There may be alternative spelling. Yes : a knife knives, one half two halves, my life their lives, a wolf wolves. No : one roof roofs, a cliff many cliffs, a safe safes Both : a dwarf the seven dwarfs/ dwarves, one wharf a few wharfs/ wharves

C. One Form for Singular & Plural

Many nouns have identical forms for both singular and plural. a sheep sheep, a deer deer, a moose moose a fish fish (fishes, if used for different species of fish) a dozen two dozen roses, a hundred several hundred men ( but: dozens of roses, hundreds of people)

D.

Special Singular - Plural Cases Plural-Only Nouns Some nouns only have a plural form, ending with s or without. The police are looking for the robbers. I like these pants / jeans / shorts. Use either scissors or nail clippers. Binoculars are stronger than any glasses Other nouns ending with s only have a plural form only with certain meanings. customs (at the airport, not practices), guts (courage, not intestines) quarters (lodgings, not 1/4s), clothes (garments, not fabrics) goods (merchandise, not the opposite of bad), arms (weapons, not limb)

E.

Singular Nouns with an S Ending Some nouns end with s but are usually singular. They take a singular verb with an s ending in the Present Simple. diseases: measles, rabies. fields of study and occupation: economics, ethics, linguistics, politics, physics, gymnastics. games: dominoes, darts, cards

SECTION A Choose the best word to complete the sentences.

1. There were two _______ playing in the yard last night. A. caties B. cat C. cats D. cates

2. We watched a _________ at the cinema yesterday. A. movie B. moves C. movies D. movy

3. I borrowed some ________ from the library. A. bookies B. books C. book D. bookes

4. I went fishing at the _________ last week. A. ponde B. pondes C. ponds D. pond

5. How many ________ are on the picnic table? A. ant B. ante C. ants D. antes

6. There were two __________ on the lake at sunset. A. boates B. boats C. boat D. boaties

7. I found seven ________ in the chicken coop. A. egges B. egg C. eggs D. eges

8. Azlan had three _________ for breakfast this morning. A. pancake B. pancakes C. pancakees D. panscake

9. Zureen played with her two best ___________ during recess. A. frieds B. friend C. friendes D. friends

10. There is a _________ on the dining table. A. dish B. dishs C. dishes D. dashes

11. Munir ate three _________ for a snack. A. peach B. peaches C. peachs D. peache

12. Amiruddin found two old _____________ in his bathroom. A. toothbrushes B. toothbrush C. teethbrush D. teethbrushes

13. The postman brought a _________ to the house. A. boxen B. boxes C. box D. boxs

14. The genie granted Aladdins three _______because he freed him from the bottle. A. wish B. wishes C. wishs D. wishe

15. Haikal hid behind his father when an ______ approached him at he zoo. A. oxs B. oxen C. oxes D. ox

16. Hidayahs mother removed a _______ from her hair. A. lice B. louse C. louses D. lices

17. There are some ___________ in Pak Abus farm. A. goose B. gooses C. geese D. geeses

18. Many __________ are playing at the new playground there. A. children B. childs C. childrens D. child

19. The dentist extracted Firdauss rotten _________. A. teeth B. teeths C. tooth D. tooths

20. When faced with danger, many lizards shed their tails to escape from their _______. A. enemy B. enemys C. enemyes D. enemies

21. The farmer set a ________ in his field to catch the cranes. A. traps B. trap C. trapes D. trapies

22. Puan Ika is having lunch with her children in the ___________. A. dining rooms B. dinings room C. dining room D. dinings rooms

23. ________ takes in passengers and vehicles. A. Ferrys B. Ferries C. Ferry D. Ferryes

24. Amir helped the librarian to arrange the book on some _______________. A. bookshelve B. bookshelves C. bookshelf D. bookshelfs

25. Hazalinas class performed a ______ at the concert. A. dances B. dancies C. dancees D. dance

26. There is a __________ nibbling a piece of cheese in the kitchen. A. mice B. mices C. mouse D. mouses

27. Some _____________ were controlling the traffic because there was an accident ahead. A. policemen B. policeman C. policemans D. policemens

28. Kamarul stumbled and hurt his left ___________. A. feets B. feet C. foots D. foot

29. Giraffes have __________ on their body. A. patches B. patch C. patche D. patchies

30. The _______ is sleeping soundly on the bed. A. babie B. baby C..babies D. babys

31. My family and I are very happy because we have moved to our beautiful _________. A. bungalows B. bungalowes C. bungalow D. bungalowies

32. There are five __________ in that big book. A. story B. storie C. storys D. stories

33. The ________ who was squatting by the sea was building a sandcastle with his sister. A. boys B. boye C. boy D. boies

34. Tigers have stripes on their ___________. A. bodies B. body C. bodys D. bodie

35. Afifah decorated her scrapbook with coloured pens and _______________. A. fancy stickers B. fancies stickers C. fancies sticker D. fancy sticker

36. Athirah boils an egg and toasts some __________ for breakfast. A. breads B. bread C. breadies D. breades

37. Puan Amira uses ______________ to wrap the nasi lemak. A. bananas leaf B. banana leaf C. bananas leaves D. banana leaves

38. ______________ live in the savannah which is an open, grassy and sandy area. A. Ostrich B. Ostrichs C. Ostriches D. Ostriche

39. Nisa is taking some ___________ of the animals at the zoo. A. photographs B. photographes C. photograph D. photographies

40. Pak Amin rears many chickens and he keeps them in his two ______________. A. chickens coop B. chicken coops C. chickens coops D. chicken coop

41. There were many _________ at the book fair last weekend. A. booths B. boothes C. booth D. beeth

42. The dog is looking for its three ____________. A. puppie B. puppy C. puppys D. puppies

43. She went to a few __________ in order to get her favourite red velvet cake. A. bakery B. bakeries C. bakeri D. bakerys

44. There are two __________ in this our new house. A. bathrooms B. bathroom C. batherooms D. batheroom

45. I have two __________ in my room. A. radio B. radioes C. radios D. radioies

46. My niece loves to read the storybook entitled Snow White and the Seven _________. A. Dwarfs B. Dwarf C. Dwarves D. Dwarvs

47. The pupils could see many ____________ there. A. church B. churchs C. churchies D. churches

48. You have to write two_________ in answering the paper. A. essays B. essay C. essayes D. essays

49. The firemen drove quickly and saw a row of __________ on fire. A. factorys B. factory C. factories D. factoryes

50. Encik Wan prefers taking trains to _________ as they are fast and comfortable way to travel. A. taxy B. taxis C. taxies D. taxys