What is an NUMBER in English ?
There are two NUMBERS in English --the
Singular Number and the Plural Number.
SINGULAR NUMBER
A noun that denotes one person or thing.
Example : Book, pen, bird, cow, boy .. etc
PLURAL NUMBER
A noun that denotes more than one person or thing.
Example : Books, pens, birds, cows, boys .. etc
The plural of nouns is generally formed by adding 's' to the singular.
boy - boys
girl - girls
tree - trees
table - tables
cow - cows
MORE RULES
- For words that ends with 's', 'sh', 'ch', 'x', 'o' use 'es' to make the plural form of it.
Example : glass - glasses
branch - branches
box - boxes
match - matches
bench - benches
- For words that ends with 'y' we have to follw two rules :
- If the letter before 'y' is a vowel then simply add 's' at the end to make it to the plural form.
Example : boy - boys
monkey - monkeys
way - ways
valley - valleys
day - days
- If the letter before 'y' is not a vowel then remove 'y' and add 'ies' at the end to make it to the plural form.
Example : city - cities
story - stories
lady - ladies
baby - babies
country - countries
For words that ends with 'f ' use 'ves' instead to make the plural form of it.
Example : leaf - leaves
thief - thieves
wife - wives
knife - knives
shelf - shelves
But some words do not follow any of the above rules.
Example : ox - oxen
child - children
mouse - mice
woman - women
tooth - teeth
But some nouns are used only as plurals.
Example : scissors
bellows
pants
spectacles
trousers