Nouns: Plural forms - regular (-s, -es, -ies)

English plurals are like a grammar traffic light. They tell the listener exactly how many things you are talking about. When we have one of something, it is "singular." When we have two or more, it is "plural." The magic happens at the very end of the word. We add a suffix—a little tail—to the noun. This tail changes the sound and the spelling. Most of the time, your brain will just click an s onto the end. It is the default setting. However, some words end in sounds that make adding a simple s difficult to hear. Imagine trying to say bus-s. It sounds like a broken radiator! That is why we have different rules for different endings. The goal is always clarity. We want people to know you have three cats, not just one very loud one.

1. 1The Standard Add-on: For most English nouns, just add s to the end.
2. 2Cat becomes cats.
3. 3Book becomes books.
4. 4Phone becomes phones.
5. 5The Hissing Rule: Does the word end in s, x, z, ch, or sh? These are "hissing" sounds. To make them plural, add es. This adds an extra syllable (pronounced like "iz").
6. 6Bus becomes buses.
7. 7Box becomes boxes.
8. 8Watch becomes watches.
9. 9Dish becomes dishes.
10. 10The Shy Y Rule: Look at the letter before the y. Is it a consonant (like b, d, t, r)? If yes, the y runs away. Replace it with i and add es.
11. 11Baby becomes babies.
12. 12City becomes cities.
13. 13Party becomes parties.
14. 14The Brave Y Rule: If there is a vowel (a, e, i, o, u) before the y, the y stays put. Just add s.
15. 15Boy becomes boys.
16. 16Day becomes days.
17. 17Key becomes keys.

You will use plurals every single day. Think about these real-world moments:

• Ordering food: "I would like four pizzas, please." (Yes, four. We are hungry!)
• Asking directions: "Are there any hotels near the station?"
• Job interviews: "I have many skills in technology."
• Shopping: "I need three new shirts for my trip."
• Social media: "How many likes did my photo get?"

Whenever the count is zero or more than one, reach for these rules. Even if you have zero ideas, the word ideas is still plural! It sounds strange, but that is how the English engine runs. Use it when you want to be specific about quantity.

Don't use these rules for everything! Some things in English are "uncountable." You cannot have three waters or five informations. We don't add s to those. Also, avoid using these regular rules for "irregular" nouns. Words like man, woman, and child have their own secret club. They don't like the s rule. Man becomes men, not mans. We will learn those another day. For now, focus on the words that follow the law. Also, don't add an s to adjectives. We say "blue cars," not "blues cars." The noun gets the party, the adjective stays quiet.

Even native speakers mess this up sometimes, especially when typing fast! The biggest mistake is using an apostrophe for plurals. Apple's means the apple owns something. Apples means you have many apples. Do not invite the apostrophe to the plural party! Another common slip is the y rule. Many people write dayes instead of days or babys instead of babies. Remember to look at the letter before the y. It is the gatekeeper. Lastly, don't forget the es for words ending in ch. Saying "I have two watch" sounds like you are missing a piece of the sentence. It needs that "iz" sound at the end.

Plurals can look like other things. They look like possessives (as we mentioned). They also look like the third-person singular in verbs. For example, "He runs" looks like a plural, but it is an action. Don't get confused! In this lesson, we are only looking at naming words (nouns). Another contrast is with collective nouns. A team is one group, but it has many players. The word team is singular, while players is plural. It is all about how you view the group. If you see them as individuals, use the plural. If you see them as one unit, stay singular.