Nouns: Irregular plural forms (common)

Regular nouns follow a predictable path. Irregular nouns take a shortcut through the woods. They change internally. For example, the word man changes its middle letter to become men. The word child adds a whole new ending to become children. Why does English do this? It is mostly because of history. These words are very old. They come from ancient versions of English. Native speakers use these words every single day. You will hear them at the supermarket and in movies. You cannot avoid them, so it is best to make friends with them. Yes, even native speakers mess this up sometimes when they are tired! But once you learn the main 10 or 12, you are set for most conversations.

1. 1There is no single rule for every irregular noun. However, they usually fall into four main groups. Learning these groups makes them easier to remember.
2. 2The Vowel Swap: Some words change the vowels inside. man becomes men. woman becomes women. foot becomes feet. tooth becomes teeth.
3. 3The -en Suffix: Only a few common words do this. The most famous is child becoming children. Another is ox becoming oxen (but you won't need that for a job interview!).
4. 4The Same Word: These words are very lazy. The singular and plural are identical. One fish becomes ten fish. One sheep becomes a hundred sheep.
5. 5The Total Change: These words change completely. One person usually becomes a group of people. One mouse becomes a family of mice.

You use these forms whenever you talk about more than one thing. This happens constantly in real-life scenarios.

• At the doctor: You talk about your teeth or your feet.
• Meeting friends: You might talk about the people you know.
• Talking about family: You will mention your children.
• At a park: You might see men and women playing sports.
• In nature: You see fish in a lake or mice in a field.

Always check the number. If the number is two or more, reach for that irregular form. It is like choosing the right key for a door. The regular -s key simply won't turn in these locks.

Do not use irregular forms for regular nouns. It sounds funny to say "three dogen" instead of dogs. Also, do not use them for uncountable nouns. For example, water and sugar don't have plural forms at all.

Another important moment to stop: when you only have one item.

• Use person for one.
• Use foot for one.
• Use tooth for one.

You don't need the irregular plural until you hit the number two. It is a common trap to use the plural form when you are only talking about one thing. Keep it simple. One is basic, two is special.

This is where things get interesting. Many learners try to "fix" the irregular word by adding an -s anyway. This creates a "double plural" which is incorrect.

• The "Peoples" Trap: Don't say "two peoples." Just say people.
• The "Childrens" Error: Your kids are children, not "childrens."
• The "Feets" Flop: Your shoes go on your feet, not your "feets."

Native speakers might understand you, but it sounds a bit like wearing socks over your shoes. It is technically functional but looks very strange! Another mistake is using the wrong verb. Remember that people and men are plural. This means you must say people are and not "people is." It is a package deal. If the noun is plural, the verb must be plural too.

Compare these to regular plurals.

• Regular: cat -> cats (Easy, just add S).
• Irregular: child -> children (Special ending).
• Regular: desk -> desks (Easy).
• Irregular: mouse -> mice (Total change).

Sometimes, a word looks irregular but is actually regular. For example, house becomes houses. It ends in an 'S' sound, but it follows the rules. Don't overthink it. Most words are regular. Only the "VIP" words we are learning today get the special treatment. Think of regular nouns as the bus and irregular nouns as a private limo. Both get you to the destination, but the limo has its own style.