Quick answer: A singular noun names one person, place, animal, or thing. A plural noun names more than one. Most plurals add -s, but some add -es, change y to ies, or use an irregular form such as child → children.
Reviewed by: SHEAT Editorial Team | Updated: September 2026
What Are Singular and Plural Words?
Singular means one: one book, one child, one city. Plural means two or more: books, children, cities. Learning these forms helps students write correct sentences and match nouns with verbs.
Singular and Plural Rules
1. Add -s to most nouns
book → books, pen → pens, teacher → teachers.
2. Add -es after s, ss, sh, ch, x, or z
bus → buses, class → classes, brush → brushes, box → boxes.
3. Change consonant + y to -ies
baby → babies and city → cities. If a vowel comes before y, simply add s: boy → boys.
4. Some f or fe words change to -ves
leaf → leaves and knife → knives. Exceptions include roof → roofs and chief → chiefs.
5. Learn irregular plurals
child → children, man → men, tooth → teeth, mouse → mice.
6. Some nouns stay the same
sheep → sheep, deer → deer, and species → species.
50 Singular and Plural Examples
| No. | Singular | Plural |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | cat | cats |
| 2 | dog | dogs |
| 3 | book | books |
| 4 | pen | pens |
| 5 | chair | chairs |
| 6 | table | tables |
| 7 | apple | apples |
| 8 | car | cars |
| 9 | flower | flowers |
| 10 | student | students |
| 11 | class | classes |
| 12 | bus | buses |
| 13 | box | boxes |
| 14 | dish | dishes |
| 15 | watch | watches |
| 16 | brush | brushes |
| 17 | church | churches |
| 18 | mango | mangoes |
| 19 | potato | potatoes |
| 20 | tomato | tomatoes |
| 21 | baby | babies |
| 22 | city | cities |
| 23 | story | stories |
| 24 | lady | ladies |
| 25 | family | families |
| 26 | country | countries |
| 27 | leaf | leaves |
| 28 | knife | knives |
| 29 | wife | wives |
| 30 | life | lives |
| 31 | wolf | wolves |
| 32 | child | children |
| 33 | man | men |
| 34 | woman | women |
| 35 | tooth | teeth |
| 36 | foot | feet |
| 37 | mouse | mice |
| 38 | goose | geese |
| 39 | person | people |
| 40 | sheep | sheep |
| 41 | deer | deer |
| 42 | fish | fish |
| 43 | series | series |
| 44 | species | species |
| 45 | hero | heroes |
| 46 | echo | echoes |
| 47 | photo | photos |
| 48 | piano | pianos |
| 49 | roof | roofs |
| 50 | chief | chiefs |
Examples in Sentences
- The child reads. The children read.
- One bus is late. Two buses are late.
- This city is old. These cities are old.
- A leaf fell. Many leaves fell.
- The sheep is grazing. The sheep are grazing.
Practice Worksheet
- Write the plural of box, baby, knife, child, and deer.
- Write the singular of women, teeth, stories, buses, people.
- Choose: “Two (fox/foxes) crossed the road.”
- Correct: “The childs are playing.”
- Complete: “One mouse, three ____.”
Answers
1. boxes, babies, knives, children, deer. 2. woman, tooth, story, bus, person. 3. foxes. 4. The children are playing. 5. mice.
Common Mistakes
- Do not use apostrophes to make ordinary plurals: apples, not apple’s.
- Do not write childs or tooths; use children and teeth.
- Check whether y follows a consonant or vowel.
- Match the verb correctly with the noun: The boy is; the boys are.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a singular word?
A singular word names one person, place, animal, or thing, such as student or pencil.
What is a plural word?
A plural word names more than one, such as students or pencils.
What are irregular plurals?
They do not follow the usual -s or -es pattern. Examples include child → children and foot → feet.
Is “people” singular or plural?
People is normally the plural of person.
Final Revision Tip
Group words by rule and practise them in complete sentences. Students can also use our rhyming words guide and English-speaking guide.
