All About Noun Plurality

Sibilants
o + es

• archipelagoes
• cargoes
• churches
• brushes
  
• boxes
  
• buffaloes
  
• dominoes
  
• echoes
  
• embargoes
  
• haloes
  
• heroes
  
• innuendoes
  
• jingoes
  
• kisses
  
• mosquitoes
  
• potatoes
  
• tomatoes
  
• tomatoes
  
• tornadoes
  
• torpedoes
  
• vetoes

Words of foreign origion

o + s

• albinos
• altos
• autos
  
• cantos
  
• casinos
  
• concertos
  
• discos
  
• dynamos
  
• hairdos
  
• kilos
  
• kimonos
  
• logos
  
• photos
  
• pianos
  
• pimentos
  
• portfolios
  
• pros
  
• solos
  
• sombreros
  
• sopranos
  
• tangos
  
• zeros

vowel + os

• bamboos
• cameos
• cuckoos
  
• embryos
  
• kangaroos
  
• patios
  
• portfolios
  
• radios
  
• ratios
  
• scenarios
  
• studios
  
• tattoos
  
• videos
  
• zoos
  

Consonant + y → y  ies

• babies
• countries
• flies
• ladies
• penny – pennies

Vowel + y + s

• boys
• days
• donkeys
• guys

Noun + f(e)→ f(e) + ves

• calves
• sheaves
• halves
• shelves
  
• knives
• thieves
  
• leaves
  
• lives
• loaves
  
• wives
  
• wolves

• hoof – hoofs/hooves
• scarf – scarfs/scarves
• wharf – wharfs/wharves

but

• cliff – cliffs
• handkerchief – handkerchief
• safe – safes
  

Noun with a vowel change

• child – children
• foot – feet
• goose – geese
• louse – lice
• man – men
• mouse – mice
• ox – oxen
• person – people
• tooth – teeth
• woman – women

No changes in plural

• carp
• cod
  
• fish
  
• mackerel
  
• pike
  
• plaice
  
• salmon
  
• squid
  
• trout
  
• turbot
  

in a plural sense

by the piece add -s

• counsel
  
• craft
  
• deer sheep aircraft
  
• offspring
  
• quid
  
• swine
  
• trout

Similar plural/singular with s

• barracks
  
• crossroads
  
• headquarters
  
• headquarters
  
• series
  
• species
  
• Swiss
  
• works (= factory)

• barracks
  
• crossroads
  
• headquarters
  
• headquarters
  
• series
  
• species
  
• Swiss
  
• works (=factory)

Always plural never singular

• clothes
• police
• breeches
  
• pants
  
• pyjamas
  
• trousers

two part instruments

• binoculars
• glasses
• letters
• pliers
• scales
• scissors
• shears
• spectaclestools
• tongs
• tweezers

Surroundings valuables

• arms (= weapons)
• damages (= compensation)
• earnings
  
• goods/ wares
  
• grounds
  
• outskirts
  
• pains (= troubles)
  
• particulars
  
• premises (= quarters)
  
• riches
  
• savings
  
• spirits (= alcohol)
  
• stairs

Plural form but singular meaning

• billiards
  
• bowls
  
• darts
  
• dominoes
  
• draughts
  
• games
  
• news
• mumps
• diseases
• rickets
  
• shingles
  

• mathematics
• physics
• politics
• sciences

Greek / Latin words

• crisis → crises
• memorandum → memoranda
• phenomenon → ph enomena
  
• radius → radii
  
• termiinus → termini
  
• cactus → cacti
  
• erratum → errata (= error)
  
• oasis → oases
  
• libretto → libretti
  
• tempo → tempi

Head noun word + -s

• assistant chiefs of staff
• attorneys general
• brigadier-generals
• commanders-in-chief
• courts-martial
• Editor-in-chief→editors-in-chief
• mothers-in-law
• heirs apparent
• heirs-at-law
• judge advocates
• Knights Templar
• lieutenant generals
• men drivers
• men-of-war
• notaries public
• orders-in-council
• poets laureate
• sergeants major
• trade unions
• women writers

3.It was a sight to see four lieutenant generals fight it out at the table.

4.Jerry had attended over a dozen courts-martial.

A whole compound noun + s

if there is no obvious head noun (connected in writing)

• bedrooms blackboards
• bystanders
• Forget-me-nots
• grasshoppers
• haircuts
• maidservants
• merry-go-rounds
• toothbrushes

Noun + s + hyphen + preposition

• fillers-in
• hangers-on
• makers-up
• passers-by
• stand-ins

No noun expression + s

• also-rans
• go-betweens
• higher-ups
• mix-ups
• run-ins
• takeoffs

Noun + ful + s

• armfuls
• cupfuls
• handfuls
• sackfuls
• teaspoonfuls