Irregular Plural Nouns
Table of Contents
Exercises
Explanation
Irregular Plurals (They change a lot)
|
Singular |
Plural |
Example |
|
man |
men |
The men are working in the park. |
|
woman |
women |
The women are singing. |
|
child |
children |
The children are at school. |
|
tooth |
teeth |
I have two new teeth. |
|
foot |
feet |
Her feet are small. |
|
mouse |
mice |
I see mice in the garden. |
|
person |
people |
People love holidays. |
Same Form in Singular and Plural
Some nouns do not change at all.
|
Singular = Plural |
Example |
|
sheep |
There are sheep on the farm. |
|
fish |
We caught five fish. |
|
deer |
A deer is running. Three deer are eating. |
|
series |
This series is interesting. These series are popular. |
|
salmon |
He bought salmon. They cooked salmon. |
Nouns Always Plural
These words always look plural and use are:
|
Word |
Example |
|
scissors |
The scissors are sharp. |
|
jeans |
My jeans are blue. |
|
trousers / pants |
His trousers are too big. |
|
glasses |
My glasses are in my bag. |
|
shoes |
Your shoes are dirty. |
|
headphones |
Her headphones are broken. |
We often say: a pair of + noun
a pair of jeans, a pair of glasses, a pair of shoes
Special Academic Words
These words come from Latin/Greek.
You don’t need to memorize all, just recognize them:
|
Singular |
Plural |
Example |
|
cactus |
cacti |
There are cacti in the garden. |
|
nucleus |
nuclei |
We study nuclei in science. |
In everyday English, people also say cactuses.
Look Plural, But They Are Singular
These nouns end in -s but take is (singular verb):
|
Word |
Example |
|
news |
The news is good today. |
|
mathematics / maths |
Maths is interesting. |
|
physics |
Physics is difficult. |
|
politics |
Politics is complicated. |
Tips
-
Some plural words are special and must be learned.
-
Some nouns don’t change in plural.
-
Some nouns look plural but are singular.
-
Irregular plurals are common — practice helps!
