Explaining Singular & Plural concept

 A singular noun names only one person, place, thing, or idea. 

A noun that names two or more people, places, things, or ideas is plural.

To make a singular noun plural, you can usually add an "s" to the end of the word:
Singular: Bird
Plural: Birds

What Are Singular Nouns?

It is a noun that refers to a single or one thing or object. These nouns always use a singular verb and can be preceded by “a” and “an” articles.

Examples Of Singular Nouns

• People: boy, girl, child, person, actor, king, queen

• Places: town, city, state, country, China, India, Dubai

• Things: apple, banana, plant, animal, building, table, chair, paper, laptop

What Are Plural Nouns?

It is a noun that refers to more than a single or one thing or object. 

These nouns always use a plural verb in a sentence.

These nouns are generally made by adding –s or –es at the end of singular nouns, but this is not always true.

Examples Of Plural Nouns

• People: boys, girls, friends, babies, Indians, swimmers, employees, chefs, Americans

• Places: cities, villages, towns, islands, states, countries, neighborhoods

• Things: apples, bananas, vegetables, fruits, candies, tables, cars, buses, trucks, books

• Ideas: questions, dreams, goals, religions, feelings, thoughts

What Is The Difference Between Singular Nouns and Plural Nouns?

It is important to teach children the difference between singular nouns and plural nouns so that they can easily differentiate between the two. 

Let’s read how to differentiate between singular and plural nouns.

• Example of a singular noun: There is an apple in a basket.

• Example of a plural noun: There are five apples in a basket.

1. Convert each of the following into a plural noun.

• Book

• Phone

• Newspaper

• Lady

Answer:

• Books

• Phones

• Newspapers

• Ladies

2. Pick the correct plural form of the word Army.

• Armys

• Armies

• Army’s

Answer: Armies

Rules To Use Singular And Plural Nouns

Here are some rules for using singular and plural nouns for kids.

• If the singular noun ends with s, ss, sh, ch, x, or z, then we have to add an ‘es‘ at the end of the noun to make it plural. For example, class – classes, box – boxes, watch – watches.

• If the singular noun ends with ‘o’, we have to add ‘es‘ at the end of it. For example, potato – potatoes, mango – mangoes, hero – heroes.

• If there are two vowels at the end of the singular noun, the plural form has ‘s’ in it at the end. For example, radio – radios, studio – studios, portfolio – portfolios.

• If the singular noun ends with ‘y’ and is preceded by a consonant, then ‘ies‘ is added to it in plural form. For example, history – histories, city – cities.

• If the singular noun ends with ‘y’ and is preceded by a vowel, then ‘s‘ is added to it in plural form. For example, day – days, tray – trays.

• If a singular noun ends with ‘f’ or ‘fe’, then the plural form of it will end with ‘ves’. For example, knife – knives, life – lives.

• Some singular nouns convert into plural nouns by changing the vowels inside the singular form. For example, woman – women, man – men, foot – feet.

• We can change singular nouns into plural nouns by adding ‘en’ to the plural form. For example, child – children.

• Some nouns can only be written in the plural form and should use a plural verb after the noun. For example, scissors, spectacles, trousers, etc.

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