Nouns: plurals & possessive 's
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In short
A noun is a word for a person, place, or thing. To talk about more than one, we usually add -s (one cat, two cats). To show that something belongs to someone, we add ‘s (the cat’s name).
The rule
Common vs proper nouns. Most nouns are common nouns (a girl, a city, a dog) and start with a small letter. Proper nouns are names of specific people, places, days, and months. They always start with a capital letter: Anna, London, Monday, July.
Making plurals. “Plural” means “more than one”. For most nouns, just add -s:
| Singular | Plural |
|---|---|
| book | books |
| table | tables |
| friend | friends |
Some spellings change. The patterns are below.
Possessive ‘s. To show that something belongs to a person (or animal), we add ‘s to the owner: the boy’s bike = the bike of the boy. For things (not people), we usually use of: the leg of the table. More on this below.
Forms & patterns
Spelling of regular plurals
| Rule | Example | Plural |
|---|---|---|
| Most nouns: + s | dog, pen | dogs, pens |
| After -s, -ss, -x, -ch, -sh: + es | bus, glass, box, watch, dish | buses, glasses, boxes, watches, dishes |
| After -o: usually + es | potato, tomato, hero | potatoes, tomatoes, heroes |
| …but some + s only | piano, photo, kilo | pianos, photos, kilos |
| Consonant + y -> -ies | city, baby, country | cities, babies, countries |
| Vowel + y: + s | boy, day, key | boys, days, keys |
| Some -f / -fe -> -ves | knife, leaf, wife | knives, leaves, wives |
| …but many keep -fs | roof, chief, cliff | roofs, chiefs, cliffs |
How to say plural -s (sound, not spelling)
| Sound of -s | After… | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| /s/ | a voiceless sound (k, p, t, f) | books, cups, cats |
| /z/ | a voiced sound or a vowel | dogs, pens, boys |
| /iz/ - adds a syllable | a hissing sound (s, ss, x, ch, sh) | bus (1 syllable) -> buses (2), boxes, watches |
Common irregular plurals (learn these one by one)
| Singular | Plural |
|---|---|
| man | men |
| woman | women |
| child | children |
| foot | feet |
| tooth | teeth |
| person | people |
| mouse | mice |
No change (same word for one and many): fish, sheep, deer, series -> one sheep, ten sheep.
Possessive ‘s
| Owner | Add | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Singular noun (even one ending in -s) | ‘s | the dog’s tail, the boss’s office |
| Plural ending in -s | just ‘ | the dogs’ tails, my parents’ house |
| Irregular plural (no -s) | ‘s | the children’s toys, men’s shoes |
| Name ending in -s | ’s or ‘ | James’s book or James’ book |
| Things (not people) | use of | the leg of the table, the end of the film |
Examples
| English | Note |
|---|---|
| I have two cats and one dog. | Regular plural: just add -s. |
| There are three buses at the stop. | -s ending -> add -es, said /iz/. |
| She has six boxes of books. | -x ending -> add -es. |
| The babies are sleeping. | Consonant + y -> -ies. |
| I need two knives for the bread. | -fe -> -ves. |
| Many children are in the park. | Irregular plural of child. |
| This is my sister’s room. | One owner -> ‘s. |
| My parents’ car is blue. | Plural owner ending in -s -> just ’. |
Common mistakes
- two childs -> two children - child is irregular; never add -s.
- three boxs -> three boxes - after -x you add -es, not just -s.
- many citys -> many cities - consonant + y becomes -ies.
- the bag of Anna -> Anna’s bag - for people, use ‘s, not of.
- my parent’s house (for two parents) -> my parents’ house - put the apostrophe after the -s for a plural owner.
Tips
- The apostrophe in ‘s says “this belongs to someone”. The plural -s (with no apostrophe) just means “more than one” - don’t mix them up: cats (many) vs cat’s (belonging to the cat).
- For names of people and pets, prefer ‘s (Maria’s phone). For objects, of sounds more natural (the door of the car).
- The choice between ‘s and ’ is only for a name ending in -s (James’s or James’); a singular common noun always keeps ‘s (the class’s timetable).
- When you meet a new irregular plural (foot/feet, person/people), just memorise it as a pair.