Making Nouns Plural

Nouns change spelling when there are two or more (2+) people, places, things, or ideas; these nouns are plural.

The chart below describes the guidelines for spelling the plural forms of nouns.

GUIDELINES SINGULAR PLURAL

Most regular nouns:

Add s

desk desks

Regular nouns ending in the sound -s, -sh, -ch, or –x:

Add es

bench benches

Nouns ending in –y:

Change to -ies

battery batteries

Nouns ending in -f:

Change to -ves

leaf leaves
Nouns that change spelling child children
Nouns that do not change spelling fish fish

Some nouns, called collective nouns, may sound plural, but their meaning is usually singular: