In terms of grammar, the number means the count of a noun or pronoun.
Object-objects, glass-glasses, man-men etc.
Types of numbers:
- Singular
- Plural
Singular Number:
Only one noun or a pronoun.
Example:
Laptop, switch, chair, cup, etc.
Plural Number:
More than one noun or pronoun.
Example:
Laptops, Switches, Chairs, Cups, etc.
Changing from Singular to Plural:
A number can be changed from singular to plural, there are some rules for that.
Rule 1:
The basic rule is to add an “s” at the end of a singular noun to make it plural.
| Singular | Plural |
| Hat | Hats |
| Ring | Rings |
| Car | Cars |
| Ball | Balls |
Rule 2:
In case of an s, sh, ch, x or z, add “es”
| Singular | Plural |
| Bush | Bushes |
| Class | Classes |
| Bench | Benches |
| Box | Boxes |
| Buzz | Buzzes |
Rule 3:
In specific words “ch” is pronounced as k
| Singular | Plural |
| Patriarch | Patriarchs |
| Matriarch | Matriarchs |
| Stomach | Stomachs |
| Hierarch | Hierarchs |
| Monarch | Monarchs |
Part 1:
When there is a ‘y’ at the end following a Consonant so that “y” is substituted by “i” and “es” is added to it.
| Singular | Plural |
| Pastry | Pastries |
| Bakery | Bakeries |
| Body | Bodies |
| Factory | Factories |
| Company | Companies |
Part 2:
If that “y” is followed by a vowel, we can simply add an “s” at the end.
| Singular | Plural |
| Enjoy | Enjoys |
| Journey | Journeys |
| Key | Keys |
| Ally | Alleys |
| Essay | Essays |
Rule 4:
When the words end at “f” or “fe”, add “v” and “es” .
| Singular | Plural |
| Loaf | Loaves |
| Self | Selves |
| Shelf | Shelves |
| Life | Lives |
| Half | Halves |
Part 1:
Add “es” when a noun ends at a consonant followed by an “o”.
| Singular | Plural |
| Volcano | Volcanoes |
| Tomato | Tomatoes |
| Echo | Echoes |
| Torpedo | Torpedoes |
| Mango | Mangoes |
Part 2:
In case of a vowel followed by “o”, simply add “s”.
| Singular | Plural |
| Kangaroo | Kangaroos |
| Audio | Audios |
| Pistachio | Pistachios |
| Video | Videos |
Exceptions:
Some words might end at a consonant and “o”, we can simply add “s”.
| Singular | Plural |
| Commando | Commandos |
| Ghetto | Ghettos |
| Fresco | Frescos |
| Lego | Legos |
| Tuxedo | Tuxedos |
For some, “s” and “es” both are correct.
| Singular | Plural |
| Buffalo | Buffalos/Buffaloes |
| Domino | Dominos/Dominoes |
| Volcano | Volcanos/Volcanoes |
| Mosquito | Mosquitos/Mosquitoes |
Rule 5:
In some nouns, we can change the vowel to make it plural.
| Singular | Plural |
| Man | Men |
| Tooth | Teeth |
| Goose | Geese |
| Louse | Lice |
| Cactus | Cacti |
Rule 6:
In some words, the addition of “en”, “ren” and “ne” is done.
| Singular | Plural |
| Child | Children |
| Hose | Hosen |
| Brother | Brethren |
| Step-child | Step-children |
Part 1:
To change a compound noun (two nouns combining to form a word) to plural, if it contains the word “man” and it means a human being, it can be replaced by “men”.
| Singular | Plural |
| Batsman | Batsmen |
| Watchman | Watchmen |
| Talisman | Talismen |
| Postman | Postmen |
Part 2:
Incase “man” is just the part of that word, simply add an “s” .
| Singular | Plural |
| Human | Humans |
| Brahman | Brahmans |
Rule 7:
When the noun ends at “ful” , an “s” should be added.
| Singular | Plural |
| Harmful | Harmfuls |
| Spoonful | Spoonfuls |
Part 1:
Join “s” to the main part of a compound noun, if that noun contains several words.
Example:
| Singular | Plural |
| Sister-in-law | Sisters-in-law |
| Security-incharge | Security-incharges |
Rule 8:
Adding just an “s” at the end of some compound nouns does the job.
| Singular | Plural |
| Wood shelf | Wood shelves |
| Phone-case | Phone-cases |
Rule 9:
Some singular words have no plural:
- Jewelry
- Furniture
Similarly, some words are used in the plural sense only.
- Shoes
- Scissors
Rule 10:
At times some nouns seem to be singular but they are referring to more than one things or people.
Pupil.
Government.
Rule 11:
In the same way, some nouns sound like they are plural though they are not.
- Wages
- Ethics
Rule 12:
Some nouns have the same plural and singular.
For numbers, letters and characters, an apostrophe and “s” needs to be added.
- Sheep
- Canon
Rule 13:
For pronouns there is no specific rule, there are some words we need to keep in mind for that.
