Activity 1 & 2
‘The Shongololo’ by Sue Largier
Reading yourself smart!
Nouns: The rules about plurals
Nouns are naming words.
They name things like monkey and tree and shoe.
Nouns can be singular (one monkey) or plural (many monkeys).
To make a regular noun plural you usually just add -s or -es.
Sometimes this doesn’t work because the noun is irregular or unusual in
some way so that it doesn’t follow the usual rule. First we will look at
regular nouns. Then we will look at irregular nouns.
Regular nouns
Noun ending
To form the
plural
Singular noun
Plural noun
s, z, x, ch, sh
Add -es
bus
buzz
box
church
bush
buses
buzzes
boxes
churches
bushes
Consonant + y
Change y to i
and add -es
baby
family
babies
families
Most others
Add –s
week
cup
toy
weeks
cups
toys
Grammar
www.redrondavel.com
Activity 1 & 2
‘The Shongololo’ by Sue Largier
Reading yourself smart!
Activity 1
Change all these nouns from singular to plural using the rules.
Use a dictionary if you are not sure.
Singular noun
cup
Plural noun
cat
bus
uncle
day
buzz
aunt
box
sister
plan
fox
church
beach
bush
peach
brush
wish
baby
Grammar
www.redrondavel.com
Activity 1 & 2
Irregular nouns
Noun
‘The Shongololo’ by Sue Largier
Reading yourself smart!
To form the
plural
Change f to v
and add -es
Singular
Plural
wolf
half
hoof
wolves
halves
hooves
Ending in fe
Change f to v
and add -s
knife
wife
knives
wives
Ends in o
Sometimes
add –es
potato
hero
potatoes
heroes
Sometimes
add –s
solo
zero
solos
zeros
studio
studios
Ending in f
(These just have to
be learnt or looked up
in a dictionary)
Ends in vowel + o
Add –s
Sometimes the
whole word changes
or part of the word
changes
Change the
person
whole word or
child
add a different ox
ending
people
children
oxen
Change the
vowel sound
man
tooth
mouse
men
teeth
mice
No change.
Singular and
plural are the
same
sheep
sheep
Some nouns don’t
change at all
Note to parents and teachers: There are some more complicated plural rules involving Latin but they are too complicated for
this age group.
Grammar
www.redrondavel.com
Activity 1 & 2
‘The Shongololo’ by Sue Largier
Reading yourself smart!
Activity 2
Change all these nouns from singular to plural using the rules.
Use a dictionary if you are not sure.
Singular noun
wolf
Plural noun
loaf
life
wife
echo
domino
potato
tomato
piano
volcano
tornado
halo
man
woman
mouse
goose
tooth
child
sheep
Grammar
www.redrondavel.com