Home > Grammar/Mechanics, Spelling/Vocabulary > The Plurals Spelling Rule

The Plurals Spelling Rule

Plural Noun Forms

The Plural Spelling Rule

Changing singular nouns to plural nouns? It’s all about the endings. In English, the last letters or sounds of single common nouns (ideas, persons, places, or things) determine how we change those nouns into plurals.

The Plurals Spelling Rule

Spell plural nouns with an s (dog-dogs), even those that end in y (day-days) or those that end in a vowel, then an o (stereo-stereos). Spell “es” after the sounds of /s/, /x/, /z/, /ch/, or /sh/ (box-boxes) or after a consonant, then an o (potato-potatoes). Change the y to i and add “es” when the word ends in a consonant, then a y (ferry-ferries). Change the “fe” or “lf” ending to “ves” (knife-knives, shelf-shelves).

Exceptions 

  • Collective nouns are plurals by nature. Examples: people, committee
  • Unchanging nouns are the same in both singular and plural forms. Examples: deer, fish
  • Singular Latin nouns ending in “us” change the “us” to “i” for plurals. Examples: syllabus-syllabi, cactus-cacti
  • Singular Latin nouns ending in “um” change the “um” to “a” for plurals. Examples: curriculum-curricula, datum-data
  • Singular Latin nouns ending in “ix” or “ex” change the “ix” or “ex” to “i” for plurals. Examples: matrix-matrices, index-indices
  • Singular Latin nouns ending in “is” change the “is” to “es” for plurals. Examples: analysis-analyses, crises-crises
  • Plus many commonly used nouns… Examples: man-men, child-children

Check out the song! The Plurals Rule

Plural Lambs

(to the tune of “Mary Had a Little Lamb”)

1. If there is a vowel before the letters o or y,

Mary had a little lamb, little lamb, little lamb.

“Add an s onto the end and to most nouns,” said I.

Mary had a little lamb. Its fleece was white as snow.

2. If there is a consonant before the o or y,

And everywhere that Mary went, Mary went, Mary went.

“Add “e-s” onto the end, but change the y to i.”

Everywhere that Mary went the lamb was sure to go.

3. “Add “e-s” onto an xto /ch/, /sh/, /s/, or z.

It followed her to school one day, school one day, school one day.

Also add onto an f, but change the f to v.”

It followed her to school one day, which was against the rules.

*****

Differentiated Spelling Instruction Grades 4-8

Differentiated Spelling Instruction

I’m Mark Pennington, author of the full-year Differentiated Spelling Instruction programs for grades 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8. The grade-level programs include weekly tests, based upon conventional spelling rules and developmental spelling patterns, weekly spelling sorts, review games, and audio links to catchy spelling songs. Additionally, the comprehensive diagnostic spelling assessment (audio file included) tests spelling patterns from previous grade levels, and the corresponding worksheets allow you to pinpoint instruction according to individual needs. Each worksheet includes a formative assessment to help you determine whether students have mastered the spelling instruction. The program is simple to implement and doesn’t take up too many valuable instructional minutes. You do have other subjects to teach!

FREE DOWNLOAD TO ASSESS THE QUALITY OF PENNINGTON PUBLISHING AMERICAN ENGLISH AND CANDADIAN ENGLISH SPELLING PROGRAMS. Check out these grades 4-8 programs HERE. Administer my FREE comprehensive Diagnostic Spelling Assessment with audio file and recording matrix. It has 102 words (I did say comprehensive) and covers all common spelling patterns and conventional spelling rules. It only takes 22 minutes and includes an audio file with test administration instructions. Once you see the gaps in your middle school students spelling patterns, you’re going to want to fill those gaps.

Get the The Plurals Spelling Rule FREE Resource:

Grammar/Mechanics, Spelling/Vocabulary , , , , , , , , , , ,


Comments are closed.