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Nouns: Nouns #2: Regular Countable Nouns (#1)

Dennis Oliver
Nouns #2:
Regular Countable Nouns (#1)

Regular countable nouns make their plurals by (1) adding
-s or -es to the singular form and (2) by changing final y
to i and adding -es if the singular form ends in a consonant
+ y.

Examples: adding -s and -es

1.

Most regular countable nouns make their plurals
plurals by adding -s to the singular form,
but nouns that end in -s, -z, -ch, -sh, and
-s add -es to the singular form:

bus / buses*
boss / bosses
gas / gases
lass / lasses
kiss / kisses
mess / messes
pass / passes
plus / pluses

quiz / quizzes*
whiz / whizzes*

coach / coaches
crutch / crutches
ditch / ditches
gulch / gulches
latch / latches
match / matches
notch / notches
patch / patches
porch / porches
pouch / pouches
torch / torches
winch / winches
witch / witches

bush / bushes
brush / brushes
dish / dishes
gash / gashes
lash / lashes
rush / rushes
splash / splashes
thrush / thrushes
wish / wishes

box / boxes
fax / faxes
fox / foxes
lynx / lynxes
mix / mixes
sphynx / sphynxes
tax / taxes

Notes:

a. "Buses" is also spelled "busses."
b. Words that end in a vowel + z double
the z before adding -es.

Examples: changing -y to i and adding -es

2.

Most regular countable nouns make their plurals
plurals by adding -s to the singular form, but
nouns that end in a consonant + y change the y
to i and then add -es to the singular form:

baby / babies
berry / berries
buggy / buggies
canary / canaries
city / cities
ferry / ferries
filly / fillies
fly / flies
flurry / flurries		 gully / gullies
lily / lilies
peony / peonies
pony / ponies
quarry / quarries
query / queries
salary / salaries
story / stories
worry / worries

Note:

Regular nouns ending in a vowel + y do not
change the y to i and add -es; instead, they
simply add s:

alloy / alloys
boy / boys
buoy / buoys
decoy / decoys
display / displays
donkey / donkeys
envoy / envoys
guy / guys
key / keys		 monkey / monkeys
play / plays
ray / rays
spray / sprays
stray / strays
toy / toys
tray / trays
turkey / turkeys
way / ways
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