what are the rules of the pluralization of nouns?

1. Most nouns simply add -s or -es.

2. If a noun ends in a vowel and -y, simply add -s

3. If a noun ends in a consonant and -y, change the -y to-i and add -es. (key__keys; berry__berries)

4. If a noun ends in a vowel and -o, add -s.

5. If a noun ends in a consonant and -o, add -es. (pianos is an exception)

6. If a noun ends in -f or -fe, change the -f to -v and add -es. This rule is often disregarded. Safe, meaning a strongbox, is an exception. ( loaf__loaves; dwarf__dwarves; chief__chiefs is another exception)

7. Nouns that end in s, ss, ch, sh, x, or z always form their plural by adding -es.

8. Some English nouns change their spelling to form the plural. For example; tooth-teeth, mouse-mice, foot-feet, goose-geese, man-men, woman-women, child-children.

9. Many collective nouns have the same singular and plural forms. For example: deer-deer; sheep-sheep; trout-trout, moose-moose, buffalo-buffalo.

10. Some nouns that end in -us form their plural by dropping -us and adding -i. for example; cactus-cacti; alumnus-alumni;

There are exceptions to almost every rule for English spelling. If you are in doubt, a good dictionary is the best place to check the correct plural.

The regular rule is to add an -s (kid-kids, bottle-bottles) or if the noun ends in s you add -es (bus-buses class-classes).

For irregular plurals in nouns there is no Present-Day-English rule. You have to learn them.

All irregular plurals go back to Old English or even Germanic times where the system of pluralisation was still a lot more complicated than it is today. There were plurals in -as, -r, with umlaut, -n and in -u. Which plural applied for which word had to be acquired with the word, as there is no obvious reason why it was cild-cildru and not for example cild-cildas (child-children BTW).

Luckily many of the Old English irregular plurals joined the ranks of regular plural nouns in course of time, so the number of plurals you have to learn by heart is now very small.

In English just add “s” to any noun to make it plural.

Generally we simply add an s to the end of the word. if it ends in a Y we take away the Y and replace it with ie and add the s. such as country— countries. and if it ends withan f drop the f and add a ves. eg leaf- leaves. and if it end with an s add e and s. eg class- classes.

Add ‘s’ or ‘es’

Add the ‘es’ when the word already ends in ‘s’ (buses, kisses etc)