Introducing
Your new presentation assistant.
Refine, enhance, and tailor your content, source relevant images, and edit visuals quicker than ever before.
Trending searches
Words ending in "-i" follow the general rule, adding -s:
Ski, skis
Taxi. taxis
Nouns ending in -y, form their plural adding an -s, pronounced /z/, but only nouns which "y" ending is preceded by a vowel, follow that rule.
NOTE: there are some words, ending in -f, that can use both -fs and -ves:
hoof --> hoofs, hooves
scarf --> scarfs, scarves
The general rule is adding -s
Piano --> pianos
Photo --> photos
Radio --> radios
days
monkeys
Another group, that only includes a few, interchangeably -s or -es:
cargo --> cargos, cargoes
domino --> dominos, dominoes
1.-Form the plural of these words and explain the reasons.
drop-out…………………….
show-off………………………….
put-down………………………….
Spoonful……………………
mother-in-law……………………
passer-by……………………..
hanger-on……………………
Nouns pronounced /f/
follow the general rule:
roof --> roofs
belief --> beliefs
laugh --> laughs
waif --> waifs
Note: boy/friend and
girl/friend only add -s
on the second element.
-The plural morpheme
appears in the last element:
Take-off
Breakdowns
Spoonfuls
4.-Give the plurals of the following words:
Hoof ……………………………….. Breakdown……………………
Still life…………………………… Hero …………………………
Salesman…………………….. Ski……………………….
However, if "y" is preceded
by a consonant it
turns into a semiconsonant "i"
and the plural
adds -es, pronounced like /z/
Lady --> ladies
Body --> bodies
Spy --> spies
Words ending in /ϴ/ change
the phoneme into /ð/
before adding /z/:
Bath, mouth, path,
truth and youth.
/z/: cars, beds,
tables, ties...
The general rule to form the plural is adding an -s to the noun. If the end of the word is voiceless we get a voiceless plural ending /s/, but if the end of the word is voiced we get a voiced plural ending /z/.
The most common ending is the voiced one /z/, even so, many people expect the plural to be pronounced voiceless /s/.
/s/: books, cats, caps, darts...
If the noun ends in a voiced consonant, the plural
form adds -es, and its pronunciation is /iz/.
Page --> pages
House --> houses
Box --> Boxes
NOTE: when a word finishes in double
consonant, in order to separate the
consonants we put a vowel in the middle.
Church --> churches
Class --> classes
Fish --> fishes
2.- Say how you pronounce the last syllable of this compounds:
policeman policemen
superman supermen
3.-Write the words in the correct column according to the pronunciation of the words below:
Papers, computers, darts, guitars, chairs, cats, maps, rats, baths, rocks
Cars /z/:.............
Books /s/:............
There are three common cases to express
this plural:
-The first element takes the plural morpheme:
Mothers-in-law
passers-by
men-of-war
-The plural morpheme appears
in both elements:
Manservant --> menservants
woman doctor --> women doctors
man student -->men students
Those nouns that
end in -oo follow
the general rule:
zoo --> zoos
cuckoo --> cuckoos
This group includes some spanish words indicating a couple.
Tíos: aunt and uncle
Hermanos: brothers and sisters
Reyes: the king and the queen
Los novios: the bride and the groom
However, there is a reduced
number of nouns that form
their plural adding -es:
Hero --> heroes
Tomato --> tomatoes
Potato --> potatoes
However, there is a reduced
group of nouns that
change -f into -v and add -es:
life --> lives
knife --> knives
wife --> wives