Noun Plurals
Most nouns change their form to indicate quantity or number by adding an “s” or “es,” as demonstrated in the following pairs of sentences:
When children are small they rarely tell the truth if they think they are going to be punished.
Many people do not believe that truths are self-evident.
As they walked through the empty building, they were startled by an unexpected echo.
I like to shout into the canyon and listen to the echoes that return.
He carefully placed the chair in the living room.
His living room is filled with many chairs.
There are other nouns which form the plural by changing the last letter before adding “s.” Some words ending in “f” form the plural by deleting “f” and adding “ves,” and words ending in “y” form the plural by deleting the “y” and adding “ies,” as in the following pairs of sentences:
The harbor at Pedal Bay has one wharf.
There are several wharves in Pensacola Harbor.
Honolulu is their favorite city because it reminds them of their honeymoon.
The vacation I am going on includes trips to twelve Latin American cities.
The clowns circled around the headmaster and shouted, “Are you a mouse or a man?”
The audience was shocked when all five clowns admitted that they were afraid of mice.
Most nouns change their form to indicate quantity or number by adding an “s” or “es,” as demonstrated in the following pairs of sentences:
When children are small they rarely tell the truth if they think they are going to be punished.
Many people do not believe that truths are self-evident.
As they walked through the empty building, they were startled by an unexpected echo.
I like to shout into the canyon and listen to the echoes that return.
He carefully placed the chair in the living room.
His living room is filled with many chairs.
There are other nouns which form the plural by changing the last letter before adding “s.” Some words ending in “f” form the plural by deleting “f” and adding “ves,” and words ending in “y” form the plural by deleting the “y” and adding “ies,” as in the following pairs of sentences:
The harbor at Pedal Bay has one wharf.
There are several wharves in Pensacola Harbor.
Honolulu is their favorite city because it reminds them of their honeymoon.
The vacation I am going on includes trips to twelve Latin American cities.
The clowns circled around the headmaster and shouted, “Are you a mouse or a man?”
The audience was shocked when all five clowns admitted that they were afraid of mice.
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