How are plurals formed?

Answer 1

The majority of plural nouns are formed by adding -s or -es (after an CH, S, SH, X or Z, and possibly O).

Some will double the ending consonant (quizzes).

Words ending in consonant Y change the Y to I and add -es.

These are called "regular plurals."

Other nouns remain the same in singular and plural forms (sheep, fish, deer).

Words ending in F may change the F to a V before adding -es (leaf-leaves, half-halves).

Plural forms of other nouns are formed according to different language rules (man-men, child-children, ox-oxen, mouse-mice, radius-radii, index-indices).

These are called "irregular plurals."

Answer 2

In English, most plurals are formed by adding an "s" to the end of a singular noun (e.g., cat - cats). However, there are exceptions, such as nouns ending in "s," "x," "z," "ch," or "sh," which usually take "-es" (e.g., box - boxes). Nouns ending in "y" after a consonant change the "y" to "i" and add "-es" (e.g., baby - babies). Irregular plural forms, such as "children" (child) or "geese" (goose), do not follow any set pattern.