How do nouns form their plurals?

Answer 1

Regular plurals are formed by adding -s or -es to the end of the noun; most nouns are regular plurals, for example:

• apple, two apples
• boy, two boys
• coin, two coins
• daughter, two daughters
• end, both ends
• arch, two arches
• box, two boxes
• class, two classes
• dish, a set of dishes

Irregular plurals have a variety of methods for forming a plural noun; some examples are:

• baby, twin babies
• lady, two ladies
• story, a book of stories

• calf, two calves
• half, two halves
• knife, a set of knives

• child, two children
• foot, both feet
• man, two men
• mouse, too many mice

• basis, two bases
• crisis, too many crises
• oasis, two oases

• datum, too much data
• medium, all of the media
• stratum, many strata

Answer 2

Nouns form their plurals in different ways depending on the noun. For most nouns, you add "-s" or "-es" to the end (e.g., cat - cats, box - boxes). Some nouns have irregular plural forms that do not follow this rule (e.g., child - children, tooth - teeth).