Irregular nouns and their plural form?

Answer 1

Unlike regular English nouns that form the plural by adding 's' or 'es' to the end of the word, irregular English nouns require vowel or consonant changes, or suffixation. For some common nouns of Old English origin, the vowel undergoes a change (ablaut). For example:

• foot > feet
• man > men
• woman > women
• mouse > mice
• tooth > teeth

Some other common nouns of Old English origin require the addition of 'n' or 'en' to form the plural. For example:

• child > children
• ox > oxen

Yet other common nouns, which are often of Old English origin and refer to groups of animals, have identical plural and singular form. For example:

• deer > deer
• moose > moose
• trout > trout
• offspring > offspring
• sheep > sheep

For nouns of Latin origin that end in an 'a', change the 'a' to 'ae' to form the plural. For example:

• formula > formulae
• alumna > alumnae

For nouns of Latin origin that end in 'ex' or 'ix', change the suffix to 'ices'. For example:

• matrix > matrices
• vertex > vertices
• index > indices

For nouns of Latin origin that end in 'is', change the 'is' to 'es'. For example:

• axis > axes
• crisis > crises
• analysis > analyses
• thesis > theses

For nouns of Latin origin that end in 'on', change 'on' to 'a'. For example:

• criterion > criteria
• phenomenon > phenomena
• automaton > automata

For nouns of Latin origin that end in 'um', change 'um' to 'a'. For example:

• datum > data
• medium > media
• addendum > addenda
• millennium > millennia

For nouns of Latin origin that end in 'us', change the 'us' to 'i', 'era', 'ora' or 'es'. For example:

• syllabus > syllabi
• genus > genera
• corpus > corpora
• census > censuses

For nouns of Greek origin that end in 'ma', add 'ta' to the end of the word to form the plural. For example:

• dogma > dogmata
• stigma > stigmata
• schema > schemata

For nouns of French origin that end in 'eau', add 'x' to the end of the word to form the plural. For example:

• chateau > chateaux
• beau > beaux
• bureau > bureaux

For nouns of Hebrew origin, add 'im' or 'ot' to the end of the word to form the plural. For example:

• cherub > cherubim
• matzah > matzot

Answer 2

Some irregular nouns and their plural forms include:

1. mouse - mice
2. child - children
3. tooth - teeth
4. goose - geese