Spelling Rules -- Making Noun Plurals - Page 1
Rule 1: To form the plural of most English words that don't end in -s,-z, -x, -sh, -ch, or -ss, add an -s to make a plural of most words.
1. star --- stars 2. pencil --- pencils 3. step --- steps 4. pad --- pads 5. book --- books 6. slab --- slabs 7. bra --- bras 8. stem --- stems
Rule 2: To form the plural of most English words that end in -s, -z, -x, -ch, -sh, and -ss add an -es to the word.
1. bus --- buses 2. buzz --- buzzes 3. box --- boxes 4. match --- matches 5. church --- churches 6. kiss --- kisses
Some Exceptions to Rule 2: Note that the -z is doubled
1. quiz -- quizzes 2. fizz -- fizzes 3. whiz -- whizzes
Rule 3: To from a plural of most English words that end in a vowel plus -y add an -s to the word
1. day - days 2. pulley - pulleys 3. boy - boys 4. buy - buys
Rule 4: Singular nouns ending in silent "s" do not change their forms in the plural. However, the "s" ending is pronounced when the plural from is used. See below.
1. one corps - two corps 2. one rendezvous -- two rendezvous