Spelling Rules -- Making Noun Plurals - Page 2
Rule 5: To form a plural of most English words that end in a consonant plus a -y, change the y to an i and add an -es.
1. theory -- theories 2. lily -- lilies 3. empty -- empties 4. lady -- ladies 5. candy -- candies 6. penny -- pennies
Rule 6: For words that end in -is. change the -is to -es to make the plural
1. thesis -- theses 2. oasis -- oases 3. analysis -- analyses
Rule 7: Some words that end in -f or -fe have plurals that end in -ves.
1. elf - elves 2. calf - calves 3. shelf - shelves 4. wife - wives
Some exceptions to rule 7 of words that end in -f that don't follow the rule.
1. oaf - oafs 2. chef - chefs 3. cliff - cliffs 4. belief - beliefs 5. tariff - tariffs 6. bailiff - bailiffs 7. roof - roofs 8. chief - chiefs
Rule 8: Many words that have come into English from other languages follow their original methods of constructing plurals
1. alumnus - alumni 2. analysis - analyses 3. cherub - cherubim 4. diagnosis - diagnoses
5. focus - focuses of foci 6. fungus - fungi or funguses 7. index - indexes or indices 8. radius - radii