Hello dear readers! Today you will learn how the plural is formed in English. The topic is not complicated at first glance, but there are many nuances that you should pay attention to.

In English, the plural is formed only by countable nouns, that is, nouns that can be counted. Such nouns can be either singular or plural. I think it's no secret to anyone what the plural is. If the singular is used to refer to one subject or concept, then the plural is used to refer to several items. So, now we will consider the basic rules for the formation of the plural in English. Plural of nouns in English

1. The plural of most nouns is formed by adding the ending −s to a singular noun.

−s reads:

[z] after vowels and voiced consonants
[s] after voiceless consonants

• a tie tie— tie s ties
• a teacher teacher- teacher s[ˈtiːʧəz] teachers
• a room room— room s rooms
• a map map-map s cards

2. Nouns that end in consonants s, ss, sh, ch, tch, x, take the plural ending -es, which is read [ɪz].

• a match match- match es[ˈmæʧɪz] matches

3. Nouns that end in a vowel -about, in the plural also take the ending -es.

• hero hero— hero es[ˈhɪərəʊz] heroes
• tomato tomato−tomato es tomatoes

If before the end -about there is a vowel, then the plural noun takes the ending -s.

• radio radio- radio s[ˈreɪdɪəʊz] radio receivers
• kangaroo kangaroo– kangaroo s kangaroo

If a noun that ends in -about in the singular, is an abbreviation, then in the plural it also takes the ending -s.

• photo (graph) photo)— photo s[ˈfəʊtəʊz] Photo
• kilo (gramme) kilo (gram)-kilo s[ˈkiːləʊz] kilograms

In some cases, variations with −s and -es.

• flamingos flamingos— flamingo s flamingo es flamingos
• volcano volcano—volcano s volcano es volcanoes

4. To nouns that end in -y, and before the end -y there is a consonant, the ending is added -es and at changes to i.

• a factory factory, plant− factor ies[ˈfæktəriz] factories, factories

In case before −at there is a vowel, no change occurs, and the plural is formed by adding the ending -s.

• a day day— day s days

5. Plural of some nouns that end in f, fe, formed by replacing f consonant v and adding an ending -es. The following nouns are subject to this rule:

• calf calf− cal weight calves
• half half− hal weight halves
• elf elf−el weight elves
• knife knife−kni weight knives
• leaves tree leaf−lea weight leaves
• life a life−li weight life
• loaf loaf-loa weight loaves
• self self−sel weight we ourselves
• sheaf bundle— shea weight[ʃiːvz] bundles
• shelf a shelf− shel weight[ʃɛlvz] shelves
• thief thief-thie weight[θiːvz] the thieves
• wife wife− wi weight wives
• wolf −wolves

In some cases, variations with endings are possible f and v.

• hoof hoof— hoo fs, hoo weight hooves
• scarf scarf— scar fs, scar weight scarves
• scarf jetty- whar fs, whar weight pier

Plural exclusion

6. Some nouns have preserved archaic plural forms. The plural of such nouns is formed by changing root vowel or by adding an ending —en.

• a man the male− m e n men
• a woman female−wom e n [ˈwɪmɪn] women
• brother ["brʌðər] brother−br e thr en["breðrɪn] brethren
• foot leg− f ee t legs
• goose goose— g ee se geese
• louse ["laus] louse− l i ce lice
• mouse mouse— m ic e mice
• teeth tooth— t ee th teeth
• a child [ʧaɪld] child− children en[ˈʧɪldrən] children
• ox [ɒks] bull— ox en[ˈɒksən] bulls

7. In English, the forms of some nouns in the singular and in the plural are the same.

• craft ship - ships
• works factory - factories
• species["spi:ʃi:z] biol. view - views
• headquarters ["hed" kwɔ:təz] headquarters - central authorities
• alms [ɑːmz] alms - alms
• barracks [ˈbærəks] barracks - barracks
• corps military dipl. hull - hulls
• grow partridge − partridges
• crossroads [ˈkrɒsˌrəʊdz] road crossing - intersections
• deer deer - deer
• sheep [ʃiːp] sheep − sheep
• fish ["fɪʃ] fish - fish
• fruits fruit - fruits
• gallows [ˈgæləʊz] gallows - gallows
• trout trout - trout
• means means - means
• salmon ["sæmən] salmon - salmon
• series ["sɪəri:z] series − series
• swine pig - pigs

8. Some nouns that are of Latin or Greek origin have retained an archaic form in the plural.

• analysis [ə"næləsɪs] analysis− analyzes [ə"næləsi:z] analyzes
• axis ["æksɪs] axis− axes ["æksɪz] axes
• basis ["beɪsɪs] the basis− bases ["beɪsi:z] basics
• crisis ["kraɪsɪs] a crisis− crises ["kraɪsi:z] crises
• datum ["deɪtəm] given value− data ["deɪtə] data
• erratum typo− errata list of typos
• formula [ˈfɔ:rmjulə] formula− formulae ["fɔ:rmjuli:], formulas ["fɔ:rmjuləz] formulas
• locus ["ləukəs] location− loci ["ləusaɪ] locations
• memorandum [, memə "rændəm] record for memory− memoranda [, memə "rændə], memorandums [, memə" rændəmz] notes
• nucleus cell− nuclei cells
• phenomenon phenomenon− phenomena phenomena
• radius ["reɪdɪəs], [ˈreɪdjəs] radius− radii ["reɪdɪaɪ] radii
• species [ˈspiːʃiːz] kind, type— species [ˈspiːʃiːz] kinds, types
• thesis [ˈθiːsɪs] thesis- theses [θiːsiːz] theses

9. There are a number of nouns in English that are used only in the plural.

• binoculars - binoculars
• breeches ["brɪtʃɪz] − breeches
• glasses ["aɪglɑːsɪz] − glasses
• jeans [ʤiːnz]- jeans
• pajamas, pajamas pajamas
• pliers [ˈplaɪəz] − pliers
• scissors [ˈsɪzəz] − scissors
• shorts ʃɔːts − shorts, underpants
• stockings[ˈstɒkɪŋz] − socks
• tights - tights
• tongs- forceps
• trousers [ˈtraʊzəz] - trousers
• proceeds [ˈprəʊsiːdz] − income
• surroundings - neighborhood
• riches [ˈrɪʧɪz] − wealth
• thanks [θæŋks] − gratitude
• wages [ˈweɪʤɪz] − earnings

Plural Formation of Compound Nouns

1. Compound nouns that are written together, form the plural by adding an ending to the second element.

• school girl schoolgirl— schoolgirl s schoolgirls
• policeman policeman— policem e n police officers

2. If a complex noun, which is written with a hyphen, includes words man or woman, as one of the constituent parts of the word, then all parts of the word take the plural.

• woman-writer writer−wom e n-writer s writers
• gentleman farmer gentleman farmer− gentleman e n farmer sgentleman farmers

3. Compound nouns that are written with a hyphen form the plural by changing the key element in the meaning.

• family-name surname− family-name s surnames
• commander-in-chief commander in chief− commander s-in-chief commanders-in-chief

4. If there is no noun element in the compound noun, then the plural is formed by adding the ending −s to the last element.

• forget-me-not forget-me-not− forget-me-not s forget-me-nots
• merry-go-round carousel− merry-go-round s carousels

Note!

1. In English, some uncountable nouns can be used as countable.

Uncountable: success - luck, success (generally)

• Success is in the details. − A meticulous attitude to business is the path to success.

Calc. :a success successful result− success esgood results

• My new job is a success. − My new job is just a happy accident.
• We learn from our success es and failures. − We learn from our successes and mistakes.

2. In English, some nouns can agree with the verb in the singular and in the plural, depending on the context, while not changing their form.

• my family is large. — My family is big.(Family as a whole)
• my family are early risers. — Everyone in our family gets up early.. (Family - as a set of individual members of the team)

3. In English, the same noun can be countable in one sense, and uncountable in another.

Uncountable: iron iron
Calc.: an iron iron— iron s irons

4. In English, some nouns with endings -s have a singular meaning and accordingly agree with singular verbs.

Here you can find the plural in English / Plural formation of nouns.

NUMBER

1. In English, nouns have two numbers: singular and plural. Countable nouns are used in the singular and plural; uncountable ones do not have a plural form.

The plural of nouns is formed by adding the ending -s to the singular form, which is "pronounced as [s] after voiceless consonants and as [z] after voiced consonants and vowels:

ship s[s]
gun gun s[z]
boy - boy s[z]

2. The plural of nouns ending in the singular with a hissing or whistling sound, expressed by the letters s, ss, x, sh, ch, is formed by adding the ending -es to the singular form, which is pronounced as:

class - class - class es["kla:siz]
box - box - box es["boxiz]

3. The plural of nouns ending in the singular in -o is formed by adding the ending -es, which reads like [z]:

torpedo - torpedo - torpedo es

4. The plural of nouns ending in the singular in -y with a preceding consonant is formed by adding the ending -es, while changing y to i:

army - army - arm ies
navy - fleet - nav ies

If there is a vowel before y, then the plural is formed according to the general rule:

day - day - day s

5. The plural of nouns ending in -f, -fe is formed by adding the ending -s or -es, while changing f to v:

wolf - wolf es
knife - kniv es
But: chief chief - chief s

6. Nouns borrowed from Greek and Latin retain the plural form they had in these languages:

basis ["beisis] - basis - bases ["beisi: z]
crisis ["kraisis] - crisis - crises ["kraisi: z]
radius - radius - radii ["reidiai]
nucleus ["nju:klies] - the nucleus of an atom - nuclei ["nju:kliai]
curriculum [kə "rikjulem] - course of study, curriculum - curricula [kə" rikjule]

7. In English, there are special cases of plural formation of nouns. These include:

man man -men
woman ["wumen] woman -women ["wimin]
child -children
foot - feet
tooth -teeth
ox bull - oxen ["oksen]
goose -geese
mouse -mice

8. For complex nouns that are written together, the plural form is formed according to the general rule, i.e. using the plural ending that the second noun takes:

schoolboy - schoolboy - schoolboy s

9. For complex nouns that are written with a hyphen, the plural form usually takes the main word in a semantic sense:

commander-in-chief s-in-chief

10. In compound nouns, the first component of which is the words man, woman, both stems take the plural form:

man-journalist - journalist - men-journalists
woman-typist - typist - women-typists

11. The ending -s is not always an indication of the plurality of nouns. Some singular nouns end in -s:

physics
mathematics
economy economics

Mathematics is his favorite subject. His favorite subject is mathematics.

The nouns athletics athletics, gymnastics gymnastics have only the plural form:

Athletics is very popular in our country. Athletics is very popular in our country.

The category of nouns ending in -s both in the singular and in the plural includes such nouns as works plant, headquarters headquarters, etc.

12. The number of nouns in English and Russian often does not match.

English language	Russian language
watch-watches	clock
clock-clocks	clock
gate-gates	gates
	Used in both singular and plural:
knowledge	knowledge-knowledge
progress	success - success
advice	advice-tips
Used only in the plural:	Used only in the singular:
contents	content
wages	wage
Used only in the singular:	Used only in the plural:
ink	ink
money	money

13. Paired objects in both English and Russian are used only in the plural:

scissors - scissors
spectacles - glasses
trousers - trousers

14. The noun people in the meaning of people is used in the plural; when the noun people means people, nation, it is used both in the singular and in the plural, for example: people people - peoples peoples.

According to the basic rule, the plural of nouns in English is formed by adding the ending to the end of the word -s or –es(if the noun ends in -s, -sh, -ch, -x, and also for a number of nouns of Spanish origin ending in -o, like tomato, mosquito, potato, hero, veto: tomato - tomatoes).

In nouns ending in a letter -y with a preceding consonant, y changes to i and adds -es: lady - ladies, party - parties. If the letter -y is preceded by a vowel, then just -s is added: boy - boys.

In the words calf, half, knife, leaf, life, loaf, self, sheaf, shelf, thief, wife, wolf, plural f changes to v+(e)s: shelf - shelves.

Some nouns, due to historical reasons, have other ways of constructing the plural: man - men, woman - women, tooth - teeth, foot - feet, goose - geese, mouse - mice, louse - lice, child - children, ox - oxen, brother - brethren(brethren).

Now let's look at some special cases. You can practice using them and learn more during individual lessons with your teacher.

1. Collective nouns. They can be viewed as a single indivisible whole or as a collection of individuals, objects. These include words such as class, team, crew, staff, group, army, team, committee, audience, family etc. If collective nouns designate a group as a single collective, then the verb-predicate is used in the singular form, for example: His family was large. If collective nouns denote individual representatives that make up a group, then the verb-predicate is used in the plural form, for example: My family are early risers. (Members of my family get up early).

Among the collective nouns there are words that are always perceived as a set - nouns of multitude. This is: people, police, militia, clothes, cattle, poultry. They are used with plural verbs ( e.g. The police were on duty).

Noun people in the meaning of "people" has the meaning of a plural person: People are so mean here. However, in the meaning of "people" it can be used both in the singular and in the plural: UNO helps all people of the world.

2. Uncountable nouns agree with the predicate in the singular. These are nouns: meat, tea, butter, bread, juice, weather, accommodation, advice, permission, behavior, chaos, damage, furniture, luggage, baggage, news, knowledge, scenery, traffic, work, luck, research, progress, information etc.

3. Nouns that have the same singular and plural form. Some of them end in -s: species, series, means (e.g. That species is rare. those species are common). The other part never ends in -s: sheep, deer, fish (e.g. That deer is young. Those deer are old).

4. Nouns that do not have a plural form. This is:
- names of sciences and sports: mathematics, physics, economics, statistics, ethics, gymnastics ( e.g. Physics was his favorite subject);
- some abstract nouns: news, politics ( e.g. What is the news?);
- name of diseases: measles, mumps, herpes.

5. In compound nouns only the second element usually takes the plural form: housewives, schoolchildren.
In compound nouns with the first element man/woman in the plural, both parts change: women-writers, gentlemen-farmers.
In words with the component -man, it changes to -men: policeman - policemen.
If parts of a compound word are written with a hyphen, then the key component is put in the plural form: man-of-war - men-of-war; hotel-keeper – hotel-keepers.
If there is no noun element in the compound word, then to form the plural, you need to add -s to the last element: forget-me-nots, drop-outs.

6. Nouns denoting objects, bipartite, are used only in the plural form, for example: scissors, trousers, jeans, shorts, pajamas, spectacles, scales. Similar words are often used in the phrase a pair of -s, for example: a pair of scissors, a pair of trousers, etc..

7. The nouns hair, money, knowledge, information, progress are used only in the singular form ( e.g. His hair was grey. The money is on the table).

8. Expression a number of agrees with the plural verb, and the number of requires a singular verb ( e.g. The number of people we need to hire is thirteen. A number of people have written about this subject).

9. Nouns Latin and Greek origin:

Is > -es (Greek) basis, crisis, hypothesis, analysis, thesis, axis ( e.g. The hypothesis were supported by the data)
-on > -a (Greek) criterion, phenomenon ( e.g. These phenomena follow the Newton Law)
-us > -i (lat.) radius, alumnus, nucleus, genius
-a > -ae (lat.) formula, vita
-um > -a (lat.) datum, medium, bacterium
-ix /-ex > -ices (lat.) index, appendix

10. Words like dozen, score (ten), couple, pair, stone (stone weight measure), head (cattle head) have both forms of the number, but if they are used together with a specific numeral, they remain in the singular: e.g. four dozen eggs, two score tables. If they are used in the meaning of "many", then they take the form of the plural: e.g. scores of people, dozens of boxes.

The English language, like Russian, is built on the interaction of different parts of speech, each of which has its own individuality. One of the brightest signs of a noun is the category of number. Many of you know that the plural form is formed by adding the ending -s. But it's not so simple. In this case, there are more exceptions than the rule itself.

Studying the plural in English (the plural number), you will have to strain and remember more than a dozen words and cases of their use. The ending -s in nouns does not always indicate plurality. How to know how to put it correctly, how to say it correctly? We will divide all nouns into two large groups: mutable (variable) and immutable (invariable).

variable nouns

• regular nouns. Nouns that we can refer to as "correct" form the plural form in English with the help of endings - s: question-questions, group-groups. But, when adding - s, there are writing features.

1. if the word ends with - s, ss, sh, ch, x, z, then add es: box-boxes, bush-bushes, branch-branches.
2. if the word ends with acc + y, then instead of "y" spelled "i+es" : city-cities, story-stories, lady-ladies. But if there is a structure vowel + y then at the end of the word is added only -s without any changes: boy-boys, toy-toys, day-days.
3. if the word in the singular ends with acc + o, then add es : tomatoes, potatoes, heroes. But in the words: vowel + o - s: zoos, radios.

Exceptions:

1. photos- Photo, kilos- kilograms, autos– cars, memos- memorandum, directive, note, logos— logos, torsos- torsos, sopranos- soprano, solos- solo, concertos- concerts, commandos- special forces units Eskimos- eskimos, piano- pianos (piano), video- videos (video).

2. two options: buffalo- buffaloes (buffalo), buffalos; volcano- volcanoes, volcanos (volcano); mosquito- mosquitoes, mosquitos (mosquito); zero- zeroes, zeros (zero); tornado- tornadoes, tornados (tornadoes), flamingos- flamigos, flamigoes (flamingos).

4. another ending puts a spoke in the wheel: f (or fe) is changed to -v (or ve) and -s is added. English plural words with this ending look like this: wife-wives, wolf-wolves, knife-knives, life-lives, half-halves, thief-thieves.

Exceptions:

1. belief- beliefs (faith), chef- chefs (cook), head- chiefs (head, leader), proof - proofs (proof), roof- roofs (roof), safe- safes (safe), cliff- cliffs (cliff, cliff), cuff- cuffs (cuff).

2. have two correct options: scarfs- scarves (scarf), dwarfs- dwarves (dwarf, dwarf), handkerchiefs- handkerchieves (handkerchief), hoofs- hooves (hoof), wharfs- wharves (pier), turfs- turves (turf).

• Irregular nouns. To irregular nouns, we can include those whose plural formation does not lend itself to any rule. So, everything depends on your will, memory and desire.

1. The plural of nouns is formed by vowel changes :

man- men - men; woman- women - women; goose- geese - geese; teeth- teeth - teeth; foot- feet - feet, legs; mouse- mice - mice; lose- lice - lice

2. The plural is formed with the help of the ending -en :

child— child r en - children; ox-oxen - bulls; brother- bretheren - brothers, brotherhoods

3. Words that have the same shape both in the singular and in the plural.

a sheep- sheep (sheep); a swine- swine (pig); a deer- deer (deer); a fish- fish (fish - but: different types of fish: fishes); a craft- craft (ship); a salmon- salmon (salmon); a trout- trout (trout).

4. Withfishing-foreigners , who came from Latin or Greek, but have already become full-fledged residents of the "English world". If the word ends with:

- us - i : stimulus - stimuli - stimulus

- a - ae : vertebra - vertebrae - vertebra, spine

-um-a: datum - data - data

- is - es: basis - bases - basis, foundation, base

- on - a : phenomenon - phenomena - phenomenon

- ex, ix - ices: appendix - appendices - application

- eau - eaux: bureau - bureaux - bureau

invariable nouns

1. There is a group of nouns that are used only in singular , which means that they require after themselves and the verb in the same number.

• uncountable: sand, gold, water
• abstract: love, music, homework, advice
• some diseases: diabetes, mumps, measles, rabies, rickets, shingles
• some games despite the -s ending: bowls, billiards, drawghts, darts, skittes
• word news
• item names ending in ics: aerobics, classics, genetics, linguistics, mathematics, phonetics, statistics
• some proper names: Athes, Brussels, Wales, the United States, The United Nations
• collective nouns: money, information, jewelery, fruit(but fruits in pl.: several kinds of fruits)
• in a separate group, we will single out nouns that sound in Russian in the plural, and in English - in the singular:

applause (applause), cream (cream), debate (debate), fightings (fights), gossip (gossip, rumors), hair (hair), ink (ink), knowledge (knowledge), gate (gate), watch (watch ),vacation (vacation)

2. There is a similar situation with other nouns that can be used only in the plural (Plurals).

• Nouns denoting a couple: braces, shorts, glasses, trousers, binoculars, jeans, leggins, tights, scissors, scales. But, if we still need to mark the singular, then we will put the phrase before these nouns: a pair of (jeans), and then we use the verb in the singular.

• Substantivized adjectives denoting people: the rich (rich), the poor (poor), the old (old), the young (youth), the English (English).
• Some proper names: the Netherlands, the Midlands, the Hebriedes, the East Indies
• A couple of nouns that are singular in Russian and plural in English:

wages (wages), sweepings (garbage), the contents of the book (content), arms (weapons), greens (greenery), looks (view), stairs (ladder), manners (manners), minutes (protocol), outskirts (outskirts), riches (wealth), thanks (gratitude), The Middle Ages (Middle Ages).

Plural of compound nouns

• The plural number of such nouns is usually formed with -s added to the last element: housewife - housewives, shoe-shop - shoe-shops.
• If the composition contains the words "woman, man", then two words take the form of the plural: woman-doctor - women-doctors, man - driver - men - drivers(But, if the word is spelled together, then only men, woman: policemen change)
• If there are prepositions in the composition, then the first element takes the plural form: mothers-in-law, men-of-war, editors-in-chief. If the word consists of: noun + preposition, then add only to the noun: passers-by, lookers-on. But if there is a union, then to the second word: gin and tonics.
• But if there is no noun in the word, but it has such a meaning, then the ending -s is added to the whole phrase: forget-me-nots (forget-me-nots), merry-go-rounds (carousels), stand-bys (followers), grown-ups (adults), pick-ups (casual acquaintances), drop-outs (deserters).

As you can see, the rule "Plural in English" is a complete exception. But do not grab your head or think that you cannot remember it. Millions already know this by heart, so you can too. A little patience, diligence and practice is all you need to absorb all the information.

There may be one item or there may be many. In most languages, this means that the noun will change its form at least slightly, and English is no exception.

plural and singular

As a rule, there is a difference in how to name one or more items. Moreover, the need to do this arises so often that it is not even always realized. Nevertheless, when studying foreign dialects, one of the first and main topics is the formation of the plural. In English, this is usually not too difficult to do, but there are various nuances, subtleties and exceptions to be aware of. It's easy without it

Number forms in English are called Singular and Plural. Some nouns do not have one of these forms at all, while others simply form them in a special way. So, you need to figure out what kind of nouns we are talking about, what are their features.

Nouns: general rule

In order to form the Plural form, the ending is added to the initial -s. This is the most general and simple rule, for example:

• a truck - trucks (trucks);
• a cup - cups (cups);
• a flag - flags (flags).

In this case, it must be borne in mind that after deaf sounds, the ending is read as [s], while in other cases it is [z] or.

However, this does not always happen. If the noun ends in s, ch, x, sh, tch, z, then the end will be -es, since it is much more convenient to pronounce:

• a box - boxes (boxes);
• a boss - bosses (chiefs).

Words ending in o in the plural also add -es:

• a tomato - tomatoes (tomatoes).

Those words that in the singular contained at the end f or fe, in the plural will change it to v:

• a wolf - wolves (wolves);
• a leaf - leaves (leaves).

It should be noted that this does not always happen, but in most cases. If in doubt, it is better to refer to dictionaries or reference books.

In addition, there is a special rule for nouns ending in y. If the penultimate letter is not a vowel, but the word itself is a proper name, then y changes to i:

• a pony - ponies (ponies);
• a lady - ladies (lady).

• a monkey - monkeys (monkeys);
• Mary - Marys (Mary, Mary).

These are the simplest examples of how nouns are formed in English. Further, we will talk about more complex examples in which various subtleties will have to be taken into account.

Compound nouns

Another kind of words invariably causes difficulties. We are talking about compound nouns, such as daughter-in-law, good-for-nothing, etc. Many simply add the ending -s to the whole structure, but this is not true. In this case, it is necessary to highlight the main word and work with it. That is, the correct options are daughters-in-law(daughter-in-law), but, for example, good-for-nothings(loafers), because there is no nominal part. As you can see, forming the Plural form is not so difficult even for compound words. The main thing is to know about this rule and be able to apply it.

Borrowed words

The stumbling block in the topic of the plural form is the concepts that have come
from Latin, Greek, etc. It can be difficult to remember them, but almost all of them belong to special scientific vocabulary, so it will most likely not work to meet them in a regular text. Examples might be:

• a criterion - criteria (criteria);
• an index - indexes (indices).

As can be seen, in this case, the formation of the plural of nouns in English coincides with how this form looked in the original source. In case of doubt, it is better to look into the dictionary, especially since the same words in different subjects will behave differently. For example, the noun antenna in electronics forms antennae, and in biology - antennas.

Exceptions

Unfortunately, the plural of nouns in English does not always fall under one of the above rules. There are also exceptions. The most famous and most used in the general vocabulary are the following:

• a tooth - teeth (teeth);
• a foot - feet (feet);
• a child - children (child - children);
• a (wo)man - (wo)men (woman / man);
• a mouse - mice (mice);
• a penny-pence (penny);
• a sheep - sheep (sheep);
• a goose - geese (geese);
• a swine - swine (pigs);
• a deer - deer (deer);
• an ox - oxen (bulls).

There are a number of other words that also have a special form,
but they are used much less frequently. Since the list is rather small, it's easier to just memorize it. And then you don’t have to think about what form the plural forms in English in this or that case.

In addition, the names of nationalities ending in -se or -ss. Examples might be:

• a Japanese - Japanese (Japanese);
• a Swiss - Swiss (Swiss);
• a Portuguese - Portuguese (Portuguese);
• a Chinese - Chinese (Chinese).

Features of collective nouns

Another special category has no nuances in the formation of the Plural form itself. But grammatically, it can appear in situations of different meanings both in Singular and in Plural. By the way, the nationality of the interlocutor has an even greater influence on this.

The fact is that in the UK and the USA the perception of collective nouns is seriously different: the British are rather individualists, while the Americans are more prone to collectivism. In grammar, this is expressed in the agreement of the predicate with the subject.

The collective category includes such words as crew, committee, family, team, class, company, corporation, etc. In the event that it is understood that the noun expresses a single policy or action of the team, then Singular is used. If we are talking about a lot of people who are part of a family, team, etc., then the plural is used. In English, as already mentioned, there are a lot of nuances and subtleties that are not always easy to remember so as not to make mistakes.

If you don’t want to make mistakes at all, it’s easier to replace collective nouns with constructions that are close in meaning. Instead of class, students will do, and team can be converted to players. In other cases, just members or participants will do. The agreement of verbs with these words should not cause problems.

Only the only

Often become uncountable nouns and generally abstract concepts. If with real things everything is more or less clear, then with the rest - not so much.

This variety includes hair (not in the sense of "individual hairs"), money, information, water, progress, relationship, advice, knowledge, etc. Separately, it is worth mentioning those that end in -s: news, mathematics, physics, politics, statistics, etc. In this case, the plural in English is not formed at all, and agreement occurs in the singular:

• You information is quite interesting.
• Physics is an important science.

Words such as fruit and fish, which were mentioned earlier, will either form a plural in different cases or not, depending on the semantics. "various kinds" they will add at the end -s, but if it's just a quantity of more than one, then no.

Since there are quite a few examples that fall under this rule, if you suspect that a particular word is non-standard plural in English or does not, it is better to double-check yourself. After all, even experienced translators and native speakers sometimes make mistakes. What can we say about those who are just starting to learn a language, but practice will help.

Plural only

This category also has a fairly large number of examples, including among collective nouns: military, police, people, clothes, goods, etc. In addition, this also includes items that can be called paired: scissors (scissors), braces (suspenders), trousers (trousers) and some others. Obviously, it makes no sense to talk about how the plural is formed in English using these examples, because they are already in it. It is important to remember these examples and correctly coordinate the verbs with them.

Language is a living substance that is constantly changing. Some rules disappear, but others appear to replace them. It is quite possible that the plural of nouns in English in a few decades will occur according to completely different principles.