Practice Activities: Plural Nouns

Here are some additional exercises to practice making regular and irregular plural nouns:

Regular Plural Nouns

Look at each plural word in the table below. Write the singular version of the word and explain which rule the plural has used in its formation. For example:

  • vultures is the plural of vulture. Despite vultures ending in –es, you simply add an –s to form the plural, as the e is a part of the singular word.
  • fries is the plural of fry. To form the plural, the y was changed to an i, and we added –es.
trees sopranos watches
tomatoes waltzes wrists
reefs leaves flies
cafes caves boys

Irregular Plural Nouns

Look at each plural word in the table below. Write the singular version of the word and explain which rule the plural has used in its formation. For example:

  • oxen is the plural of ox. This is an –en noun. To form the plural, an -en was added.
  • stimuli is the plural of stimulus. The singular ends with a -us, so the plural ends with an -i.
children moose teeth
squid men lice
memoranda hypotheses phenomena
parentheses emphases nuclei
foci  vertebrae  appendices

Regular and Irregular Plural Nouns

Look at each word in the table below. Identify if the words is singular or plural, then write the other version of the word and explain which rule the plural has used in its formation. For example:

  • stimuli is the plural of stimulus. The singular ends with a -us, so the plural ends with an -i.
  • ox is the singular of oxen. This is an –en noun. To form the plural, an -en was added.
chiefs toys quiz
bacterium crisis criteria
octopus larvae indices
wolves sheep woman