Spelling Safari   Plurals

 

The Rules:

Rules	Examples
1. Add an -s to form the plural of most words.	elephant--elephants stereo--stereos
2. For words that end in a "hissing" sound (-s, -z, -x, -ch, -sh), add an -es to form the plural.	box--boxes church--churches
3. If the word ends in a vowel plus -y (-ay, -ey, -iy, -oy, -uy), add an -s to the word. If there is a vowel before 'y' only 's' is added. For eg. ray - rays. There is a vowel 'a' before y. So we only add 's' to the noun.	tray--trays key--keys
4. If the word ends in a consonant plus -y, change the -y into -ie and add an -s to form the plural.	enemy--enemies baby--babies fairy -- faries
5. For words that end in -is, change the -is to -es to make the plural form.	synopsis--synopses thesis--theses
6. For words that end in -f or -fe, change the f/fe to v and add es.	knife--knives self--selves  leaf -- leaves
7. All words that end in a vowel plus -o (-ao, -eo, -io, -oo, -uo) have plurals that end in just -s:	stereo--stereos studio--studios duo--duos
8. All musical terms ending in -o have plurals ending in just -s.	* piano--pianos * cello--cellos * solo--solos
9. The plurals of words ending in -o are formed by either adding -s or -es.	albinos armadillos autos heroes potatoes tomatoes
10. The plurals of single capital letters, acronyms, and Arabic numerals (1,2,3,...) take an -s WITHOUT an apostrophe:	* Z (the capital letter Z)--Zs * UPC (Universal Product Code)--UPCs * ATM (Automatic Teller Machine)--ATMs * GUI (Graphical User Interface)--GUIs * 3 (the Arabic numeral 3)--3s
11. Some nouns have irregular plurals. This means that the spelling does not change at all or that the spelling changes completely.	hair-hair tooth-teeth

Your Assignments:

1. Practice

Print off http://archon.educ.kent.edu/Midwest/Materials/ndakota/spelling/exercise2.html and complete the practice exercise. Be sure to check your answers

2. Word List

Make a list of 11 nouns. Include 1 word for each rule. Next, convert your nouns into plural nouns. If you are unsure of how to make a noun plural, you can look up the singular form of the noun in a dictionary to get the plural form.

3. Sentences:

Next, write one sentence for each plural noun. Be sure to make up your own sentences, don't use the examples that you find in a dictionary.

4. Plural Practice

You can practice making nouns plural at these two sites:

Plural Forms and Irregular Nouns Practice http://a4esl.org/q/h/vf004-bp.html

More Practice http://a4esl.org/q/h/vm/plurals.html

Play the "Plural Girls" game.

5. Puzzle

Print off the crossword puzzle. Complete the puzzle and turn it in by Friday.

6. Spelling Test:

Be ready for a test at the end of the week. Be sure that you know the plural spelling rules.

6. Turn in your work by Friday. Your packet should include your practice exercise, noun/plural noun word list, crossword puzzle, and spelling test.