Singular / Plural

What Are Singular and Plural?

• Singular means one. When you are talking about only one person, animal, place, or thing, the word is singular.
• Plural means more than one. When you are talking about two, three, or even a hundred things, the word becomes plural.
• We usually change a word from singular to plural by adding a special ending, most commonly the letter "S".

The Magic "S" Rule For most words, you simply add an "s" at the end of the whole word to show there is more than one:

• One Star Two Stars
• One Book Many Books
• One Cat Four Cats

The "ES" Rule Sometimes, if a word ends in a "hissing" sound like ch, sh, s, x, or z, we add "es" instead of just "s" to make it easier to say:

• One Bus Two Buses
• One Box Three Boxes
• One Watch Many Watches

Irregular Plurals (The Rule Breakers) Some words are "rebellious" and change completely when they become plural. They don't follow the "s" rule at all:

• One Child Many Children
• One Foot Two Feet
• One Mouse Many Mice
• One Tooth All Teeth

Why Do We Learn This?

• Grammar: It helps our sentences make sense. We say "The cat is sleeping" (singular) but "The cats are sleeping" (plural).
• Counting: It helps us describe exactly how many things we are talking about.
• Clear Communication: It prevents confusion so people know if you are talking about one friend or your whole group of friends.

Lesson Summary

• Singular = 1 item.
• Plural = 2 or more items.
• Most plurals end in "s" or "es".