In this article we are describing Plural nouns examples and Rules of formation. Plural nouns are nouns that refer to two or more elements. For example: dogs, chairs, theories. They are written with “s” at the end and, therefore, they modify the verb , which must agree in number with the subject of the sentence. For example: The boys played. (plural noun / plural verb) / The boy played. (singular noun / singular verb)

Some plural nouns (in general, those that end in a consonant in the singular), in addition to the “s”, add an “e” to facilitate pronunciation. For example: paper is , watch is .

All types of nouns have a singular and a plural form.

But the plural should not be confused with collective nouns , which are those that designate a group of elements with one word, as opposed to individual nouns that designate a single element.

Collective nouns can be in the singular (if they designate a single group) or in the plural (if they designate more than one group). For example: group/groups, herd/herds, crowd/crowds. 

Examples of plural nouns

Examples of plural sentences

1. The clocks are all on time.
2. He was so millionaire that he collected cars.
3. The girls are playing hairdresser.
4. I left some papers for you to see on the table.
5. We would have to go through the tables in the other room.
6. The wood is impeccable, we could make a nice piece of furniture.
7. We could throw away those bottles , they are useless and take up space.
8. I bought these shoes for the end of the year party.
9. The place is unpresentable, the kitchen is full of flies .
10. In this house there are many books , it is seen that they are all great readers.
11. We could hang these maps in the other room.
12. I printed some of the photos we took, to put them in those frames .
13. Numbers should be in bold to make them easier to see .
14. The colors I like the most are green and blue, I hate pink.
15. I have to write a note of 1500 words .
16. The pictures you painted are beautiful. Where did you take painting classes ?
17. Since you have a cold, I bought you these handkerchiefs.
18. The buildings in this city are very old, I love them.
19. The horses are at the back of the room.
20. The elderly gather to play bowls in the neighborhood square.

Rules for forming the plural of nouns in English

To form the plural of nouns in English, simply add an “-s” to the end of each one.

• Bag : bags (backpack/s).
• Pen : pens (pen/s).
• Horse : horses (horse/s).
• Cat : cats (cat/s).

Exceptions in the formation of the plural 

However, despite the fact that in some nouns only one “s” should be added, as it is in Spanish, there are some exceptions. 

Words that end in ” and “

We remove the “y” and  add an  “ies”.

Words that end in a vowel + “y”

We add an “s”.

Words ending in  “s”, “ss”, “sh”, “ch”, “x”, “o ”

We add “is” .

Words that end in “f” or “ fe ”

We change the “f” or “ faith” for “you see”.

Words that end in ” sis “” 

We change “-sis” to “ses”.

English irregular plural nouns

Many nouns form their plural with a specific word . Below we collect the most common in the following table:

Invariable Plural Nouns in English

There are some words in English that do not directly  have a plural  and must be used both to refer to one and to refer to more. These are the examples of invariable plurals. 

Plural only nouns in English

Finally, there are some cases in which the noun only has a plural form.