CHAPTER 9

Plurals

Forming the plural in English is usually just a matter of adding an s. The interesting part of this rule is

the number of exceptions to it.

(^) English has always taken words and changed them, and the changes have almost always been toward a
simpler spelling that fits the spelling rules.
Spelling rule #1: To form the plural of most nouns, simply add an s:
(^) Spelling rule #2: For words ending in y, if there is a vowel immediately before the y, then simply add
the s:
(^) Spelling rule #3: If there is a consonant immediately before the y, change the y to i and add es:
(^) Spelling rule #4: If the word ends in one of the sibilants, such as s, x, z, ch, tch, sh, and ss, we usually
add es:
(^) Spelling rule #5: If the word ends in f or fe, we usually change the ending to ves:
(^) Note that a number of words that end in f simply add an s:
(^) Note that the plural of staff is staffs or staves, depending on the meaning.
Note that a few words may be spelled either way. These illustrate regional differences in
pronunciation.
(^) Spelling rule #6: If a word ends in o, we simply add an s:
(^) There are some exceptions to this rule. A few words that end in an o that is preceded by a consonant
use the es ending. This special group of words is rapidly shrinking.
(^) There used to be three times as many words in this group, and some dictionaries still offer either