Writing Better English for ESL Learners

Plurals are formed very simply in English: add -sor -esto most words. If a
word ends in -s, -z,-sh,-x, or -ch, add -esfor the plural. When a word ends in
-y, it tends to form the plural by changing -yto -iand adding -es(candy, can-
dies; lady, ladies; penny, pennies). There are some exceptions to that rule, for
example, when -yfollows a vowel (buy, buys; key, keys; joy, joys). In all other
cases, form the plural with -s. Some examples:

bus, buses

buzz, buzzes

wash, washes

box, boxes

perch, perches

baby, babies

laundry, laundries

country, countries

try, tries

job, jobs

kid, kids

song, songs

ladder, ladders

shipment, shipments

The list of irregular plurals is quite short: child, children; foot, feet; goose,
geese; man, men; mouse, mice; ox, oxen; person, people; tooth, teeth; woman,
women.
Here’s a simple rule for knowing whether a word is used as a plural or a pos-
sessive: plurals end in -s. Possessives end in -’sor -s’.
Look what happens to definite (the) and indefinite (a, an) articles when a
noun changes from singular to plural:

the boy, the boys

the clock, the clocks

a river, rivers

an apple, apples

The indefinite article in the plural is dropped, and the plural word stands alone.
The difference between the definite and indefinite article usage is the same for
both the singular and plural. The definite article is specific—a certain person
or thing that you are thinking about (the man, the car, the problems). The

Preparing to Write 63