Forming Irregular Plural Nouns in English - Part 4C
Continued from Part 4A
4. Some nouns are always singular.
The verb is always singular.
| Singular Noun | Plural Noun |
| copper | none |
| corn | none |
| cotton | none |
| gold | none |
| sugar | none |
| wheat | none |
5. The following nouns end in "s", are always plural, and refer to things that come in pairs.
The verb is always plural.
| Singular Noun | Plural Noun |
| none | bellows |
| none | forceps |
| none | glasses (eyewear) |
| none | jeans |
| none | pajamas |
| none | pants |
| none | pinchers |
| none | scissors |
| none | shears |
| none | shorts |
| none | snuffers |
| none | tongs |
| none | trousers |
| none | tweezers |
6. The following nouns do not end in "s" and are always plural.
The verb is always plural.
| Singular Noun | Plural Noun |
| none | advice |
| none | baggage |
| none | bread |
| none | cheese |
| none | cotton |
| none | furniture |
| none | information |
| none | jam |
| none | knowledge |
| none | livestock |
| none | luggage |
| none | police |
| none | poultry |
| none | snow |
| none | soap |
| none | soup |
| none | tea |
| none | water |
| none | wood |
6. Miscellaneous irregular plurals
| Singular Noun | Plural Noun |
| person | people (most common) |
| person | persons (formal or legal statements) |
| person | peoples (referring to nation, race, or ethnic groups) |
| die (historically, gambling or gaming) | dice |
| die (objects cast from a die) | dies |
| dice (in modern times) | dice |
| penny (coin) | pennies |
| penny (currency) | pence |
7. When a proper name ends in a sibilant sound (s, ss, sh, soft ch, x, z), add "es" to the proper name.
| Singular proper name | Plural proper name |
| Jones | Joneses |
| Larch | Larches |
| Marsh | Marshes |
| Marx | Marxes |
| Paz | Pazes |
If in doubt, please check the dictionary!
Challenge:
English/Spanish learner - Irregular plural nouns - Part 4D
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updated Sep 27, 2012
edited by bandit51jd
