Turn One into Many

One tiny ending can turn a single object into a whole crowd. But choose the wrong ending... and a familiar word suddenly looks strange. Can you spot what changes, and what stays exactly the same?

A plural means more than one. Start with the noun in its singular form. For most nouns, simply add s: one boat becomes two boats. The original word stays in place, and the blue s clicks onto the end. Some endings need extra breathing room. If a noun ends in s, x, ch or sh, add es. One brush becomes two brushes. Watch the gold e and s slide together after brush, so the ending is easy to say. A consonant followed by y makes a different change. Remove the y, then add ies. One puppy becomes three puppies. Do not just add s to make puppys. And never slip in an apostrophe: an apostrophe does not make an ordinary plural. Check the letter before y. If it is a vowel, keep the y and add s. One toy becomes four toys. So the y-change belongs to words like puppy, not words like toy.

Let's work through an example. Complete this sentence with the correct plural form of puppy: 'Five blank chased the red ball.' You must write one word, spelled correctly. First, find the noun you must change: puppy. Five tells you there is more than one, so you need a plural. Puppy ends in y. Now inspect the letter just before it. That letter is p, a consonant. That unlocks the y rule. Remove the final y. The word now reads pupp. Add i, e, s to the end... puppies. Put it back into the sentence: 'Five puppies chased the red ball.' The explicit answer is puppies, spelled p-u-p-p-i-e-s.

Remember: check the ending of the noun, then choose s, es, or the consonant-plus-y change to ies. Keep apostrophes out of ordinary plurals. You can now turn one into many with confidence!