Plurals Nouns, add -ves

How to make nouns plural when they end in “-f” or “-fe”?
This is a tricky area of English grammar because there isn’t one single rule that applies to all words. However, there’s a common pattern and some important exceptions you need to know.

1. The Common Pattern: -f or -fe changes to -ves
   Many nouns ending in “-f” or “-fe” form their plural by changing the “f” to a “v” and adding “-es."
   Here are some examples:
   Singular → Plural
   calf → calves
   elf → elves
   half → halves
   knife → knives
   leaf → leaves
   life → lives
   loaf → loaves
   self → selves
   sheaf → sheaves
   shelf → shelves
   thief → thieves
   wife → wives
   wolf → wolves

2. Important Exceptions: Just Add -s
   Many words ending in “-f” simply add “-s” to form the plural. These are crucial to memorize because they don’t follow the common pattern.
   Here are some common exceptions:
   Singular → Plural
   chief → chiefs
   cliff → cliffs
   proof → proofs
   roof → roofs
   safe → safes
   grief → griefs
   belief → beliefs
   brief → briefs
   chef → chefs
   handkerchief → handkerchiefs
   

The following diagram shows some examples of the rules to make nouns plural when they end in “f” and “fe”. Scroll down the page for more examples.

 

Tips for Remembering:

• No easy rule: Unfortunately, there’s no simple trick to know which words change to “-ves” and which ones just add “-s."
  
• Memorization is key: The best way to learn these is through memorization and practice.
  
• Focus on common words: Start by learning the most frequently used words that follow each pattern.
  

Rules for forming plural of nouns
The most common way to form the plural of a noun is by adding “-s” to the end.
cat → cats
dog → dogs
book → books
Make plural nouns by adding s

Words ending in -s, -ss, -sh, -ch, -x, or -z: Add “-es” to form the plural.
This is because adding just “-s” would make the word difficult to pronounce.
bus → buses
dress → dresses
Make plural nouns by adding es

Words ending in consonant + -y: Change the “y” to “-ies”.
baby → babies
story → stories
Words ending in vowel + -y: Simply add “-s”.
boy → boys
day → days
Plural nouns for words ending in y

Words ending in -f or -fe: In many cases, change the “f” or “fe” to “-ves”. However, some words just add “-s”.
leaf → leaves
chief → chiefs
Plural nouns for words ending in f or fe

Words ending in -o: Generally add “-es,” but some words just add “-s.” There’s no perfect rule, so memorization is often necessary.
potato → potatoes
photo → photos
Plural nouns for words ending in o

Irregular Plurals:
Some nouns have irregular plural forms that don’t follow any of the above rules. These must be memorized.
man → men
child → children
foot → feet
ox → oxen
Nouns with the Same Singular and Plural Form:
Some nouns have the same form in both singular and plural.
sheep
deer
Irregular plural nouns

Spelling Rules: Making Plurals by Adding ‘ies’
If the word ends consonant ‘y’ don’t stress
Change ‘y’ to an ‘i’ and then add ’es’

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ies - Plurals - fairies, ladies

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Plural Nouns in English | Regular & Irregular Plural Nouns | Plurals Spelling
Regular nouns adding -s to the end.
Nouns ending in s, ch, sh, x, and z (adding -es to the end)
Nouns ending in f or fe (the -ves rule)
Nouns ending in a vowel + y (add -s to the end)
Nouns ending in a consonant + y (the -ies rule)
Nouns ending in a vowel + o (add -s to the end)
Nouns ending in a consonant + o (the -es rule)
Irregular nouns that do not end in s in their plural form (e.g. child)
Nouns that remain the same in singular and plural form (e.g. sheep)

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Plural Nouns
Plural Nouns, add -s	Plural Nouns, add -es	Words ending with y
Words ending with f or fe	Words ending with o	Irregular Plural Nouns
Summary of Plural Nouns

Other Digraphs
AR Sound	Er,Ir,Ur	OR Sound
Ar,Er,Ir,Or,Ur	Ou, Ow	Oi, Oy
OO Sound

Free Printable Worksheets for Consonant Digraphs

These worksheets focus on the consonant digraphs: ch, sh, th, qu and ng.

Printable Worksheets (Consonant Digraphs)
Learning "ch"	Learning "sh"
Learning "th"	Learning "qu"
Learning "ng"

Free Printable Worksheets for Digraphs

Printable Worksheets (EE, OO, OU, OI, AW)
EE Words	OO Words
OI Words	AW Words

Learn the sound of the letters

Learning Short Vowels

Short Vowels
Short A	Short E	Short I
Short O	Short U	Short Vowels

Learning Long Vowels

Long Vowels
Long A	Long E	Long I
Long O	Long U	Y (vowel)
Long Vowels	Short & Long Vowels

Compare Short & Long Vowels

Short & Long Vowels
Short & Long A	Short & Long E	Short & Long I
Short & Long O	Short & Long U

Learning Consonants

Consonants
Letter B	Hard C	Soft C
Letter D	Letter F	Hard G
Soft G	Letter H	Letter J
Letter K	Letter L	Letter M
Letter N	Letter P	Letter Q
Letter R	Letter S	Letter T
Letter V	Letter W	Letter X
Letter Y	Letter Z

Try the free Mathway calculator and problem solver below to practice various math topics. Try the given examples, or type in your own problem and check your answer with the step-by-step explanations.

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