Plurals: -s, -es and -ies · Grade 1

A plural means more than one. Most nouns just add -s, but the ending of the word decides: some add -es, and words ending in a consonant and y change the y to ies.

Key facts

  • Most nouns add -s: cat → cats, book → books.
  • Nouns ending in s, x, z, ch or sh add -es: box → boxes, dish → dishes, watch → watches. You can hear the extra syllable.
  • A consonant then y: change y to i and add -es: baby → babies, city → cities.
  • A vowel then y: just add -s: boy → boys, day → days.
  • Some nouns ending in o add -es: tomato → tomatoes, hero → heroes; others add -s: piano → pianos, photo → photos.

Worked examples

Example 1

Write the plural of bus.

Answer: buses

Example 2

Write the plural of story.

Answer: stories

Example 3

Write the plural of key.

Answer: keys

Other years