Forming Plurals in English The usual way to form a plural is to add an -s, e.g. dogs, popes. If the word ends in -ch, --s, -sh, -x, -z, then add -es, e.g. branches, masses, bushes, boxes, chintzes. Most words that end in -f or -fe change the ending to -ves (e.g. wives, calves), although there are exceptions (e.g. beliefs, chiefs, dwarfs, gulfs, proofs, roofs). For words that end in a vowel + y, add -s, e.g. days, boys. If a word ends in a consonant + y, change the -y to -ies, e.g. babies, spies. Words that end in -o normally just add -s, but there is a group of words that add -oes: these include buffaloes, dominoes, echoes, goes, grottoes, haloes, heroes, mangoes, mosquitoes, potatoes, tomatoes, tornadoes, torpedoes, vetoes, and volcanoes. Quality assured by the ALL Connect project (2015) Forming Plurals in German The words der/das/die all become die in the plural (represented in green rather than in red). der das add Umlaut and final -e die add final -(e)n if 1 syllable das: add Umlaut and final -er For words that end in i or o, or are French or English in origin, add a final s, e.g. Kulis, Kinos, Restaurants, Tickets. der/das words that end in -el or -en or -er do NOT change spelling in the plural, e.g. Spiegel, Mdchen, Manager. Exceptions must simply be learnt! Quality assured by the ALL Connect project (2015) der Fubal das l der +
+ Geschen k die Banan + = Fubal das l Geschen k die Banan = = die Fubll e die Geschenk e die Banan Ausnahmen + = + = +
= pfel Zebra s Nsse PLURAL FORMING Follow the rules to form the plurals of the following words: 1 die Frau (woman) 2 die Torte (cake) 3 die Frage (question) 4 die Schule (school) 5 die Woche (week) 6 die Sache (thing) 7 die Person (Person) 8 der Platz (place) 9 der Grund (reason)
10 der Kopf (head) 11 der Sohn (son) 12 das Bild (picture) 13 das Leben (life) 14 das Wort (word) 15 das Haus (house) die Frauen (women) PLURAL FORMING Follow the rules to form the plurals of the following words: 1 die Frau (woman) die Frauen (women) 2 die Torte (cake) die Torten (cakes) 3 die Frage (question)
die Fragen (questions) 4 die Schule (school) die Schulen (schools) 5 die Woche (week) die Wochen (weeks) 6 die Sache (thing) die Sachen (things) 7 die Person (Person) die Personen (persons) 8 der Platz (place) 9 der Grund (reason) die Pltze (places) die Grnde (reasons) 10 der Kopf (head) 11 der Sohn (son)
12 das Bild (picture) 13 das Kind (child) 14 das Wort (word) 15 das Haus (house) die Kpfe (heads) die Shne (sons) die Bilder (pictures) die Kinder (children) die Wrter (words) die Huser (houses) PLURAL FORMING Follow the rules to form the plurals of the following words: 1 die Frau (woman) 2 die Torte (cake) 3 die Frage (question) 4 die Schule (school) 5
