✨ Lesson 5: Spelling: Common Irregular Plural Nouns
We know that most plural nouns in English end with '-s' or '-es'. However, many of the most common words are irregular1.
An irregular plural noun does not follow the normal spelling2 rules. You must memorize3 these special forms. This lesson will help you practice them.
Common Irregular Plural Nouns
This table shows the most important irregular plurals you need to know.
| Singular (One) | Plural (More Than One) | Example Sentence |
|---|---|---|
| man | men | Two men are driving tuk-tuks. |
| woman | women | The women are shopping at the Old Market. |
| child | children | The children are playing near the temple. |
| person | people | There are many people on Pub Street. |
| foot | feet | My feet hurt after walking all day. |
| tooth | teeth | You should brush your teeth twice a day. |
| mouse | mice | We saw some mice in the rice field. |
Pronunciation Alert: woman vs. women
Be careful with the sound of these two words!
- one woman (sounds like wuh-man)
- two women (sounds like wim-in)
Plurals That Don't Change
Some nouns have the same form for both singular and plural.
- one fish → ten fish
- one sheep → many sheep
🧠 Practice Quiz: Correct the Mistake
Find the mistake in each sentence and write the correct plural noun.
- Many interesting persons visit Angkor Wat.
→ people - My sister has two beautiful childs.
→ children - The dentist cleaned my tooths.
→ teeth - Several mans asked for directions.
→ men
📝 Homework: Complete the Story
Complete the story by writing the correct plural form of the noun in parentheses ( ).
I went to the village festival yesterday. There were so many ___________ (person) there! The ___________ (man) were cooking, and the ___________ (woman) were singing traditional songs. A lot of ___________ (child) were running and playing games. I ate so much food that my tummy hurt, and my ___________ (foot) were sore from dancing!
(Answers: people, men, women, children, feet)