Skills / Ages 8 to 11 / Reading and writing
Form a plural noun
Changing a noun that names one thing into the word for more than one, like cat to cats, box to boxes, berry to berries and child to children.
Why it matters
The book's apostrophe lesson asks whether a plural already ends in s, and its lesson on matching verbs asks whether the doer is one or many. Both questions assume your child can build the plural without stopping to think. Plurals also turn up in nearly every sentence your child writes.
What it looks like when your child can do it
- Asked for more than one fox, your child says foxes and hears the extra beat at the end.
- Writing a shopping list, your child spells berries and peaches correctly without a reminder.
- Your child says children and mice, not childs and mouses.
How to teach it at the kitchen table
- 01
Most words add s
One cup, two cups. One dog, three dogs. Start here because this rule covers most words, and let your child make ten quick plurals from things on the table.
- 02
Listen for the extra beat
Words ending in s, x, ch or sh add es, because the plural needs an extra sound. Bus becomes buses, box becomes boxes, peach becomes peaches and dish becomes dishes. Say them out loud and clap the beats.
- 03
Look at the letter before y
If a consonant comes before the y, drop the y and add ies: berry, berries; puppy, puppies. If a vowel comes before the y, keep the y and add s: toy, toys; day, days.
- 04
Watch for words ending in f
Some words ending in f or fe change to ves: leaf, leaves; knife, knives; half, halves. Not all of them do, since roof becomes roofs, so look it up together when you are unsure.
- 05
Learn the odd ones by heart
A few words change shape instead of taking an ending: child, children; man, men; woman, women; foot, feet; tooth, teeth; mouse, mice. No rule builds these, so keep a short list on the fridge and say it together.
You will need: Paper and a pencil · A short list of odd plurals for the fridge
Try it together
Try 1
Ask what you call more than one fox, then more than one wish.
Listen for Foxes and wishes. Listen for the extra beat at the end of each.
Try 2
Ask for more than one berry, then more than one monkey.
Listen for Berries and monkeys. Berry has a consonant before the y, so it changes to ies. Monkey has a vowel before the y, so it keeps the y and adds s.
Try 3
Ask for more than one child, more than one foot and more than one mouse.
Listen for Children, feet and mice. If your child says childs or foots, the add s rule is working in the wrong place. These words have to be learned by heart.
Try 4
Say: "I saw one leaf on the step." Ask your child to say it again about three.
Listen for "I saw three leaves on the step." Leaf changes to leaves, not leafs.
Try 5
Ask your child to write the plurals of brush, puppy and tooth.
Listen for Brushes, puppies and teeth. Check the spelling on paper, not only the sound.
Watch for
- Words ending in o go both ways: heroes and potatoes, but pianos and photos. When your child is unsure, look it up together.
If it is not there yet
- Work one pattern at a time. Spend a few days on s and es before bringing in y words, and leave the odd ones for last.
- Say plurals out loud before writing them. The ear catches boxes and dishes well before the eye does.
A few days of this is normal, and it is time well spent. The lesson will still be there, and it will go faster.
Where this skill comes up
The Parts of Speech, Told by the Greek Myths · Lesson 4
Possessive Nouns: Showing Who Owns What
Needs it because where the apostrophe goes depends entirely on whether the plural already ends in s.
The Parts of Speech, Told by the Greek Myths · Lesson 14
Subject and Verb Agreement
Needs it because the whole choice turns on whether the doer is singular or plural, which is a plural-forms skill.