a. If the word ends in a vowel (a, e, i, o, u) + y then just add s. Or we'd have too many vowels and a confusing word (key - keies)!!!
boy — boys, journey — journeys, key — keys, tray — trays, donkey — donkeys.
b. If the word ends in a consonant + y then
-y changes to -ies
country — countries, baby — babies, body — bodies, memory — memories, sky — skies, variety — varieties, factory — factories
Note that you don't use spelling rules with proper names. Just make sure you use a capital letter (or you'll have all sorts of problems with passports and online searches!):
The Jollys have gone on holiday (Not ‘The Jollies have gone.’)
The
Parrys are moving house.
Exercise
1. Change the 'y' to 'ies' or 's' type in the answer.
2. Press Answer button.
3. Check your spelling letter by letter.
When making words plural, why do you add S to some words but ES to others? And when a word ends with Y, how do you know whether to change the Y to I before adding the plural suffix? And why on earth does the word knife become knives?
You can unravel these mysteries with six scoops of ice cream. Just click the play button below for a yummy treat, and then read on for free printable spelling rule posters and sample lessons!
Ready to Dig In?
Whether you prefer your ice cream in dishes or in cones or with one cherry or two cherries, these tasty guidelines will help you spell plurals correctly every time.
Tips and tricks like these are taught throughout the All About Spelling program. Want to see more? Download these free resources to see just how easy teaching spelling rules can be.
Download our free Spelling Rules Posters.
This handy resource will help make learning three important spelling rules fun and easy to remember for your children.
Do you think these guidelines for making words plural will improve your child’s spelling? Let me know in the comments below! And check out our other spelling rules, too!
Plural nouns are words that are more than one person, place, or thing. When changing a word from single noun to a plural noun, the spelling of it goes a little haywire! There are many spelling rules that students need to keep in mind when writing or spelling plural nouns. I have 8 Plural Noun Rules that students can learn to help them keep their spelling straight. There are more plural noun rules, but these 8 are the most common for elementary students.
Not only will these rules help when writing, but they will help when reading too. Students will be able to see the spelling of the plural words in writing and will understand the meaning better when they understand the spelling. This will make students vocabulary and word recognition go up.
Here are the 8 Plural Noun Rules:
Plural Noun Rule #1: Add s to form the plural of most nouns. Most nouns just need an "s" added to the word to show that it's plural.
Plural Noun Rule #2: Add "es" to nouns that end in ch, sh, s, x, or z. For example, beach=beaches, wish=wishes, dress=dresses, box=boxes, quiz=quizes.
Plural Noun Rule #3: Nouns that end in "y", with a consonant before the y, change the y to i and add es. For example: penny=pennies. The letter before the y is a consonant. Therefore, the y changes to an i.
Plural Noun Rule #4: Nouns that end in "y", with a vowel before the y, just add s. For example, boy=boys. The letter before the y is a vowel. Therefore, nothing changes and just an "s" is added.
Plural Noun Rule #5: Nouns that end in "f" or "fe", change the f or fe to a "v" and add es. For example, elf=elves, loaf=loaves
Plural Noun Rule #6: Nouns that end in "o", with a consonant before the o, add es. For example: potato=potatoes.
Plural Noun Rule #7: Irregular nouns will change the spelling completely. For example, child=children, mouse=mice, ox=oxen, goose=geese.
Plural Noun Rule #8: Some nouns use the singular spelling as the plural spelling. For example: fish=fish, deer=deer
Here are the 8 plural noun rules on one sheet! Plus, it's FREE! Click the picture below to download this poster and begin using it today in your classroom or with your students. keep handy in their writing folder. They will be able to refer back to this sheet at any time to help them write plural nouns.
I have a pack of worksheets, games, and centers dedicated to plurals. The Plural Pack below has over 61 pages that follow the poster above and work on each rule.
Here is what's included in the Plural Pack. Just click the pictures below to read more about this pack in my Teachers Pay Teachers store: