Welcome to our lesson on irregular plurals! If you are learning English, especially at the A1 level, understanding plurals is very important. Most nouns in English become plural by simply adding “-s” – like “cat” becomes “cats” and “book” becomes “books.” But English is fun and sometimes a little tricky! Some nouns are irregular, which means they don’t follow this simple “-s” rule. Don’t worry, we’ll make it easy to understand!

What are Irregular Plurals?

Let’s start with what you already know. To make most nouns plural, we just add an “-s”. For example:

• One dog, two dogs
• One house, many houses
• One friend, lots of friends

These are regular plurals. Easy, right?

But some words are special! Irregular plurals change in a different way. They don’t just add “-s”. Instead, they might change a letter inside the word, or even become a completely different word! Learning these irregular plural nouns is a key step in improving your English grammar and speaking.

Common Irregular Plurals in English

Let’s look at some of the most common irregular plurals you need to know. These are very useful for everyday English conversations.

Changing Vowels

Some nouns change their vowel sound to become plural. Let’s see some examples:

Man / Men

One man is a male adult. If there is more than one, we say men.
Example:

• “There is one man at the door.”
• “There are three men waiting outside.”

Woman / Women

Similar to “man”, one woman is a female adult. More than one is women (pronounced differently – listen carefully!).
Example:

• “The woman is wearing a red dress.”
• “The women are talking to each other.”

Foot / Feet

Your foot is at the end of your leg. You have two feet.
Example:

• “My foot hurts.”
• “My feet are cold.”

Tooth / Teeth

You use one tooth to chew food. You have many teeth in your mouth.
Example:

• “I have a bad tooth.”
• “Brush your teeth twice a day!”

Goose / Geese

A goose is a type of bird. More than one goose are called geese.
Example:

• “Look at that goose in the park.”
• “There are many geese near the lake.”

Mouse / Mice

A mouse is a small rodent. More than one mouse are called mice.
Example:

• “I saw a mouse in the kitchen!”
• “There are mice living under the floor.”

“-en” Plurals

There are also some nouns that add “-en” to become plural. These are less common, but still important to know.

Child / Children

A child is a young person. More than one child are called children.
Example:

• “The child is playing with a toy.”
• “The children are having fun in the playground.”

Ox / Oxen

An ox is a type of farm animal. More than one ox are called oxen. This one is less common in everyday speaking, but good to know!
Example:

• “The ox is very strong.”
• “Farmers used oxen to pull plows in the past.”

Nouns that Stay the Same (Zero Plural)

Interestingly, some nouns don’t change at all in the plural! They are the same in singular and plural form. Let’s look at a couple of examples:

Fish / Fish

One fish, or many fish! The word stays the same.
Example:

• “I saw a fish in the river.”
• “There are many colorful fish in the aquarium.”

Sheep / Sheep

Similarly, one sheep or a group of sheep. No change!
Example:

• “The sheep is eating grass.”
• “There are many sheep in the field.”

Deer / Deer

Just like fish and sheep, deer is the same for singular and plural.
Example:

• “A deer ran across the road.”
• “We saw several deer in the forest.”

Using Irregular Plurals in Sentences

Now, let’s see how to use these irregular plurals in sentences. Remember, practice is key to learning English grammar!

• “The men are wearing hats.” (plural of man)
• “The women went shopping.” (plural of woman)
• “My feet are tired after walking all day.” (plural of foot)
• “I need to brush my teeth before bed.” (plural of tooth)
• “Look at all those geese by the pond!” (plural of goose)
• “Be careful, there might be mice in the basement.” (plural of mouse)
• “The children are playing happily.” (plural of child)
• “In history, oxen were used for heavy work.” (plural of ox)
• “We caught three fish yesterday.” (plural of fish)
• “The farmer has many sheep.” (plural of sheep)
• “Deer are beautiful animals.” (plural of deer)

Let’s Practice!

Okay, now it’s your turn to practice! Fill in the blanks with the correct plural form of the noun in parentheses.

Practice Questions

1. I saw two ______ running in the field. (deer)
2. The ______ in my soup is too salty. (fish)
3. There are five ______ sitting at the table. (man)
4. My ______ hurt after running. (foot)
5. The farmer has many ______ in his field. (sheep)
6. The ______ are playing in the park. (child)
7. I saw some ______ in the garden last night. (mouse)
8. You should brush your ______ after every meal. (tooth)
9. The ______ flew south for the winter. (goose)
10. The ______ are talking about the weather. (woman)

Answers

1. deer
2. fish
3. men
4. feet
5. sheep
6. children
7. mice
8. teeth
9. geese
10. women

Learn More and Practice Speaking with Lingofrnd

Learning irregular plurals is an important step in mastering English grammar! But grammar is just one part of learning English. To really improve, you need to practice speaking!

Lingofrnd.com is your AI spoken English teacher! It’s a fantastic way to practice using irregular plurals and many other grammar topics in real conversations. You can improve your pronunciation and build confidence in speaking English anytime, anywhere.

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