Parts of Speech:
ELL Guide on Singular, Plural, Proper & Possessive Nouns
What are nouns?
Nouns are words that name people, places, and things. We use proper nouns for specific people, places and things. Proper nouns are capitalized. Common nouns are not capitalized.
Person
father | Chester Smith
mother | Ann Smith
president | Abraham Lincoln
Place
library | Library of Congress
park | Central Park
school | Douglas High School
Thing
soda | Coca Cola
car | Ford Mustang
store | Trader Joe’s
How do we change singular nouns to plural nouns?
A singular noun names one person, place, or thing. A plural noun names more than one person, place, or thing. Singular = 1. Plural = 2.
There are some basic spelling rules for plural nouns. These rules apply to regular nouns. Irregular nouns do no follow these rules.
Rule #1
For most nouns we add s to the singular form.
Singular
1 apple
1 car
1 dog
1 street
1 pencil
Plural
2 apples
3 cars
10 dogs
20 streets
50 pencils
Rule #2
For nouns ending in ch, sh, s, x, add es to the singular form.
Singular
1 church
1 brush
1 glass
1 box
1 quiz
Plural
2 churches
4 brushes
12 glasses
100 boxes
300 quizzes
Rule #3
For nouns ending in a consonant + y, change y to
ies.
Singular
1 strawberry
1 library
1 family
1 party
1 puppy
Plural
2 strawberries
5 libraries
10 families
4 parties
20 puppies
Rule #4
For nouns ending in f orfe, change f or fe to ves.
Singular
1 wolf
1 shelf
1 half
1 life
1 knife
Plural
6 wolves
4 shelves
2 halves
9 lives
10 knives
Irregular Nouns
Irregular nouns do not follow the rules above. Some irregular nouns have different plural forms. Some irregular nouns have the same singular and plural form.
Singular
1 man
1 woman
1 person
1 child
1 foot
1 mouse
1 fish
1 pair of scissors
Plural
2 men
3 women
4 people
5 children
2 feet
6 mice
3 fish
6 pairs of scissors
What are possessive nouns?
The possessive form of a noun shows the relationship of that noun to another noun. We use the possessive form to show that something belongs to someone or something else. We can also use the possessive form to express ownership.
the son of the father = the father’s son
Mila has a clean room. = Mila’s room is clean.
For most nouns we form the possessive by adding ‘s. If the noun is plural or ends in s, add an apostrophe to the end of the noun. For names that end in s, you can add ‘s or just an apostrophe. Adding ‘s is more common.
Singular Noun / Possession with
Prepositional Phrase
- the pen of the student
- the book of the teacher
- the dog of the boy
Singular Noun / Possession with
Possessive Form
- the student‘s pen
- the teacher’s book
- the boy‘s dog
Plural Noun / Possession with
Prepositional Phrase
- the cars of the doctors
- the uniforms of the players
- the bananas of the monkeys
Plural Noun Possession with
Possessive Form
- the doctors’ cars
- the players’ uniforms
- the monkeys’ bananas
Singular Name / Possession with
Prepositional Phrase
- the home of Mary
- the guitars of Steve
- the cat of Pat
Singular Name Possession with
Possessive Form
- Mary‘s home
- Steve‘s guitars
- Pat‘s cat
Singular/Plural Names ending in S / Possession with
Prepositional Phrase
- the sweaters of Cass (Singular name Cass)
- the home of the Joneses (Plural name Jones)
Singular/Plural Names ending in S / Possession with
Possessive Form
- Cass’s sweaters (Singular name Cass)
- the Joneses’ home (Plural name Jones)