Regular Plural Rules

The Basic Rule: Add -s

In English, the most common way to make a noun plural is to simply add -s to the end of the word.

I have one car, but my neighbor has three cars.
The dog barks at the dogs in the park.
She bought a new book to add to her collection of books.

Nouns Ending in -s, -ss, -sh, -ch, -x, or -z

If a noun ends in an s, ss, sh, ch, x, or z sound, you must add -es to make it plural. This extra vowel makes the word easier to pronounce.

Singular	Plural	Rule
bus	buses	Ends in -s
glass	glasses	Ends in -ss
watch	watches	Ends in -ch
box	boxes	Ends in -x

We need to buy more glasses for the party.
He packed all his belongings into three boxes.
She bought two new watches.

Nouns Ending in -y

When a noun ends in a consonant + y, change the y to i and add -es. However, if the word ends in a vowel + y (ay, ey, iy, oy, uy), just add -s.

City ➔ Cities (Consonant + y)
Toy ➔ Toys (Vowel + y)
Monkey ➔ Monkeys (Vowel + y)