Form and use plurals of nouns ending in f, fe, o and y

Key Notes:

Nouns Ending in ‘f’ or ‘fe’

  • Rule: For many nouns that end in ‘f’ or ‘fe’, change the ‘f’ or ‘fe’ to ‘ves’ to form the plural.
    • Examples:
      • Leaf becomes leaves.
      • Wolf becomes wolves.
      • Knife becomes knives.
  • Exceptions: Some nouns simply add ‘s’ to form the plural.
    • Examples:
      • Chief becomes chiefs.
      • Roof becomes roofs.
      • Cliff becomes cliffs.

Nouns Ending in ‘o’

  • Rule: For most nouns ending in ‘o’, add ‘es’ to form the plural.
    • Examples:
      • Tomato becomes tomatoes.
      • Hero becomes heroes.
      • Potato becomes potatoes.
  • Exceptions: Some nouns add only ‘s’.
    • Examples:
      • Piano becomes pianos.
      • Photo becomes photos.
      • Radio becomes radios.

Nouns Ending in ‘y’

  • Rule: If a noun ends in ‘y’ and the ‘y’ is preceded by a consonant, change the ‘y’ to ‘i’ and add ‘es’.
    • Examples:
      • Baby becomes babies.
      • City becomes cities.
      • Fly becomes flies.
  • Exception: If the noun ends in ‘y’ and the ‘y’ is preceded by a vowel, simply add ‘s’.
    • Examples:
      • Key becomes keys.
      • Boy becomes boys.
      • Day becomes days.

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