Plurals
One book, two books — making things plural.
Add -s and -es. Learn key irregulars: children, men, women, people, feet.
Look & say · Step 1
5 minGet ready
Look around. Say 3 things you see only one of, and 3 things you see many of.
One student says a word, the other makes it plural.
Try: child, man, woman, foot, person.
Words to learn · Step 2
8 minNew words today
book → books
+ s
"I have 3 books."
bus → buses
+ es (after s)
"Two buses arrive."
box → boxes
+ es (after x)
"Five boxes."
baby → babies
y → ies
"Two babies sleep."
city → cities
y → ies
"Big cities."
child → children
Irregular
"Three children."
man → men
Irregular
"Two men."
woman → women
Irregular
"Two women."
person → people
Irregular
"Ten people."
foot → feet
Irregular
"Two feet."
tooth → teeth
Irregular
"White teeth."
mouse → mice
Irregular
"Two mice."
Activate · Personalise · Recycle
Use these words now
Make each sentence true for you. Say it aloud to a partner.
box → boxes
"For me, box → boxes is …"
Finish the sentence with your own idea.
baby → babies
"For me, baby → babies is …"
Finish the sentence with your own idea.
book → books
"For me, book → books is …"
Finish the sentence with your own idea.
You'll meet these words again in Reading, Listening, Speaking and Homework.
Sounds & saying · Step 3
5 minThree sounds of -s: /s/, /z/, /ɪz/
books /s/, dogs /z/, buses /ɪz/. After s, x, sh, ch sounds, -es adds a small 'iz'.
- • cats /s/
- • dogs /z/
- • buses /ɪz/
- • boxes /ɪz/
- • phones /z/
- • watches /ɪz/
Language focus · Step 4
10 minHow to make plurals
Quick rule
How to make plurals
Most: +s (book→books).
- After s/x/sh/ch/o: +es (bus→buses).
- Consonant+y → ies (city→cities).
- Irregulars: man→men, child→children.
one book → two books
one bus → three buses
one box → four boxes
one baby → five babies
one child → six children
one man → many men
Question 1.Plural of 'cat'?
Question 2.Plural of 'bus'?
Question 3.Plural of 'baby'?
Question 4.Plural of 'child'?
Question 5.Plural of 'man'?
Question 6.Plural of 'box'?
Rebuild each line, spot the natural chunks, then practise responding aloud.
Quick check 1.watch → ___
Quick check 2.city → ___
Reading · Step 5
7 minA busy morning
It is 8 a.m. in the city. 🏙️ Two buses stop at the corner. Many people get off. 👥 Three children run to school. 🧒 Two women buy coffees. ☕ Some men read newspapers. 📰 The streets are busy and noisy.
Question 1.How many buses?
Question 2.What do the men do?
Question 3.How are the streets?
Q1.Three women buy coffees.
Q2.The children run to school.
Listening · Step 6
10 minShopping list
Listening audio
Tap play to listen. Replay as many times as you need.
Mum
We need things from the shop.
Tom
What do we need?
Mum
Six eggs, two boxes of pasta, and three tomatoes.
Tom
Anything else?
Mum
Yes — four apples and two loaves of bread.
Tom
OK, I'll take two bags.
Question 1.How many eggs?
Question 2.How many tomatoes?
Question 3.How many bags does Tom take?
Practice · Step 7
8 minChoose the word
Question 1.I have two ___. (cat)
Question 2.There are three ___. (box)
Question 3.Five ___ play in the park. (child)
Question 4.Two ___ wait at the bus stop. (woman)
Question 5.I see many ___. (person)
Q1.Plural of 'tooth' = ___
Q2.Plural of 'foot' = ___
Q3.Plural of 'city' = ___
Survival English · Step 8
4 minSpeaking — describe a photo
Task
Look at a photo and say how many of each thing you can see.
Strategy
Use 'There are…' + plural nouns. 'There are three people, two cars, and four trees.'
Example
There are five children and two teachers. There are many books on the shelf.
Writing · Step 9
5 minWrite a little
Your task
Write 5 sentences about your street using 'There are…' + plurals.
Show model answer
There are many cars on my street. There are two buses every hour. There are three big trees. There are some children playing. There are two small shops.
Speaking · Step 10
12 minTalk together
Pairs: A says a singular noun. B says the plural in a sentence. Swap after 5.
Useful phrases
- • There is one ___.
- • There are two / many / some ___.
- • How many ___ are there?
- AHow many ___ are in your bag? (book)
- B_______________
- AAnd how many ___? (pen)
- B_______________
Homework · Step 11
Take-homePractice at home
Write 10 nouns and their plurals.
Photograph 3 things in your home. Send the plurals.
Say 5 sentences with 'There are…' aloud.
Recap · Step 12
3 minWhat you learned
- ➕ Most nouns just add -s.
- ➕ After s, x, sh, ch, o, add -es.
- 🔁 Consonant + y: change y → ies.
- ⚡ Memorise irregulars: children, men, women, people, feet, teeth.