Singular and Plural Nouns: sentences, exercises, tests and examples

Singular and Plural Nouns use

Singular is the form of a noun when we talk about one person, thing, or idea: a book, an apple.
Plural is the form we use when there are two or more: books, apples.
This topic helps you use the correct noun form, choose words like a/an, make plural forms, and match words such as this / that / these / those, it / they, and is / are.

It is a dictionary.
This is a pen, and these are pens.

Singular and Plural Nouns Form

Most countable nouns have a singular and a plural form. A singular countable noun usually cannot stand alone without a word before it: this is often a/an, but it can also be the, this, that, my, and similar words. The plural form is usually made with -s or -es, but some nouns have irregular plurals.

Singular: a pen, an apple, this book, that phone, my bag, it is ...
Plural: pens, apples, these books, those phones, my bags, they are ...

✅ It is a box.
✅ They are boxes.
✅ That is an old man.
✅ Those are old men.

Singular and Plural Nouns Rule

  • A singular countable noun usually needs a word before it. This is often a/an, but it can also be the, this, that, my, and similar words. We usually use a before a consonant sound and an before a vowel sound.
    ✅ a pen
    ✅ a river
    ✅ an apple
    ✅ an elephant
    ✅ this book
    ✅ my phone
  • To make a noun plural, we usually add -s.
    ✅ book → books
    ✅ dog → dogs
    ✅ phone → phones
  • If a noun ends in -ch, -sh, -s, -ss, -x, we usually add -es.
    ✅ watch → watches
    ✅ dish → dishes
    ✅ bus → buses
    ✅ box → boxes
  • If a noun ends in consonant + y, y usually changes to ies. If there is a vowel before y, we usually just add -s.
    ✅ country → countries
    ✅ baby → babies
    ✅ boy → boys
    ✅ day → days
  • Some nouns ending in -f or -fe make the plural with -ves.
    ✅ leaf → leaves
    ✅ wife → wives
    ✅ knife → knives
  • We use this / that with singular nouns and these / those with plural nouns. The verb must agree too: is with singular and are with plural.
    ✅ This is a pen.
    ✅ That is a phone.
    ✅ These are pens.
    ✅ Those are phones.
  • Some nouns have an irregular plural form, so you need to learn them.
    ✅ man → men
    ✅ woman → women
    ✅ child → children
    ✅ person → people

Singular and Plural Nouns Common mistakes

Common mistakes: leaving out the word before a singular countable noun, forming the plural incorrectly, and mixing up this / these, that / those, and is / are.

❌ Barcelona is big city.
✅ Barcelona is a big city.
❌ It is an box.
✅ It is a box.
❌ They are watchs.
✅ They are watches.
❌ Two countrys.
✅ Two countries.
❌ Two leafs.
✅ Two leaves.
❌ These is my book.
✅ This is my book.
❌ Those is phones.
✅ Those are phones.

Singular and Plural Nouns Sentences

This is an interesting story.
They are my emails.
Those are new boxes.
I can see a church and two buses.
The boy has a toy, and the girls have toys.
There is a child in the room, and there are three children outside.

Singular and Plural Nouns Examples

There is a book on the table and two notebooks in the bag.
She has a child, and her sister has three children.
I saw a man near the door and two women in the hall.
He adopted a dog and later rescued two cats.
We picked a flower and bought some roses.
She found a key under the sofa and three coins in the drawer.
There was a bus at the stop and many cars on the road.
He wore a watch and carried two bags.
I heard a strange noise and then several loud sounds.
They visited a museum and later explored old buildings.

English grammar exercises available in the app

Tenses

Future Simple Present Simple Present Perfect Present Continuous Past Simple Past Perfect Past Continuous Past Perfect Continuous Present Perfect Continuous Future Continuous Future Perfect Future Perfect Continuous Be going to

Conditionals

Second Conditional First Conditional Third Conditional Zero Conditional

Sentences

Relative Clauses Conjunctions Reported Speech There is / There are There was / There were

Verbs

Used to To be used to To get used to

Nouns and Articles

Countable and Uncountable Singular and Plural Nouns Uncountable and Plural