Plurals
BasicRegular and irregular plurals to remember.
- Most words add s: cats, books.
- s / x / ch / sh add es: boxes, watches.
- Consonant + y changes to ies: baby→babies, puppy→puppies.
文體小知識：Add -s, -es, irregular.
§Text Passage
1On Saturday, our class visited an animal shelter in the New Territories. There were many cats and dogs waiting for new homes. Two small mice were sleeping in a warm box near the window. The shelter also takes care of other animals like rabbits and birds. An old man there told us that every animal has a name.
2Three children from our class helped clean the cages. Two men and four women volunteers taught us how to hold the animals gently. A baby rabbit hurt one of its feet, so the vet checked it carefully. She said baby rabbits' feet are very soft, and we must always support their bodies with two hands.
3The workers said babies and small animals need more care. Many of the animals lost their homes because of storms, so they arrived in wet boxes. We left some boxes of pet food for them before we went home. Helping animals made us feel warm and happy. I told my parents that I want to volunteer there again. One small act of kindness can change a life.
§Sentence-by-sentence translation Sentence-by-sentence translation
On Saturday, our class visited an animal shelter in the New Territories.
星期六，我們全班去了新界一間動物收容所。
There were many cats and dogs waiting for new homes.
那裡有很多貓同狗，等着新家。
Two small mice were sleeping in a warm box near the window.
兩隻小老鼠睡在窗邊一個暖暖的箱裡面。
The shelter also takes care of other animals like rabbits and birds.
收容所還照顧兔子、小鳥等動物。
An old man there told us that every animal has a name.
那裡有位伯伯告訴我們，每隻動物都有名字。
Three children from our class helped clean the cages.
我們班三個小朋友幫忙清潔籠子。
Two men and four women volunteers taught us how to hold the animals gently.
兩個男人同四個女人義工教會我們怎樣温柔地抱着動物。
A baby rabbit hurt one of its feet, so the vet checked it carefully.
一隻兔子弄傷了其中一隻腳，獸醫很小心地幫牠檢查。
She said baby rabbits' feet are very soft, and we must always support their bodies with two hands.
她說兔子的腳很軟，一定要用兩隻手托住牠們的身體。
The workers said babies and small animals need more care.
職員說嬰兒同小動物需要更多照顧。
Many of the animals lost their homes because of storms, so they arrived in wet boxes.
很多動物因為暴風雨失去了家，來到的時候睡在濕透的箱裡面。
We left some boxes of pet food for them before we went home.
回家之前，我們留下了幾箱寵物糧給牠們。
Helping animals made us feel warm and happy.
幫助了動物，令我們心裏暖暖的，很開心。
I told my parents that I want to volunteer there again.
我告訴爸爸媽媽，我想再去那裡做義工。
One small act of kindness can change a life.
一個小小的善舉，就可以改變一條生命。
1Summary 重點摘要
Regular and irregular plurals to remember.
2Vocabulary cards Vocabulary
More than one cat.
More than one box.
More than one baby.
Irregular.
man → men.
woman → women.
foot → feet.
mouse → mice.
3Step by step Steps
- GeneralMost nouns add s for the plural: cat becomes cats, book becomes books. Example: I have three books. After a voiced sound, the s ending is pronounced z, as in dogs, but the spelling stays the same.
- s/x/ch/shNouns ending in s, x, ch or sh add es: box boxes, bus buses, watch watches, dish dishes. Example: There are two boxes on the desk. The extra es adds a syllable, because a bare s would be impossible to say.
- consonant+yNouns ending in a consonant plus y change y to ies: baby babies, city cities, puppy puppies. Example: Two puppies were barking. When a vowel comes before y, just add s, as in boys, days and keys.
- IrregularIrregular plurals must be memorized: child children, foot feet, man men, tooth teeth, mouse mice. Example: The children played in the park. These high-frequency forms never take s, so learn them inside example sentences.
- Shelter sentencesPut the rules to work: There were many cats and dogs. Two small mice were sleeping. Cats follows the regular rule and mouse mice is irregular; after many or two the noun must be plural, and a or one goes with a singular noun.
- Words ending in f / feSome nouns ending in f or fe change f to ves: leaf leaves, wolf wolves, knife knives. Example: The leaves fell in the garden. A few words just add s, such as roofs and chiefs; learn these exceptions one by one.
5Worked example Example
Question: How do we talk about the numbers of animals at a shelter? Use regular s, es, ies, irregular forms and f to ves.
- Step 1: Regular nouns add s — There were many cats and dogs. After many, both nouns are plural.
- Step 2: s/x/ch/sh endings add es — three boxes of pet food. Box becomes boxes, with an extra syllable.
- Step 3: Consonant plus y becomes ies — two puppies were barking. Puppy ends in consonant plus y, so it becomes puppies.
- Step 4: Learn irregulars one by one — mouse becomes mice, foot becomes feet, child becomes children.
- Step 5: f changes to ves — The leaves fell in the shelter garden. Leaf becomes leaves.
- Answer: Sample answer: There were many cats and dogs at the shelter. Two small mice were sleeping in a box, and two puppies were barking. The children brought three boxes of food and some leaves for the beds. One paragraph covers s, irregular, es, ies and ves: all five plural rules in action.
6Common mistakes Mistakes
7Quick check Quick check
Q1General plural?
Q2Plural of box?
Q3Plural of baby?
Q4Plural of child?
Q5Plural of man?
Q6Plural of foot?
8Recap Recap
- Most words add s: cats, books.
- s / x / ch / sh add es: boxes, watches.
- Consonant + y changes to ies: baby→babies, puppy→puppies.
- Big four irregulars: child→children, foot→feet, mouse→mice, man→men.
- f / fe change to ves: leaf→leaves, wolf→wolves.