-ves plurals, foreign plurals, compound nouns, and nouns that never change. · about 13 minutes
Step 1 of 5
What is it? You know the basic plural rules (-s, -es, -ies). Here you learn the trickier ones: words ending in -f/-fe (leaves, knives), words ending in -o (potatoes but photos), foreign plurals (cacti, criteria), compound nouns (mothers-in-law) and nouns that never change (sheep, series).
Why does it matter? Plurals are used in almost every sentence you write, and these exceptions are exactly where mistakes happen in exams and essays.
Where do we use it? Science ("bacteria", "phenomena"), everyday talk ("two knives", "three potatoes"), and writing about people ("my sisters-in-law").
In this lesson you will:
