Single and plural words

Hello, I'm Miss Williams and today we're going to be looking at how we turn a word into a plural.

But what is a plural?

A plural is when you take a singular word and you add one or more letters to create a word that means more than one.

For example, when you hear the word "tree" you know there is one tree. So the word "tree" is singular.

However, if I say the word "trees" you know there is more than one tree.

So, there could be two trees, or four trees, or even 15 trees. The word "trees" is plural.

Did you notice what happened to the word "tree"?

We added an "s" to show there is more than one, making it a plural.

Shall we try to make some more words plural?

Now it's your turn to try.

See if you can guess what we need to do to turn the following singular words into plurals.

How do you turn "cat" into a plural? Yep, you guessed it. Just add an "s".

What about "dog"? It's the same. Add an "s" and you have a plural.

That wasn't too difficult, was it?

We added an "s" to the singular words to make a plural.

But sometimes we need to add an "es". And we're going to find out what kind of words add an "es" in order to become plural.

You'll need a pencil and some paper for this next bit. So, put me on pause whilst you find them.

So, when do we add "es" instead of "s"?

We add "es" to all the words that end in: "s", "ch", "sh", "ss", "x", and "z".

So, the plural of "box" is "boxes". And the plural of "watch" is "watches".

So what would that make the plural of "dish"? Yep, you guessed it. The plural of "dish" is "dishes".

A simple way of remembering this is that if a word ends with an "s" or a letter that sounds like an "s", you will need to add an "es" to make it plural.

So, the word "bus" is singular. But the word "buses" is a plural.

Now it's your turn.

Look at these words and write down what letters will be added to turn them into plurals.

The words are: "rabbit", "torch", "brush."

Have a think and jot down the letters we need to add.

The plural versions of these words are:

"rabbits"

"torches"

"brushes"

How did you do?

Why don't you have a look around your house and make a list of words that you can make plural?

Will you add an "s" or an "es"?

Happy exploring.

For more help, challenges and games on this subject, visit bbc.co.uk/bitesize.