Teaching Singular And Plural Nouns To Kids

In everyday life, kids come across different things at home, like a ball, table, chair, books, and more. In English grammar, these words are called a noun. Often, these nouns are more than one. For example, you might have one sister or three brothers. You might own five cats or just one dog. Your child may have a single toy or many toys. Therefore, teaching children about singular and plural nouns is important.

This paragraph on singular and plural nouns will serve as the perfect guide for your child to understand the concept well.

What Are Singular Nouns?

It is a noun that refers to a single or one thing or object. These nouns always use a singular verb and can be preceded by “a” and “an” articles.

Examples Of Singular Nouns

Let’s look at some examples of singular nouns that you can teach children.

• People: boy, girl, child, person, actor, king, queen,
• Places: town, city, state, country, China, India, Dubai
• Things: apple, banana, plant, animal, building, table, chair, paper, laptop

What Are Plural Nouns?

It is a noun that refers to more than a single or one thing or object. These nouns always use a plural verb in a sentence. These nouns are generally made by adding –s or –es at the end of singular nouns, but this is not always the case.

Examples Of Plural Nouns

• People: boys, girls, friends, babies, Indian, swimmers, employees, chefs, Americans
• Places: cities, villages, towns, islands, states, countries, neighbourhoods
• Things: apples, bananas, vegetables, fruits, candies, tables, cars, buses, trucks, books
• Ideas: questions, dreams, goals, religions, feelings, thoughts

What Is The Difference Between Singular Nouns Vs Plural Nouns?

It is important to teach children the difference between singular nouns and plural nouns so that they can easily differentiate between the two. Let’s read how to differentiate between singular and plural nouns.

Check how much a noun is referring to. If it refers to one object or a person, it is a singular noun. If it refers to more than one object or person, it is a plural noun.

• Example of a singular noun: There is an apple in a basket.
• Example of a plural noun: There are five apples in a basket.

Importance Of Teaching Singular And Plural Nouns To Kids

Now that your child understands the difference between singular and plural nouns, let’s look at the significance of singular and plural nouns for class 1, 2 and 3.

• It helps to improve the language skills of a child.
• It helps them understand how to use singular and plural nouns.
• It helps them to understand subject-verb agreement.

Simple Questions To Help Kids Revise The Singular And Plural Nouns

Here are some questions on singular and plural nouns for kindergarten kids. You can use these and make your child practice the topic.

1. Convert each of the following into a plural noun.

• Book
• Phone
• Newspaper
• Lady

Answer:

• Books
• Phones
• Newspapers
• Ladies

2. Pick the correct plural form of the word Army.

• Armys
• Armies
• Army’s

Answer: Armies

3. Complete the following sentence with the correct noun.

This recipe calls for a lot of _____________.   (Chocolates, Chocolites, Chocolatys)

Answer: Chocolates

4. The singular form of the Bottles is?

Answer: Bottle

Rules To Use Singular And Plural Nouns

Here are some rules for using singular and plural nouns for kids.

• If the singular noun ends with s, ss, sh, ch, x, or z, then we have to add an ‘es‘ at the end of the noun to make it plural. For example, class – classes, box – boxes, watch – watches.
• If the singular noun ends with ‘o’, we have to add ‘es‘ at the end of it. For example, potato – potatoes, mango – mangoes, hero – heroes.
• If there are two vowels at the end of the singular noun, the plural form has ‘s’ in it at the end. For example, radio – radios, studio – studios, portfolio – portfolios.
• If the singular noun ends with ‘y’ and is preceded by a consonant, then ‘ies‘ is added to it in plural form. For example, history – histories, city – cities.
• If the singular noun ends with ‘y’ and is preceded by a vowel, then ‘s‘ is added to it in plural form. For example, day – days, tray – trays.
• If a singular noun ends with ‘f’ or ‘fe’, then the plural form of it will end with ‘ves’. For example, knife – knives, life – lives.
• Some singular nouns convert into plural nouns by changing the vowels inside the singular form. For example, woman – women, man – men, foot – feet.
• We can change singular nouns into plural nouns by adding ‘en’ to the plural form. For example, child – children.
• Some nouns can only be written in the plural form and should use a plural verb after the noun. For example, scissors, spectacles, trousers, etc.

How To Tell If A Noun Is Singular Or Plural

The best way to tell if a noun is singular or plural is by looking at how much of something it is referring to. If the noun is talking about a single object or person, it’s a singular noun, and if the noun is talking about more than one object or person, it’s a plural noun.

Also Read:

Modal Verbs for Children
Pronouns for Kids to Improve Vocabulary
Adverbs for Children with their Types and Examples