Irregular Plural Nouns: Latinate Plurals Changing Vowel Sounds
Irregular Plural Nouns: Latinate Plurals Changing Vowel Sounds
Irregular Plural Nouns: Latinate Plurals Changing Vowel Sounds
echo
embargo
hero
potato
tomato
torpedo
veto
echoes
embargoes
heroes
potatoes
tomatoes
torpedoes
vetoes
Latinate plurals
Some nouns have retained their plural forms from Latin and
other languages:
singular
plural
addendum
addenda
alga
algae
alumnus
alumni
amoeba
amoebae
antenna
antennae
bacterium
bacteria
cactus
cacti
curriculum
curricula
datum
data
fungus
fungi
genus
genera
larva
larvae
memorandum
memoranda
stimulus
stimuli
syllabus
syllabi
vertebra
vertebrae
-o becoming oes
Most nouns ending in o are pluralized by adding an s, but
some take es insteadfor example:
singular
plural
-f becoming ves
Some nouns ending in f are pluralized by dropping the f and
adding ves:
singular
plural
calf
calves
elf
elves
half
halves
hoof
hooves
knife
knives
leaf
leaves
life
lives
loaf
loaves
self
selves
shelf
thief
wife
wolf
shelves
thieves
wives
wolves
-is becoming es
Some nouns ending in is are pluralized by dropping the is
and adding es:
singular
plural
axis
axes
analysis
analyses
basis
bases
crisis
crises
diagnosis
diagnoses
ellipsis
ellipses
emphasis
emphases
hypothesis
hypotheses
neurosis
neuroses
oasis
oases
paralysis
paralyses
parenthesis
parentheses
thesis
theses
barracks
deer
fish
gallows
means
offspring
series
sheep
species
barracks
deer
fish
gallows
means
offspring
series
sheep
species
Unchanged plurals
A few nouns are unchanged in their plural forms:
singular
plural
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