plurals

Plurals are a grammatical category that marks more than one of a noun or pronoun. In many languages, the plural form of a word is used when referring to two or more items, though the exact rules vary by language and context. Plural marking can affect nouns, pronouns, adjectives, and verbs in matching agreement.

Formation of plurals falls into several patterns. The most common in many languages is an affix-based plural, where a suffix is added to the base form (for example, English nouns formed with -s or -es). Some nouns undergo internal changes or suppletion, where the entire word changes rather than adding a suffix (such as man/men or foot/feet). Others exhibit zero plurality, where the singular and plural forms are identical (for example, sheep or deer in English). In some languages, plural marking interacts with other grammatical features such as gender, case, or article systems.

In English, regular plurals usually add -s or -es (cat/cats, bus/buses). When the singular ends in a sibilant, -es is often added (bus/buses). If a noun ends in a consonant plus -y, the -y becomes -ies (baby/babies). Irregular plurals include man/men, child/children, mouse/mice, and wolf/wolves. Some nouns have the same form in singular and plural (fish, sheep, deer). Count nouns generally require an explicit number or quantifier and often show distinct plural forms, while mass nouns may not.

Across languages, plurals interact with syntax in diverse ways. Some languages have dual or multiple number categories, others use classifiers or context-based plurality, and many employ systematic patterns of irregular plurals or broken plurals that require memorization.