One or more than one
Look at these two.
“one cup”
“two cups”
The word changed at the end. That little “s” is doing an important job. It tells the reader that there is more than one.
The main rule
For most nouns, add s to mean more than one.
| One | More than one |
|---|---|
| dog | dogs |
| kite | kites |
| book | books |
| farmer | farmers |
| rock | rocks |
Nothing else changes. The word stays exactly the same and the s goes on the end.
It changes the whole sentence
“The kite flew high.”
“The kites flew high.”
One letter, and now you are picturing a sky full of them instead of one. That is why the ending matters. It is not decoration.
Say it out loud
Read “dog” and then “dogs”. You can hear the extra sound at the end. Your mouth does something different.
Listening helps when you are not sure whether to write the s.
Your turn
Write the word that means more than one.
- “one rock”
- “one teacher”
- “one hen”
- “one puddle”
Check your answers
- “rocks”
- “teachers”
- “hens”
- “puddles”
Remember
- Most nouns add s to mean more than one.
- The rest of the word does not change.
- The ending tells the reader how many.