PLURAL DOS SUBSTANTIVOS

A regra geral para formar o plural dos substantivos  é acrescentar um s ao singular: pen, pens; boy, boys; table, tables.

1.    Os substantivos que acabam em ch, sh, s, ss, x, levam es para formar o plural: church, churches; glass, glasses; wish, wishes; chorus, choruses; box, boxes.

Observação: Os substantivos desta exceção, sendo monossilábicos, tornam-se dissilábicos acrescentando-se es e são pronunciados – church-es, wish-es etc.

Algumas palavras de origem grega que acabam com ch com som de k, só levam s para formar o plural: monarch-s, patriarch-s.

2.    Os substantivos que acabam em y precedido de uma consoante, mudam o y em ies: lady, ladies; fly, flies; beauty, beauties.

Mas se uma vogal precede o y, então segue a regra geral: boys, days, rays.

3.    As 15 palavras seguintes acabadas com f, e e ff mudam estas letras em ves:

beef                     boi (carne)                 beeves                                                       calf                      vitela                          calves                                                      elf                        elfo, duende              elves                                                      half                      metade                      halves                                                      knife                    faca                           knives                                                         staff                     cajado                       staves                                                      thief                     ladrão                        thieves                                                     leaf                      folha                          leaves                                                       loaf                      pão                            loaves                                                      life                       vida                            lives                                                                self                      próprio                       selves                                                shelf                    prateleira                   shelves                                                      wolf                      lobo                           wolves                                                   sheaf                   molho                         sheaves

Os substantivos terminados nestas letras formam o plural segundo a regra geral:

chief                    chefe                          chiefs                                                       roof                      teto                             roofs                                                       proof                    prova                          proofs

4.    As seguintes palavras acabadas em o formam o plural acrescentando es ao singular:

buffalo                  búfalo                         buffaloes                                              calico                    chita                           calicoes                                                cargo                    carga                          cargoes                                              domino                 dominó                       dominoes                                              echo                     eco                             echoes                                                 hero                      herói                           heroes                                            manifesto              manisfesto                   manifestoes                                         motto                     moto                            mottoes                                           mulatto                  mulato                          mulattoes                                          negro                     negro                           negroes                                                  no                          não                               noes                                                potato                    batata                           potatoes                                         tomato                   tomate                          tomatoes                                             volcano                  vulcão                          volcanoes

Os demais substantivos que acabam nestas letras formam o plural acrescentando s ao singular:

octavo                   oitavo                            octavos                                                            folio                       fólios                              fólios

5.    As seguintes palavras formam o plural irregularmente:

child                      criança                           children                                               foot                        pé                                  feet                                                   man                       homem                          men                                               woman                  mulher                           women                                                   ox                          boi                                 oxen                                                 louse                     piolho                             lice                                                mouse                   ratinho                           mice                                                     die                         dado                              dice                                                 goose                    ganso                            geese

Observação: Os substantivos compostos de uma palavra e man, levam men no plural, como: Englishman -  Englishmen.

Os seguintes são exceções desta regra, levando apenas s para formar o plural:

German                 alemão                          Germans                                      cayman                  jacaré                            caymans                                 Mussulman            muçulmano                   Mussulmans                                        Norman                  normando                     Normans                                       Ottoman                 otomano                       Ottomans                                      Roman                    romano                        Romans                                      talisman                  talismã                          talismans

As palavras compostas de dois substantivos formam o plural acrescentando-se s ao principal:

stepfather (padrasto) – stepfathers (padrastos)                                           father-in-law (sogro) – fathers-in-law (sogros)

A língua inglesa tem muitos nomes que não têm singular:

1.    Alguns nomes geográficos como:

The Low Countries (os Países Baixos); the United States (os Estados Unidos); the Alps (os Alpes) etc.

2.    Os nomes de ciências que acabam em ics como: mathematics, mechanics, optics, physics, statistics, tactics etc.

Observação: Ainda que estes nomes de ciências não tenham a forma singular, ainda assim consideram-se como do singular na gramática: Mathematics is the instrumento of astronomy and physics. (A matemática é o instrumento da astronomia e física.)

3.    Alguns adjetivos substantivados, como:

the ancients             os antigos                                                                              the commons           os comuns                                                                         the moderns             os modernos                                                                           the nobles                os nobres

4.    Dos outros nomes que não têm singular, os seguintes são os mais usados:

annals                      anais                                                                               billiards                     bilhar                                                                                blues                         tristeza, estado de melancolia                                       clothes                      roupas                                                                        contents                    conteúdo                                                                          goods                        mercadorias                                                                   lodgings                    moradia                                                                         measles                    sarampo                                                                           lees                           fezes                                                                                   oats                           aveia                                                                          nuptials                      núpcias                                                                              riches                         riqueza                                                                             thanks                        agradecimentos                                                                         wages                        salário                                                                           archives                     arquivo                                                                               news                          notícias