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Plurals

Regular Plurals

Adding -s or -es to mean more than one.

Mastered by
ASHA places plural words like birds and toys in the 2-to-3-year band
Practice items
36
Sections
3

What this skill is

The plural -s is usually the very first grammatical marker a child produces, but it hides three different sounds. After a voiceless sound it says /s/ - "cats." After a voiced sound it says /z/ - "dogs." And after a hissy sound it becomes a whole extra syllable, /ɪz/ - "buses," "dishes," "boxes." Children master them roughly in that order.

What to expect

Plural -s shows up around 2;6 and is fairly reliable by 3;6. The extra-syllable version takes about a year longer, because it changes the shape of the whole word rather than just adding a sound to the end. Words ending in -f that flip to -ves (leaf to leaves) are a small separate group that comes in around 5.

Try this at home

Set up situations where the plural actually carries meaning. Put one block and a pile of blocks on the table and ask for "the blocks." If the child hands you one block, the contrast has done its job. This works far better than drilling word lists.

When to refer

No plural -s by age 3;6, or omitting plurals more than occasionally after age 4.

Print it

Regular Plurals worksheet36 items across 3 sections, with answer key · PDF

Adding -s

14 items

Fill in the blank with the plural form.

  1. 1.One cat, two ____ .cats
  2. 2.One dog, two ____ .dogs
  3. 3.One book, three ____ .books
  4. 4.One ball, four ____ .balls
  5. 5.One cup, two ____ .cups
  6. 6.One bird, five ____ .birds
  7. 7.One hat, two ____ .hats
  8. 8.One shoe, two ____ .shoes
  9. 9.One tree, three ____ .trees
  10. 10.One car, six ____ .cars
  11. 11.One bike, two ____ .bikes
  12. 12.One spoon, four ____ .spoons
  13. 13.One apple, three ____ .apples
  14. 14.One flower, ten ____ .flowers

Adding -es (the extra syllable)

14 items

These plurals add a whole extra beat to the word. Say each one out loud and clap the syllables.

  1. 1.One bus, two ____ .buses
  2. 2.One box, three ____ .boxes
  3. 3.One dish, four ____ .dishes
  4. 4.One brush, two ____ .brushes
  5. 5.One fox, two ____ .foxes
  6. 6.One glass, three ____ .glasses
  7. 7.One dress, two ____ .dresses
  8. 8.One watch, two ____ .watches
  9. 9.One peach, five ____ .peaches
  10. 10.One sandwich, three ____ .sandwiches
  11. 11.One beach, two ____ .beaches
  12. 12.One horse, four ____ .horses
  13. 13.One nose, two ____ .noses
  14. 14.One puzzle piece, many ____ .puzzle pieces

F Becomes V

8 items

These words change their ending sound before adding -es.

  1. 1.One leaf, many ____ .leaves
  2. 2.One wolf, three ____ .wolves
  3. 3.One wolf, two ____ .wolves
  4. 4.One shelf, four ____ .shelves
  5. 5.One wife, two ____ .wives
  6. 6.One loaf, three ____ .loaves
  7. 7.One calf, two ____ .calves
  8. 8.One half, two ____ .halves