Number in English Grammar: Definition, Types & Examples

A number in English grammar tells us how many, whether we are talking about one thing (singular) or more than one (plural). Understanding this connection of singular and plural forms is most important when learning English. It helps you to use the right words from correct sentences to sound more accurate when you speak and write. In this article, we will help you learn about numbers in English grammar and how to use numbers with simple examples. 

What is the Number in English Grammar?

The number defined in English Grammar, which means how many people, places, or things we are talking about. It is most commonly used and applied in Nouns, pronouns, and verbs.

In simple terms, numbers in grammar show whether we are talking about one person/thing, which means singular or more than one person/thing, which means plural. This affects how we use nouns, pronouns, and verbs in sentences. 

For example

Singular	A dog is sleeping
Plural	The dogs are sleeping

Also Read: Singular vs. Plural Nouns: Learn Key Differences 

Types of Numbers in English Grammar 

There are two types of numbers in English grammar:

• Singular Number
• Plural Number 

What is a Singular Number?

Singular number in English Grammar is used when referring to one person, place, or thing

Examples: 

1. Person: girl, man, teacher
2. Animal: cat, cheetah, fish
3. Place: school, city, hospital
4. Things: book, chair, apple
5. Idea: honesty, courage, invention

What is a Plural Number? 

The plural number in English Grammar is used when referring to more than one person, animal, thing, or idea. In English grammar, when a noun or pronoun represents two or more, it is said to be in the plural number

In simple terms, the plural number is the form of a word that shows there is more than one person, animal, thing, or idea. In English, it is most often made by adding -s or -es to the end of the word.

Examples:

cat	cats
book	books
box	boxed

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How to Change Singular Number to Plural 

Changing a noun from singular to plural in English typically involves following a set of rules based on the ending of the word. Here are some examples to help you understand how to change a singular number to a plural number: 

Rule 1: Add -s to most nouns

This is one of the simplest rules, where you simply add an ‘s’ at the end of the word

dog	dogs
table	tables
photo	photos

Rule 2: Add -es to nouns ending in s, x, z, ch, sh

In rule no 2, pronoun or noun ends with an s, sh, ch, x or z, you add an ‘es’ to make it plural

box	boxes
watch	watches
bush	bushes

Rule 3: If the word ends in a consonant + y, change y to -ies

In this rule, the noun ends with a ‘y’ that is preceded by a consonant, you replace the ‘y’ with an ‘i’ before adding an ‘es’.

baby	babies
city	cities
lady	ladies

Rule 4: If a vowel comes before y, just add -s

In this rule, the noun ends with a ‘y’ that’s preceded by a vowel instead of a consonant, you add ‘s’ at the end of words.

toy	toys
boy	boys

Rule 5: Words ending in f or fe change to -ves

In this rule, the noun or pronoun ends with ‘f’ or ‘fe’, you simply replace the a ‘v’ before adding an ‘es’.

knife	knives
leaf	leaves
wolf	wolves

Exceptions (just add -s):

Some nouns just add -s

roof	roofs
belief	beliefs
chief	chiefs

Also Read: Singular and Plural Verbs: Definition, Examples, Chart

Rule 6: Words end with an ‘o’

Where the nouns end with an ’o’ that is preceded by a consonant, you simply add and ’ es’ to make it plural 

Manogo	Mangoes
Potato	Potatoes
Hero	Heroes

Exceptions: Some nouns just add -s

There are a few exceptions to their rule. At the a word may end with an ‘o’ that is preceded by a consonant, but fail to follow the rule. These nouns can only be pluralised  by adding an ‘s’ at the end instead, and they include works such as photo, piano, radio, and canto, all of which requires  only ‘s’ at the end to change to plural form (eg, photos, pianos,  radios, and cantos)

Photo	Photos
Piano	Pianos
radio	radios

Rule 7: Irregular plural nouns 

Some nouns change from entirely or have unique plurals 

child	children
man	men
woman	women
foot	feet
tooth	teeth
mouse	mice
person	people

Rule 8: Some nouns don’t change in plural form

Some nouns have the same form for singular and plural: 

one sheep	two sheep
one deer	many deer
one fish	many fish (but: fishes is used for different species)

Subject-Verb Agreement for Singular and Plural

Subject-verb agreement refers to the rule that the subject and the verb in a sentence must match in number, meaning both must be singular or both must be plural for the sentence to be grammatically correct.

Examples:

Singular	She runs fast.
Plural	They run fast.

In the present tense, verbs behave differently from nouns when it comes to singular and plural forms. For nouns, we usually add -s to make them plural (e.g., cat → cats).

But for verbs, we usually add -s to make them singular, not plural.

Examples of Verbs:

Singular	He chases the ball.
Plura	They chase the ball.
Singular	She eats quickly.
Plural	They eat quickly.

So, unlike nouns, verbs add -s in the singular form, not in the plural

Also Read: Singular and Plural Verbs Worksheet With Answers

FAQs

Related Reads:

Singular and Plural Nouns for Class 2 – Leverage Edu	Plural Nouns: Definition, Rules, Examples & Exercises
Plurals Quiz: Time to Test Your Knowledge	Subject Verb Agreement Worksheet With Answers
What are Singular Nouns? Explore Definition, Examples	Irregular Plural Nouns: Know Definition, Rules & Examples
8 Types of Nouns You Must Know	What are Irregular Nouns in English?

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