Identify the Plural Form of the Word Child

Answer: The plural form of the word child is A. Children

Why Other Options Are Incorrect:

B. Child: This is the singular form and does not represent more than one child.

C. Childs: This is incorrect because “child” does not follow the regular pluralisation rule of adding -s.

D. Childes: This is an incorrect and archaic form that is not used in modern English.

Explanation for Plural Form of the Word Child

The plural form of “child” is “children” because it follows an irregular pluralisation pattern in English. Here’s a detailed explanation:

1. Irregular Plural Formation:
   In English, most nouns form their plurals by adding -s or -es (e.g., cat → cats, bus → buses). However, some nouns, like “child,” are irregular and do not follow this rule. Instead, “child” changes to “children” in the plural.
2. Historical Reason:
   The word “child” comes from Old English “cild”, and its original plural form was “cildru” or “cildra” in Old English. Over time, it evolved into “children” by adding the suffix -en, which was a common plural marker in Old English but is no longer widely used in modern English (except in a few words like “ox → oxen”).

Generic Rule to Convert Singular Noun to Plural Noun

To change a plural noun to its singular form, remove the -s or -es at the end of most words. For example, “cats” becomes “cat” and “boxes” becomes “box”. Some irregular nouns don’t follow this rule. For instance, “children” changes to “child”, and “mice” changes to “mouse”. Always check for irregular forms, as English has special cases!

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