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Plurals

Irregular Plurals

Words that change shape instead of adding -s.

Mastered by
ASHA expects at least one irregular plural, like feet or men, in the 4-to-5-year band
Practice items
26
Sections
3

What this skill is

A small group of very old English words make their plurals by changing the word itself rather than adding an ending. Foot becomes feet. Tooth becomes teeth. Mouse becomes mice. A few words do not change at all - one sheep, two sheep. Because there is no rule to apply, each one has to be learned individually.

What to expect

Expect "foots," "tooths," and "mouses" well into the preschool years. Like "goed" for "went," these are overgeneralizations and a sign the child has learned the regular rule. The irregular forms get sorted out gradually between 4 and 7, with the most frequent ones (feet, teeth, children, men) arriving first.

Try this at home

Irregular plurals are memorized, not derived, so frequency is everything. Pick four or five that actually come up in the child's life - feet, teeth, children - and use them deliberately every day rather than working through a long list once.

When to refer

Still using regularized forms like "foots" or "mans" after age 6.

Print it

Irregular Plurals worksheet26 items across 3 sections, with answer key · PDF

Words That Change

10 items

Fill in the blank with the correct plural. These do not take -s.

  1. 1.One foot, two ____ .feet
  2. 2.One tooth, many ____ .teeth
  3. 3.One man, three ____ .men
  4. 4.One woman, two ____ .women
  5. 5.One child, five ____ .children
  6. 6.One mouse, four ____ .mice
  7. 7.One goose, two ____ .geese
  8. 8.One person, many ____ .people
  9. 9.One ox, two ____ .oxen
  10. 10.One cactus, two ____ .cacti

Words That Stay the Same

8 items

These words look exactly the same whether there is one or many.

  1. 1.One sheep, five ____ .sheep
  2. 2.One fish, three ____ .fish
  3. 3.One deer, two ____ .deer
  4. 4.One moose, four ____ .moose
  5. 5.One shrimp, many ____ .shrimp
  6. 6.One aircraft, two ____ .aircraft
  7. 7.One species, three ____ .species
  8. 8.One series, two ____ .series

Find the Mistake

8 items

Each sentence has one plural that is wrong. Say the sentence the correct way.

  1. 1.I have two foots.I have two feet.
  2. 2.The dentist counted my tooths.The dentist counted my teeth.
  3. 3.Three mans are working outside.Three men are working outside.
  4. 4.The childs are on the playground.The children are on the playground.
  5. 5.I saw two mouses in the barn.I saw two mice in the barn.
  6. 6.There are five sheeps in the field.There are five sheep in the field.
  7. 7.The gooses flew over the pond.The geese flew over the pond.
  8. 8.How many peoples came to the party?How many people came to the party?