Sustantivos Plurales y Singulares en Ingles - Ejercicios - Reglas Plurales - Lección # 16

Plurals in English: Understanding Regular and Irregular Forms

Introduction to Plurals

• The lesson focuses on pluralization in English, emphasizing that only nouns are pluralized.

• An example illustrates the difference between singular and plural forms, highlighting that adjectives and articles remain unchanged when pluralizing.

Regular Plurals

• Regular plurals follow specific rules for formation; most English nouns are considered regular.

• To form a regular plural, simply add "s" to the end of the noun (e.g., "cat" becomes "cats").

Rules for Regular Pluralization

1. Ending with s, h, ch, x, or z:

• For nouns ending in these letters, add "es" to form the plural (e.g., "wish" becomes "wishes").

2. Ending with o:

• If a noun ends in "o" preceded by a consonant, add "es"; if preceded by a vowel, just add "s" (e.g., "potato" becomes "potatoes", while "radio" becomes "radios").

3. Ending with y:

• If a noun ends in “y” preceded by a consonant, replace “y” with “ies” (e.g., “baby” becomes “babies”). If preceded by a vowel, simply add “s”.

4. General Rule for Nouns Ending in f or fe:

• Replace “f” or “fe” with “ves” to form plurals (e.g., “life” becomes “lives”).

5. Exceptions:

• Some words do not follow these rules and instead take an added 's' regardless of their endings.

Irregular Plurals

• Irregular plurals do not adhere to standard rules; they must be memorized as they vary widely across different nouns.

Understanding Irregular Plurals in English

The Nature of Irregular Plurals

• The speaker discusses how singular and regular nouns can be pluralized without logical reasoning, emphasizing that each word has a unique history behind its pluralization.

• An example is given regarding the word "bus," which was first used in the 16th century; many animal names were similarly pluralized in the same way, highlighting historical inconsistencies.

Learning Strategies for Irregular Plurals

• To learn irregular plurals effectively, memorization is suggested as a key strategy while categorizing them based on their pluralization patterns.

• Categories proposed include:

• Words ending in 'n' (e.g., woman)

• Words changing 'o' to 'oes' (e.g., toes)

• Words that remain unchanged in both forms (e.g., deer)

• Words changing from 'is' to 'es' (e.g., crisis)

• Words changing from 'us' to 'i'

Practice with Regular and Irregular Nouns

• The speaker introduces a list of nouns with regular pluralizations, starting with examples like "box" becoming "boxes" and "watch" becoming "watches."

• A subsequent list features irregular nouns where participants are prompted to identify their plurals, such as "fish" becoming "fish" and "hypothesis" becoming "hypotheses."

Conclusion and Engagement

• The session concludes with an invitation for viewers to engage by liking the video, leaving comments, and subscribing to the channel.