Grammar Time: Plurals of Nouns

Plurals of Nouns Exercises will help have more practice in using plurals of nouns. Revise the rule before doing the tasks.

Exam in Mind Level B1/B2

Have Practice: Plurals of Nouns Exercises

Task 1. Put the words in brackets in the plural. 

  1. The store was overrun with rats and (mouse)__________.
  2. I helped him put some (shelf)__________ in his bedroom.
  3. He is one of the country’s national (hero)__________.
  4. He collects (pocket-knife)__________.
  5. His both (son-in-law)__________ were (fisherman)__________.
  6. The police asked (passer-by)__________ if they had seen the accident.
  7. Most parents have problems with their teenage (offspring)__________.
  8. Yesterday’s crash has grim (echo)__________ of previous disaster.
  9. (Salmon)__________ live in the sea but swim up rivers to lay their eggs.
  10. Books provide (child)__________ with ideas and (stimulus)__________ to play.
  11. I respect your religious (belief)__________.
  12. Corn circles are one of the strangest (phenomenon)__________ of recent times.
  13. Parliament consists of 653 (MP)__________, about two-thirds of whom belong to the Government.
  14. Do you have any (spray) or anything else that will keep away (fly)__________ or (mosquito)__________?
  15. Television and newspapers are the mass (medium)__________ of advertising.

Task 2. Write the plurals of the words given in brackets to complete the sentences. 

  1. We cut the cake into __________ (half).
  2. We bought some __________ to eat with our __________ (tomato, sandwich).
  3. They caught several __________ that afternoon (fish).
  4. It was a shop selling __________ and ________ (stereo, video).
  5. Would you like some of these __________ (potato)?
  6. All the __________ had different __________ (house, roof).
  7. It was autumn, and the __________ were falling (leaf).
  8. Did you make these __________ (handkerchief)?
  9. They visited several __________ that night (disco).
  10. We have some __________ and a few __________ (chicken, sheep).
  11. I bought some __________ for the __________ (shelf, glass).
  12. The __________ went in one door and the __________ went in the other (man, woman).
  13. They have a lot of __________ and __________ at the moment (worry, grief).
  14. Would you bring me the __________(knife)?
  15. The __________ chased the __________ for several miles (wolf, deer).
  16. In the silence there came a clatter of ________ (hoof).
  17. The __________ sprang up in front of his __________, the air was full of __________ (lark, foot, butterfly).
  18. Four ships were carrying __________ for his __________ in Brooklyn (cargo, warehouse).
  19. He told me there were __________ in the stream below the town (trout).
  20. I really cannot help your __________ or your __________ (belief disbelief).

Task 3. Change the number of the nouns in italics making all the necessary changes. 

  1. Afterwards he took a photo of me to finish out the film.
  2. He talked to another Divisional chief.
  3. His shirt cuff showed up spotless, just half an inch beneath the sleeve.
  4. He was as lively as a trout in a mountain stream.
  5. It was like lying in darkness with a mosquito hovering above his face.
  6. The cab moved along the side of the wood, and he heard a late cuckoo calling.
  7. Everybody had a handkerchief concealed in his cuff.
  8. The archeologists discovered bones of a mammoth and a polar bear.
  9. She stamped her foot, then looked up at him.
  10. It can’t be a mouse because there aren’t any crumbs. 

Task 4. Give the plural of the following nouns: 

Motto, species, hero, play, photo, thief, ghetto, manifesto, valley, wolf, match, UFO, tomato, safe, box, leaf, elf, axe, goose, inch, series, cuff, volcano, studio, ox, VIP, louse, means, casino, alibi, kimono, sheaf, SOS.

Task 5. Complete the following table with the correct noun (singular or plural).   

SINGULAR PLURAL SINGULAR PLURAL
 secretary  thief
 shoes  half
 ladies  means
 tooth  hero
 policeman  radio
 knives  waitress
 Child  moose
 scarf  brushes
 oxen  hoof
 journey  mouth
 Safe  fireman
 tornado  horses
 lice  witches
 dwarves  offspring
 Trout  belief
 kimono  benches
 corps  army
 snowman  scarf
 skis  chassis
 loaves  teeth
 sleeves  wharf
 key  geese
 bushes  ties
 baths  waves
 fish  play
 doves  proof
 wharves  housewives
 calf  lives
 boot  caves

Task 6. Translate the words in brackets into English.

  1. The Siberian (волки)__________ crept closer.
  2. People like you take us for (воры)__________.
  3. Had I a hundred (жизни)__________, would I not gladly lay them down for my country?
  4. A great many books were scattered on the (полки)__________, two tables and the floor.
  5. He took some small (буханки)__________ of bread, some cheese and a tin of lobster.
  6. Soon the servant reappeared with armfuls of silk robes, shawls, (шарфы)__________.
  7. The sound of horses’ (копыта)__________ woke him up.
  8. He was dressed in a long green overcoat with fur (манжеты)__________.
  9. There is a proverb «To set the fox to keep the (гуси)__________».
  10. It will happen when two (воскресенья)________ come together.
  11. The sheep in (двое)__________ and (трое)________ were loping away from the shed.
  12. We’ve got a social crisis in the North, it involves (эскимосов)__________ and (белых)_________.
  13. He was beheaded by one of the (Генри)________.
  14. I think I’ve found (средство)_____  to help him.
  15. I heard their (до свидания)__________  in my ears as I walked down the platform.
  16. (Буйволы)_____ migrate across the plains.
  17. This (перекресток)_______ is rather dangerous.
  18. The corn was cut, tied in (снопы)__________  and left to dry.
  19. The (эхо)__________  of his scream sounded in the cave for several seconds.
  20. The number one million is written with a one and six (нулей)__________.
  21. (Кимоно)__________  are traditionally worn by the Japanese.
  22. Both ships were sunk by (торпедами)________.
  23. One wall had (полки)_____ from floor to ceiling.
  24. He wrote (серию)__________  of articles devoted to modern farming methods.
  25. (Вулканы)__________ discharge massive quantities of dust into the stratosphere.
  26. We were happy to hear the first (кукушек)__________  оf spring.
  27. He lived among (эскимосов)______ for ten years.
  28. Soon the only black (носороги)__________  left may be those in (зоопарках)__________.
  29. (Казино)__________  are places where card games are played for money.
  30. Pandas eat (бамбук)__________.
  31. We found a rare (вид)__________  of orchid.
  32. The apples are ninety (пенсов)_________  a kilo.
  33. A post office was broken into last night and the (воры)__________  got away with $120, 000.
  34. My daughter’s favourite fairy tale is «Snow White and the Seven (гномов)__________».
  35. (Треска)__________ are found in the North Atlantic and the North Sea.