Nouns

Distinguishing Plurals,
Possessives, and
Contractions

Most plural nouns, most possessive nouns,

and certain contractions end with the
letter –s. As a result they sound alike
and can be easily confused. Their
spellings and meanings are different.
 Noun Forms and
Contractions
Example Meaning
The students more than one
Plural Noun
wrote a play. student
Plural
The students’ the play of the
Possessive
play is good. students
Noun
Singular
I saw the the play of one
Possessive
student’s play. student
Noun
The student’s The student is
Contraction
the author. the author.
 Contraction
A contraction is a word made by combining two
words into one and leaving out one or more
letters. An apostrophe shows where the
letters have been omitted.

is not – isn’t could not – couldn’t

your are – you’re we will – we’ll

I would – I’d where is – where’s

Each sentence contains a word group that can
be written as a contraction. Spell the
new contraction.

Who is the new student representative?

- who’s

I am not certain whether he is upstairs or

downstairs.

- I’m, he’s
This pen will write if you will just keep
shaking it.
- you’ll

You are ignoring what I am saying.

- You’re, I’m

Glenda is the one I would like to invite.

- Glenda’s, I’d
There cannot be any doubt about who will
be invited.
- Can’t, who’ll

You will enjoy looking at these old

pictures of the class of 1956.
-You’ll

They were not sure who would be on the

committee.
- weren’t, who’d
 Plural nouns do not have an
apostrophe. The plural possessive
nouns end with an apostrophe, The
singular possessive nouns end with
an apostrophe and an –s. You can
tell these words apart by the way
they are used in a Singular
sentence. Plural
Plural
Contractions Possessive Possessive
Nouns
Nouns Nouns
speakers speaker’s speaker’s speakers’

women woman’s woman’s women’s

countries country’s country’s countries’

Identify if the underlined word is a plural noun, a plural
possessive noun, a singular possessive noun, or a
contraction.

That kitten’s sure cute.

The kitten’s fur is the color of taffy.
I wonder how many kittens were in the litter.
The kittens’ owners must be thrilled!
In each sentence, add apostrophes to the
possessive noun and the contractions.

Woodrow Wilson was Americas twenty-eighth

president.
- America’s

As a student at Princeton, he joined the

schools debating society.
- school’s
Before becoming president, he served as
Princeton Universitys president.
- University’s

Wilsons regarded today as an educational and

political reformer.
- Wilson’s

He was elected New Jerseys governor in 1910.

- Jersey’s
His success in New Jersey brought him to the
Democrats attention.
- Democrat’s

Wilsons first term of office as president

began in 1913.
- Wilson’s

The wars outbreak in Europe kept his

attention on foreign affairs.
- war’s
 Nouns
 A noun is a word that names a person,
place, thing, or idea.
People
Alexander Graham
farmer
Bell
Places
Chicago waiting room
Things
flowers keys
Ideas
success happiness
 Two basic kinds of
nouns
Proper noun names a specific person, place,
thing, or idea.
 Alexander Graham Bell
 Tarrytown
 “Rikki-tikki-tavi”
Common noun names any one class of people,
place, thing, or idea.
 inventor
 village
 story
Identify if the noun is a common or
a proper noun. Then, if it is a
common noun give an example of a
proper noun. If it is a proper
noun give an example of a class
to which each proper noun
belongs.

government
common, Congress

pony express
postmaster general
common, Benjamin Franklin

United States
proper, country

city
common, Appleton

president
common, Abraham Lincoln
 Concrete and Abstract
Nouns
Common nouns can be either
Common nouns can be either
concrete or abstract.

Concrete nouns things that you

can see or touch.

Abstract nouns name ideas,

qualities, or feelings that
cannot be seen or touched.
 Kinds of Nouns
Common Proper
Abstract Concrete
truth document Supreme Court
courage crown Queen Victoria
time snow December
Museum of
history museum
Anthropology
heritage buffalo Native American
State if the underlined common noun is
abstract or concrete.

Born in slavery, Fredrick Douglass

escaped and fled to Massachusetts.
 abstract

In 1841 he addressed a meeting and

talked about freedom.
 abstract

After he spoke, he was hired to talk to

other groups.
 concrete
It took courage for him to speak out as he
did.
 abstract

After his autobiography was published in

1845, he went to England.
 concrete

When he returned, he continued to talk

about his beliefs.
 abstract

He helped men, women, and children flee to

Canada.
 concrete
 Plural and Singular
Nouns
Singular Noun: When a noun means one
only, it is said to be singular.
Examples: boy, girl, book, church,
box

Plural Noun: When a noun means more than

one, it is said to be plural.
Examples: boys, girls, books,
churches

Rule #1
The plural of nouns is usually formed
by adding - s to a singular noun.
lamp - lamps cat - cats
fork - forks
Rule #2
Nouns that end in ch, sh, s, ss, x, z, zz
form the plural form by adding es.
moss - mosses buzz - buzzes

box - boxes church

- churches

Special Note:
If you add - s to such nouns as fox, bush,
and bench, you will find that you cannot
pronounce them without making an
additional syllable. This is why such
nouns form the plural by adding - es.
 Rule #3
There are several different rules for
singular nouns ending in the letters f, fe
or ff when changing them to the plural
form.

 Most nouns ending in the letters f, fe or

ff form the plural by adding the letter s.
surf - surfs

 Some nouns that end in f, fe or ff form

the plural by changing the final f form to
ves.
calf - calves
 Rule #4
Most nouns that end in i form the plural
by adding the letter s.
ski – skis

 Some nouns ending with the letter i form

the plural both by adding s and/or es

taxi-taxis-taxies
 Rule #5
If a singular noun ends in y and is preceded by a
consonant, the y is changed to i and es is added.
butterfly - y + i + es = butterflies

 If a singular noun ends in y and is preceded by a

vowel, the letter s is simply added with no other
changes made.
monkey + s = monkeys
 Rule #6
There are some nouns that form the plurals
differently.
 Some nouns change their vowels in the
middle of the singular form when forming
the plural

goose – geese

mouse – mice

woman - women
Spell the plural of each of the
following nouns.

chair
 chairs

star
- stars

dress
 dresses

farm
 farms
storm
 storms

brush
 brushes

wish
 wishes

paper
 papers
shelf
 shelves

man
- men

fly
 flies

day
 days

taxi
 taxis, taxies
 Compound Nouns
 A compound noun is a noun made up
of two or more words.

A compound noun can be one word, like

storybook; more than one word, like
ice cream; or joined by hyphens,
like runner-up.
 Compound Nouns
More Than
One Word Hyphenated
One Word
housekeep dining
mother-in-law
er room
showcase runner-up ice cream
great- maid of
bookmark
grandmother honor
football kilowatt-hour music box
Identify the compound noun in each
sentence.

We definitely need a new football.

- football

Visit the Smithsonian Institution in

Washington.
- Smithsonian Institution

How late is the post office open on

Saturday?
- post office
Her outlook is always positive.
- outlook

How did your cousin like her new

junior high school?
- junior high school

Paul Simon is my favorite

songwriter.
- songwriter
To improve, we will need a lot of
teamwork.
- teamwork

No medicine is a complete cure-all.

- cure-all

This cartridge uses an advanced magnetic

tape.
- magnetic tape

We are going to assemble a new mailing

list.
- mailing list
 Plural Compound
Nouns
To form the plural of compound nouns
written as one word, add –s or –es.
To form the plural of compound nouns
that are hyphenated or written as
more than one word, make the most
important part of the compound noun
plural.
 Forming Plural Compound
Nouns
Singular Plural
One word Follow plural footballs
rules. headlights
strongboxes
rosebushes
passersby
Exception:
Hyphenated Make the most great-
important part of grandmothers
the compound noun runners-up
plural.
More than Make the most maids of honor
one word important part of music boxes
the compound noun
 Collective Noun
A collective noun names a group of
individuals.

class herd
audience

staff team
orchestra

The family struggled through the

crowd to see the band.
Identify the collective noun in each
sentence.

An angry crowd assembled in front of

the church.
• crowd

My uncle hopes to raise a flock of

sheep.
• flock

Our class voted to have a spring

Melissa applauded the performance of
the orchestra.
• orchestra

What did you think about the

reaction of the audience?
• audience

A company of dancers will entertain

us first.
• company
The jury voted to acquit the defendant.
• jury

Later, the trio played three interesting

numbers.
• trio

A squadron of soldiers surrounded the

building.
• squadron

The bill was sent to a committee for

further study.
 Singular and Plural
Collective Nouns
Collective nouns can have either a
singular or a plural meaning.

When referring to the group as a unit,

the noun has a singular meaning and
takes a singular verb.

The team works on its defensive

plays.
When referring to the individual members of
the group, the noun has a plural meaning
and takes a plural verb.

The team go to their individual lockers.

To help you determine whether a collective
noun in a sentence is singular or plural,
substitute the word it for the collective
noun and any words used to describe it.
If the sentence still makes sense, the
collective noun is singular. If you can
substitute they, the collective noun is
plural.

The team works on its project. (it,

singular)

The team work on their separate projects.

(they, plural)
Identify the collective noun in each
sentence and state what verb form
in the parentheses that best
completes each sentence.

The book club (discusses, discuss)

their personal opinions of the
plot.
- book club, discuss

The class (is, are) going on a bus to

the art museum.
- class, is
The choir from East High School
(sings, sing) the loudest.
- choir, sings

The elephant herd (makes, make) a

thundering noise during a stampede.
- herd, makes

The baseball team (boasts, boast) an

excellent batting average.
-team, boasts
 Possessive Nouns
A possessive noun names who or what owns or
has something.

Possessive nouns can be common nouns or

proper nouns. They can also be singular
or plural. Notice the possessive nouns
in the following sentences.

Rita has a book on history.

Rita’s book is new.

Add an apostrophe and an –s to show the
possessive of most singular nouns.

father’s car Dave’s book

Add just and apostrophe to show the

possessive case of plural nouns ending in
–s or –es.

dogs’ owner churches’ congregations

Add an apostrophe and –s to show the
possessive case of plural nouns that do
not end in –s or –es.

the four men’s car the geese’s honking

Add an apostrophe and –s (or just an

apostrophe if the word is a plural ending
in –s) to the last word of a compound noun
to form the possessive.

high school’s mascot Boy Scouts’ trip

Spell the possessive case of the plural
nouns in the following sentences adding
apostrophes as needed.

The gold seekers need for money led them to

the Yukon.
- gold seekers’

At that time, many countries economies were

suffering.

- countries’
The prospectors haste to reach the Yukon
began in 1896.
- prospectors’

It was many travelers belief that they could

find gold.
- travelers’

Many prospectors would seek a guide

assistance.

- guide’s
 Using Apostrophes with
Pronouns
Use an apostrophe and –s with indefinite
pronouns to show possession.

another’s preference nobody else’s

business

Do not use an apostrophe with possessive

personal pronouns.

my, mine, your, yours, his, her, hers, its,

our, ours, their, and theirs

The following sentences contain possessive
pronouns. If a possessive is written
incorrectly, spell it correctly. If all
pronouns in the sentence are used
correctly, say they are correct.

In the new claim, the lake was his and the

island was their’s.
- his/correct; theirs
Once prospectors reached the Klondike, they
had only to find open land and stake
their claims.
- correct

If a prospector took anothers claim, it was

called “claim jumping.”.
- another’s
Imagine the disappointment of surviving the
trip to the Klondike only to lose what
was yours’ to claim jumping!
- yours

Finally, the Miners’ Association was formed

to protect everyones legal claims.
- everyone’s

The association had its first building in

Discovery, the tent city of the Pine
Creek.
- correct
 Appositives
Appositives give information about nouns
or pronouns.

An appositive is a noun or pronoun

placed next to another noun or pronoun
to identify, rename, or explain the
preceding word.

Appositives are very useful in writing

because they give additional
information without using many words.

Ron Burns, a dentist, was elected to

the City Council.
 Appositive Phrase
An appositive with its own modifiers
creates an appositive phrase.

An appositive phrase is a noun or

pronoun with modifiers. It is
place next to a noun or pronoun and
adds information or details.

The appositive phrase can be

identified because it always begins
with an article, a noun, or a
pronoun. The noun or pronoun in an
appositive phrase always follows
The modifiers in the phrase can be
adjectives or adjective phrases.

San Juan de los Caballeros, the Spanish

capital of the New Mexico territory, was
moved to a new site in 1610.

The painting, a mural in many bright colors,

highlights the entrance.
Appositives and appositive phrases can also
be compound.

Volunteers, boys or girls, are wanted.

These poems, “The Sea Gypsy” and

“Before the Squall,” are about a
love for the sea.
Do not put commas around the appositive when
it is essential information. Without the
appositive, the sentence would be The
popular US president was known for his
eloquent and inspirational speeches. We
wouldn't know which president was being
referred to.

The popular U.S. president John Kennedy was

known for his eloquent and inspirational
speeches.
 Grammar Tip
Appositives provide an excellent way
to combine certain types of
sentences.

- This antique car is a Studebaker.

- It is worth thousands of dollars.

This antique car, a Studebaker, is

worth thousands of dollars.
Identify each appositive or appositive
phrase. Next identify the noun or
pronoun it renames.

The capital, Santa Fe, was the place from

which the Spaniards ran their territorial
government.
- Santa Fe:
- capital
El Palacio, the Palace of the Governors, was
the building where government business
was carried out.
- the Palace of the Governors
- El Palacio

Pope, a Native American leader, led a revolt

against the Spanish in 1680.
- a Native American leader
- Pope
This revolt drove their enemies, the
Spanish, out of the area.
- the Spanish
- enemies

Twelve years later, the Spanish general

Diego de Vargas returned to conquer
the area for the Spaniards again.
- Diego de Vargas
- General
(The restrictive appositive, Diego de
Vargas, is not set off because it’s
needed to make the sentence clear.)
Combine each pair of sentences by using an
appositive or appositive phrase.

New Mexico is a popular tourist destination.

The state is known for its beauty.
- New Mexico, a popular tourist
destination, is known for its beauty.
After Mexico won its independence in 1821,
it was open to settlement by Americans.
The territory consisted of present-day
Arizona, New Mexico, Nevada, and Utah.

- After Mexico won its independence in 1821,

the New Mexico Territory, present-day
Arizona, New Mexico, Nevada, and Utah,
was open to settlement by Americans.
When trade began with the United States, the
Santa Fe Trail became popular. It was a
route from Santa Fe to Missouri.

- When trade began with the United States,

the Santa Fe Trail, a route from Santa Fe
to Missouri, became popular.
In 1846, the United States declared war on
Mexico, and the capture of northern
Mexico became one of its first
objectives. The area is now known as New
Mexico.

- In 1846, the United States declared war on

Mexico, and the capture of northern
Mexico, New Mexico, became one of its
first objectives.
 Bibliography
Alfieri, Catherine. "Nounsense." Monroe County
Women's Disability Network. Monroe County
Women's Disability Network. Sept. 2008
<http://www.mcwdn.org/grammar/endsf.html>.

Carroll, Joyce A., Edward E. Wilson, and Gary

Forlini. Prentice Hall Writing and Grammar.
Boston, Massachusetts: Pearson Prentice
Hall, 2008.

Royster, Jacqueline J., and Mark Lester.

Writer's Choice Grammar Workbooks :
Teacher's Wraparound Edition. New York:
Glencoe/McGraw-Hill, 1996.