Study Resource: English nouns that are the same in the singular and plural
The following nouns are English count nounsNo definition set for count nounsLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. that look exactly the same in the singularNo definition set for singularLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. and pluralNo definition set for pluralLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum..
Singular "one X" | Plural "many X" | Notes | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
fish | fish | Most kinds of fish or swimming animals that are eaten as food are the same in the singular and in the plural. | |||
salmon | salmon | ||||
halibut | halibut | ||||
shrimp | shrimp | ||||
trout | trout | ||||
goldfish | goldfish | ||||
... | ... | ||||
deer | deer | Most kinds of deer are the same in the singular and the plural. | |||
elk | elk | ||||
moose | moose | ||||
caribou | caribou | ||||
reindeer | reindeer | ||||
... | ... | ||||
Game animals | |||||
grouse | grouse | Some other words for land animals that can be eaten or hunted are also the same in the singular and the plural. | |||
quail | quail | ||||
bison | bison | ||||
boar | boar / (boars) | ||||
buffalo | buffalo / (buffaloes) | ||||
sheep | sheep | ||||
X-craft | |||||
aircraft | aircraft | All words that end in -craft meaning “vessel” are the same in the singular and the plural. | |||
spacecraft | spacecraft | ||||
... | ... | ||||
A few unit words* | |||||
stone(14 pounds) | (four) stone | There are a few unit words that we never use without a number or a quantity word, so they do not have a regular plural form. | |||
grand($1000; slang) | (four) grand | ||||
*Recall that there are some unit words and counting words (ex: million, hundred, dozen…) are only plural if they are used without numbers (one, two, three...) or quantity words (many, a few, several...). So we do not say ❌ four millions or ❌ several millions but we do say ✅ millions of people.
The unit words stone and grand are unit words that follow the same pattern as million or dozen, but they are never used without number or quantity words, so we never see their regular plural form.
❌ stones (of flour)
❌ grands (of dollars)
