To be a superior writer, one has to be proficient at spelling and grammar. To assist Manila Bulletin readers to enhance their personal grammar skills, a free copy of “150 Helpful Hints for Grammar’’ is available by emailing the 4S Help Desk at contact@4Slisteracy.com.au.

To raise spelling skills, this special English Is Power series is being run for 12 weeks. In this eighth article, we shall study the keys that apply to words when they are pluralized, i.e. changed to mean “more than one.’’

COMMON ERRORS
One of the common errors made when pluralizing words relates to adding “s” and “es”.
• “Most common, everyday words ending in a consonant, are pluralized by adding ‘s’.
cat > cats hand > hands brain > brains school > schools
egg > eggs knee > knees
angle > angles teacher > teachers

• There is a simple test that usually applies that another 4S Key teaches: “If the final ‘s’ sound of the pluralized word is a short, sharp ‘s..’, like the “s” in “yes, then only ‘s’ is added – NOT “es”.

WHEN TO ADD ‘ES’

Knowing when to add “es” when pluralizing a word is also made easier by knowing the three relative 4S Keys:
1. When the plural form of a word ends in an ‘ezz..’ sound, ‘es’ is added.
2. Words ending in ‘ch’, ‘sh’, ‘s’, ‘ss’, ‘zz’ and ‘x’, are pluralized by adding ‘es’.”
3. If the final sound is drawn out, ‘es’ is added.
Examples:
church > churches branch > branches punch > punches crash > crashes wish > wishes bush > bushes
gas > gases pass > passes hiss > hisses fox > foxes

PLURALIZING WORDS ENDING IN “O”

Spelling errors regularly occur when “o” ending words are pluralized. Part of the problem arises because there are a few cases where it is optional to add either “s” or “es”, e.g. cargo > cargos > cargoes; stiletto > stilettos > stilettos; mango > mangos > mangoes.

Unfortunately, it is not always correctly taught that the majority of words ending in “o” are pluralized by adding “s” NOT “es”. 4S teaches the Key: Most ‘o’-ending words are pluralized by adding ‘s’.

4S uses additional keys to teach more about “o”-ending words especially
a. Foreign words
b. Those ending in two vowels
c. Contractions
d. Names of people and places.

1. Words borrowed from foreign languages are usually pluralized by adding ‘s’. Examples:
gaucho > gauchos cello > cellos fresco > frescos banjo > banjos soprano > sopranos
stiletto > stilettos silo > silos piano > pianos.
2. When an ‘o’-ending word ends in two vowels, ‘s’ is added. Examples: rodeo > rodeos bamboo > bamboos radio > radios igloo > igloos stereo > stereos embryo > embryos
tattoo > tattoos folio > folios
3.When an ‘o’- ending word is a contraction, ‘s’ is added. Examples:
memo > memos auto > autos photo > photos rhino > rhinos logo > logos expo > expos
lino > linos combo > combos.
4. ‘O’-ending words that are names of people, places and races usually are pluralized by adding ‘s’.” Examples:
Eskimo > Eskimos Filipino > Filipinos Romeo > Romeos.
The most common occasion when “es” is added is to everyday, “o”-ending words where the final “o” is preceded by a consonant.
5. ‘Es’ is added to common words when the final ‘o’ is preceded by a consonant.
potato > potatoes tomato > tomatoes mosquito > mosquitoes;
echo > echoes volcano > volcanoes hero > heroes domino > dominoes

PLURALIZING WORDS ENDING IN ‘Y’

Pluralizing “y”-ending words also causes some difficulties. There are two applicable 4S Keys. The difference is whether the “y” is preceded by a vowel or a consonant.
1. Words ending in ‘ay’, ‘y’, ‘oy’ or ‘uy’, are pluralized by adding ‘s’. Consider: bay > bays; toy > toys; key > keys; guy > guys; ray > rays; buy > buys; day > days; boy > boys; joy
2. When a word ends in ‘y’ that is preceded immediately by a consonant, the ‘y’ is changed to ‘i’ and ‘es’ is added. Examples: lolly > lollies; gully > gullies; army > armies; try > tries; fly > flies; city > cities; lady > ladies; cry > cries

THE ‘F’ GROUP

Words ending in “f”, “fe”, “ff” and “ffe” are another problem area. Knowing how to pluralize “f Group” words depends on understanding whether the word loses or retains its “f…” sound.
1. When a word ending in ‘f’ loses its distinct ‘f..’ sound by being pluralized, the ‘f’ is changed to ‘v’ and ‘es’ is added. Examples: calf > calves; leaf > leaves; half > halves; loaf > loaves; wolf > wolves.
2. When a word ending in ‘ife’ loses its distinct ‘f..’ sound by being pluralized, the ‘f’ is changed to ‘v’ and ‘es’ is added. Examples: wife > wives; knife > knives; life > lives.
3. When a word ending in ‘f’, ‘ff’ or ‘ffe’ retains its distinct ‘f..’ sound by being pluralized, ‘s’ is added. Consider these examples: chef > chefs; chief > chiefs; reef > reefs; handkerchief > handkerchiefs; cuff > cuffs; cliff > cliffs; sniff > sniffs; whiff > whiffs; giraffe > giraffes.

HYPHENATED COMPOUND WORDS

The 4S KEY teaches: In hyphenated, compound words, the most important word is pluralized. Consider the examples: looker-on > lookers-on box-office > box-offices.
(The author Keith W. Wright is a former politician, an educator and the director of the Australian International Language Academy. He is currently working with the Active E-Learning Technology Foundation to improve the English literacy skills of the academe, studentry and the Filipino workforce. E-mail youth@mb.com.ph).