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136
bush - bushes ['bu?
?
z]
watch - watches ['wot?
?
zj
box - boxes ['boks?z]
IV. Nouns ending in -o have the ending [z]:
hero - heroes ['h??rouz]
photo- photoes ['foutouz]
The regular plural inflexion of nouns in -o has two spellings; -os which occurs in the following cases:
a) after a vowel - bamboos, embryos, folios, kangaroos, radios, studios, zoos;
b) in proper names - Romeos, Eskimos, Filipinos;
c) in abbreviations, kilos (kilogramme), photos (photograph), pros (professional);
d) also in some borrowed words: pianos, concertos, dynamos, quartos, solos, tangos, tobaccos.
In other cases the spelling is -oes: tomatoes, echoes, Negroes, potatoes, vetoes, torpedoes, embargoes
Note:
Some nouns may form their plural in either way:
oes/os: cargo(e)s, banjo(e)s, halo(e)s.
V. The letter -y usually changes into -i:
sky skies [skaiz]
But the letter -y remains unchanged -ys:
a) after vowels:
days (except in nouns ending in -quy: soliloquy - soliloquies).
b) in proper names:
the two Germanys, the Kennedys, the Gatsbys;
c) in compounds:
stand-bys, lay-bys.
The word penny has two plural forms:
pence (irregular) - in British currency to denote a coin of this value or a sum of money:
Here is ten pence (in one coin or as a sum of money);
pennies (regular) - for individual coins.
Here are ten pennies.
VI. Thirteen nouns ending in
-f(e) form their plural changing
-f(e) into
-v(e): the ending in this case is
pronounced [z]:
calf - calves
life - lives
thief - thieves