PLURAL FORMS

How to Spell NOUN PLURALS
Most common nouns
The plural of most nouns is formed by adding -s to the end of the noun.
For example: dog - dogs; light - lights

If the noun ends in -s, -z, -x, -ch or -sh, then the plural is formed by adding -es.
For example: watch - watches; glass - glasses

Plural of nouns ending in -y
When -y is preceded by a consonant, form the plural by changing the -y into -ies.
For example: city - cities; cranberry - cranberries
When -y is preceded by a vowel, the -y is not changed in the plural form -ys.
For example: holiday - holidays; monkey - monkeys

Plural of a noun ending in -o
Some nouns that end in -o add -s to form the plural.
For example: piano - pianos
Some add -es to form the plural.
For example: potato - potatoes; tomato - tomatoes
Others add either -s or -es (both are correct).
For example: volcano - volcanos or volcanoes


How to Spell VERB FORMS
Regular verb forms
Most third person present singular verb forms add -s to the end of the verb.
For example: work - he works;
think - she thinks

However, if the verb ends in -s, -z, -x, -ch or -sh,
the third person present singular is formed by adding -es to the verb.
For example: watch - she watches;
brush - he brushes

The past tense and the past participle of regular verbs are formed by adding -ed.
For example: watch - watched, watched; wait - waited, waited

If the verb ends in -e or -ee, then the past tense and past participle are formed by only adding -d to the end of the verb.
For example: live - lived, lived; agree - agreed, agreed

The present participle of a verb (like the gerund form) is formed by adding -ing.
For example: sing - singing; think - thinking

However, if the verb ends in a 'silent' -e, then the present participle is formed by dropping this -e from the end of the verb and adding -ing.
For example: like – liking; stare - staring

Forms of a verb ending in -y
The third person present singular of verbs ending in -y preceded by a consonant is formed by changing the -y to -ies.
For example: query - he queries; carry - she carries
The third person present singular of verbs ending in -y preceded by a vowel does not change the -y
For example: play - he plays; stay - she stays

Regular verbs ending in -y preceded by a consonant form the past tense and the past participle by changing the -y into -ied.
For example: query - queried, queried; carry - carried, carried
Regular verbs ending in -y preceded by a vowel do not change the -y for the past tense and the past participle.
For example: stay - stayed, stayed; pray - prayed, prayed

The present participle (like the gerund form) of verbs ending in -y is formed by adding -ing.
For example: play - playing; carry - carrying

Doubled Consonants
Sometimes single syllable verbs ending with a single consonant have this letter repeated in the spelling for the present and past participles and the past tense.
For example: drop - dropped, dropping; stop, stopped - stopping