How to Forming Plural of Nouns Ending in ‘F’ or ‘FE’
What is the rule for forming the plural of nouns ending in ‘f’ or ‘fe’?
Which of the following is the correct plural form: knifs, knifes, or knives?
Why does the noun ‘knife’ change to ‘knives’ in its plural form?
Answer:
The plural of 'knife' is 'knives'.
In English, when a noun ends in a consonant followed by 'f' or 'fe', the plural form is usually made by changing the 'f' or 'fe' to 'ves'.
To form the plural of nouns ending in 'f' or 'fe', such as 'knife', 'wife', 'leaf', 'shelf', and 'wolf', the general rule is to replace the 'f' or 'fe' with 'ves'.
For example:
- ‘knife’ becomes ‘knives’
- ‘wife’ becomes ‘wives’
- ‘leaf’ becomes ‘leaves’
- ‘shelf’ becomes ‘shelves’
- ‘wolf’ becomes ‘wolves’
This rule applies to other nouns ending in 'f' or 'fe' as well. It is important to note this pattern when forming plurals in English to ensure correct usage.