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      Nouns: singular and plural

      Lesson details

      Learning outcome

      I can identify the difference between singular and plural common nouns.

      Key learning points

      1. Common nouns can be singular or plural.
      2. The spelling of a common noun changes if it is plural.
      3. A plural common noun is not always denoted with -s.

      Keywords

      • Singular - only one

      • Plural - more than one

      • Common noun - a naming word that does not need capitalisation

      Common misconception

      Pupils may think that any noun ending is 's' is a plural noun.

      Pupils are exposed to singular nouns that end in the letter 's'.

      Teacher tip

      Supplement this lesson with images of proper nouns that suit the context of your school and local area.

      Licence

      This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2025), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0
      except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions
      (Collection 2).

      Lesson video

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      Prior knowledge starter quiz

      6 Questions

      Q1.
      Which picture shows one cupcake?

      An image in a quiz
      Correct Answer: An image in a quiz
      An image in a quiz

      Q2.
      Complete this sentence: Nouns ...

      only come at the end of a sentence.
      only come at the start of a sentence.
      Correct answer: name people, places and things.

      Q3.
      Match the noun types.

      Correct Answer:a shopkeeper,person
      Correct Answer:a shop,place
      Correct Answer:a lemon,thing

      Q4.
      Tick the two common nouns.

      Correct answer: stick
      Cardiff
      Correct answer: man
      Westminster Abbey

      Q5.
      What is the proper noun in this sentence? Sam likes dancing.

      Correct Answer: Sam, sam

      Q6.
      Match the noun type to its definition.

      Correct Answer:proper noun,a naming word that always has a capital letter
      Correct Answer:common noun,a naming word that does not always have a capital letter

      6 Questions

      Q1.
      Match the word with the correct definition.

      Correct Answer:singular,only one
      Correct Answer:plural,more than one

      Q2.
      If there are seven cupcakes, the common noun 'cupcakes' is ...

      Correct answer: plural
      singular
      single

      Q3.
      Which picture represents the plural of 'banana'?

      An image in a quiz
      Correct Answer: An image in a quiz
      An image in a quiz

      Q4.
      Choose the correct word to complete this sentence: I read lots of ...

      book.
      Correct answer: books.
      bookes.

      Q5.
      Which is the correct plural spelling of 'toy'?

      Correct answer: toys
      toyes
      toy

      Q6.
      Match the common noun with its plural.

      Correct Answer:bag,bags
      Correct Answer:glass,glasses
      Correct Answer:game,games

      To help you plan your 1 English lesson on: Nouns: singular and plural, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...