Using Apostrophes with Irregular Plurals
English Language: KS3, topic 2.1.6
Recap: Irregular Plurals
Irregular plurals do not end in 's' or 'es' like regular plurals. Let's look at a few examples of irregular plurals, just incase you have forgotten what they look like...
Sheep (singular)
Sheep (plural)
Child (singular)
Children (plural)
Mouse (singular)
Mice (plural)
Man (singular)
Men (plural)
Using Apostrophes with Irregular Plural Nouns
We sometimes need to show possession in a sentence, which is when something belongs to someone or something. We do this using an apostrophe ('). Let's walk through 2 examples of how you add an apostrophe to irregular plural nouns...
1) Make a sentence using possession
- The sheeps pen was very crowded.
- Sheep is an irregular plural noun. It is the same as the singular noun 'sheep'.
- There is an 's' at the end of sheep because the pen belongs to the sheep. This means there is possession in this sentence.
2) Add an apostrophe before the s
- The sheep's pen was very crowded.
- With regular plural nouns that end in 's', the apostrophe comes after the 's'.
- But here, we have added the apostrophe before the 's' because sheep is an irregular plural.
1) Make a sentence using possession
- The childrens coats were wet.
- Children is an irregular plural noun. The singular noun is 'child'.
- There is an 's' at the end of children because the coats belong to the children. This means there is possession in this sentence.
2) Add an apostrophe before the s
- The children's coats were wet.
- With regular plural nouns that end in 's', the apostrophe comes after the 's'.
- But here, we have added the apostrophe before the 's' because children is an irregular plural.
Test yourself on Using Apostrophes with Irregular Plurals
Which of these is an irregular plural?
What kind of plural is 'children'?
What's the plural of the singular noun 'sheep'?
What's the singular of the irregular plural 'mice'?
Which of these are plural versions of the nouns?