Plurals that change more than the ending

1. 1
   child/tʃaɪld/

   noun

   A young person.
2. 2
   foot/fʊt/

   noun

   The part of the body you stand on.
3. 3
   tooth/tuːθ/

   noun

   One of the hard white parts in your mouth.
4. 4
   man/mæn/

   noun

   An adult male person.
5. 5
   woman/ˈwʊmən/

   noun

   An adult female person.
6. 6
   mouse/maʊs/

   noun

   A small grey animal, or the thing beside a keyboard.
7. 7
   knife/naɪf/

   noun

   A tool for cutting.
8. 8
   leaf/liːf/

   noun

   The flat green part of a plant.
9. 9
   person/ˈpɜːrsən/

   noun

   A human being.
10. 10
    life/laɪf/

    noun

    The time somebody is alive.

The sentences

1. Is there a menu for a child?

2. My left foot is rather sore.

3. One tooth has been hurting for days.

4. The man at the desk helped me.

5. A woman outside was asking for you.

6. There is a mouse behind the fridge.

7. Could I have a clean knife please?

8. A leaf had blocked the drain completely.

9. Which person should I speak to?

10. Life here is slower than at home.

Pronunciation

• child/tʃaɪld/

  The plural is children, with an extra syllable and a shorter vowel.

• foot/fʊt/

  The plural is feet: the vowel changes, nothing is added.

• tooth/tuːθ/

  The plural is teeth, on the same pattern as foot.

• man/mæn/

  The plural is men, and only the vowel moves.

• woman/ˈwʊmən/

  WU-man in the singular, WIM-en in the plural. Both vowels change.

• mouse/maʊs/

  The plural is mice, which shares nothing with the singular vowel.

• knife/naɪf/

  The K is silent, and the plural is knives with a V.

• leaf/liːf/

  The F becomes a V in the plural: leaves.

• person/ˈpɜːrsən/

  The usual plural is people, a completely different word.

• life/laɪf/

  The plural is lives, with a V and a shorter feel.

Questions

What's the plural of foot?

The plural is feet: the vowel changes and nothing is added.

What does person mean here?

It means a human being.

How do you say 'child' in a sentence?

You can say 'Is there a menu for a child?'