Spelling plurals: -s, -es, -ies, -ves and odd ones
Tests: 1 of 12 right · Exam: 2 of 4 right · Kind: ★ · Understood: 7 of 16 · Run: 2026-10-18, commit f3c23ea72
Lesson 6 of the english course of Mova's primary school, as Mova's small model took its tests: it had read this lesson and the ones before it and learned from their exercises. Each test shows the options in the order the student saw them, its choice, the right answer, the score of every option and why it chose. The lesson itself, sentence by sentence with trees and pragmatics: the lesson in the corpora.
Every question of this lesson and each of its options parsed by Mova, with trees and pragmatics: the lesson's questions in the corpora.
Test 1 · ★ · wrong ✗
«mate, it's 'two fishes and three sheeps', sounds right innit». Put him right.
- 1. He's right, every noun adds -s or -es — ← Mova's choice · score 1
- 2. It should be «fishs» and «sheepes» — no support
- 3. It should be «fishies» and «sheepies» — no support
- 4. Usually «fish» and always «sheep»: they stay the same — ✓ the right answer · no support
Why: It took the question to ask which statement is true. It chose option 1 with score 1, the only option with support. Its support: lesson 6, line 1: «Plural means more than one; singular means just one («singular» has «single» inside it). Most nouns just add -s: cat, cats. But after s, x, z, ch and sh you ad…», reached through the option's own match among the sentences about the question's things. What matched: the same action «add» (+2). Against it: a different doer (counts against) (-1). The right option, 4, found no support in what it remembers. · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics
Test 2 · ★ · right ✓
«baby changes to babies so day must change to dayies». What is the slip?
- 1. Nothing, «dayies» is right — no support
- 2. It should be «daies», not «dayies» — no support
- 3. «Day» has a vowel before y, so it just adds -s: days — ← Mova's choice · ✓ the right answer · score 9
- 4. «Day» has no plural at all — score 4
Why: It took the question to ask what it is done to. It chose option 3 with score 9, against 4 for the next best. Its support: lesson 6, line 9: «Consonant + y changes to -ies (baby, babies); vowel + y just adds -s (day, days).», reached through the same lesson line as the sentence the question matched. What matched: the same action «add» (+3); the same doer «vowel» (+3); it fills the role the question asks for (+2); the same thing acted on «-s» (+1). · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics
Test 3 · ★ · wrong ✗
A greengrocer's sign says «apple's 50p». What should it say?
- 1. apples' 50p — ← Mova's choice · no support
- 2. apples 50p — ✓ the right answer · no support
- 3. apple's' 50p — no support
- 4. Apple's 50P — no support
Why: No option found support in what it remembers, so it guessed: it took the first option shown. · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics
Test 4 · ★ · wrong ✗
«every f word changes to ves, so it's rooves and cheves». What is true?
- 1. Many change, but «roofs» and «chefs» just add -s — ✓ the right answer · score 7
- 2. No f word ever changes to -ves — ← Mova's choice · score 8
- 3. Only animal words change to -ves — score 8
- 4. Every word ending in f changes to -ves — score 8
Why: It took the question to ask which statement is true. It chose option 2 with score 8, tied with another option at 8 (the first shown, or the one claiming less beyond what it knows, wins). Its support: lesson 6, line 10: «Many -f and -fe words change to -ves (leaf, leaves; knife, knives; loaf, loaves), but some just add -s (roofs, chefs).», reached through the remembered sentence the question matched. What matched: the same circumstance (+4); the same action «change» (+2); the same doer «many f words» (+2). The right option, 1, scored 7. · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics
Test 5 · ★ · wrong ✗
What would happen if we wrote «box» plural as «boxs»?
- 1. Nothing, «boxs» is just as correct — ← Mova's choice · no support
- 2. The word would mean one box — no support
- 3. The spelling would not show the extra beat we hear — ✓ the right answer · no support
- 4. It would be the American spelling — no support
Why: No option found support in what it remembers, so it guessed: it took the first option shown. · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics
Test 6 · ★ · wrong ✗
In a cartoon, Gran says «two mouses ran past my two foots!». How should she say it?
- 1. Two mouses ran past my two feet — ← Mova's choice · no support
- 2. Two mices ran past my two feets — no support
- 3. Two mouse ran past my two foot — no support
- 4. Two mice ran past my two feet — ✓ the right answer · no support
Why: No option found support in what it remembers, so it guessed: it took the first option shown. · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics
Test 7 · ★ · wrong ✗
Zoe asks if «arvos» is a real plural. What is the best answer?
- 1. No, slang words can never be plural — ← Mova's choice · no support
- 2. No, the plural is «arvoes», like potatoes and tomatoes — no support
- 3. Yes, slang follows plural rules, but write «afternoons» at school — ✓ the right answer · no support
- 4. Yes, and use it in every school essay — no support
Why: No option found support in what it remembers, so it guessed: it took the first option shown. · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics
Test 8 · ★ · wrong ✗
«potatoes, tomatoes, so it's photoes and pianoes too, sound». What is true?
- 1. He's right, all words that end in o add -es in the plural — ← Mova's choice · no support
- 2. All o-words just add -s, even potatos — no support
- 3. Those two just add -s: photos and pianos — ✓ the right answer · no support
- 4. Only food words end in -o — no support
Why: Nothing it remembers matched the question, so it guessed: it took the first option shown. · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics
Test 9 · ★ · wrong ✗
«is it one deer, two deers?» What is the plural?
- 1. deers — ← Mova's choice · no support
- 2. dear — no support
- 3. deer — ✓ the right answer · no support
- 4. deeres — no support
Why: No option found support in what it remembers, so it guessed: it took the first option shown. · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics
Test 10 · ★ · wrong ✗
★★★ How many of these plurals are spelled correctly: wolves, roofs, babies, foxs?
- 1. 1 — ← Mova's choice · score 2
- 2. 3 — ✓ the right answer · no support
- 3. 2 — no support
- 4. 4 — no support
Why: It took the question to ask what it is done to. It chose option 1 with score 2, the only option with support. Its support: lesson 4, line 2: «English often has several spellings for one sound. Tom in Newcastle grumbles that «boat», «snow», «home» and «toe» all say /oa/ and are all spelled differently…», reached through the same lesson line as the sentence the question matched. What matched: the number the lesson gave for it (+3). Against it: a different thing acted on (counts against) (-1). The right option, 2, found no support in what it remembers. · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics
Test 11 · ★ · wrong ✗
★★★ Which word has a plural that adds -es AND changes its last letter?
- 1. dish — ← Mova's choice · no support
- 2. cat — no support
- 3. key — no support
- 4. lady — ✓ the right answer · no support
Why: No option found support in what it remembers, so it guessed: it took the first option shown. · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics
Test 12 · ★ · wrong ✗
★★★ «Two teeth, two feet, two geese.» What is the plural of «goose» and of «moose»?
- 1. geese and meese — ← Mova's choice · no support
- 2. geese and moose — ✓ the right answer · no support
- 3. gooses and moose — no support
- 4. geese and mooses only — no support
Why: No option found support in what it remembers, so it guessed: it took the first option shown. · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics
Exam question 1 · formal language · wrong ✗
Ascertain the correct plural form of a noun terminating in a consonant followed by the letter y.
- 1. The y is doubled before the ending -es is appended — ← Mova's choice · score 8
- 2. The ending -s is appended without alteration of the word — no support
- 3. The y is replaced by i and the ending -es is appended — ✓ the right answer · score 8
- 4. The word remains unaltered in the plural — no support
Why: It took the question to ask which statement is true. It chose option 1 with score 8, tied with another option at 8 (the first shown, or the one claiming less beyond what it knows, wins). Its support: lesson 6, line 8: «Nouns ending in s, x, z, ch or sh add -es, which adds an extra beat: foxes, boxes, churches, wishes.», reached through the same lesson line as the sentence the question matched. What matched: the same action «add» (+4); the same thing acted on «es» (+4). The right option, 3, scored 8. · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics
Exam question 2 · formal language · wrong ✗
Identify the principal reason for which nouns terminating in s, x, z, ch or sh take the ending -es.
- 1. Such nouns are always verbs in disguise — ← Mova's choice · no support
- 2. Such nouns are invariably of French origin and retain the French manner of forming the plural — no support
- 3. The plural thereby acquires an additional syllable which is audible in speech — ✓ the right answer · no support
- 4. The ending -es denotes possession in such nouns — no support
Why: No option found support in what it remembers, so it guessed: it took the first option shown. · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics
Exam question 3 · formal language · right ✓
Select the response consistent with the established facts concerning the use of the apostrophe in plural nouns.
- 1. The apostrophe is required in every plural noun — score 2
- 2. The apostrophe is required in plural nouns which terminate in s — score 2
- 3. The apostrophe is not employed in order to form the plural of a noun — ← Mova's choice · ✓ the right answer · score 8
- 4. The apostrophe is required in plurals displayed upon shop signs — score 2
Why: It took the question to ask which statement is true. It chose option 3 with score 8, against 2 for the next best. Its support: lesson 6, line 15: «An apostrophe is never used to make a plural; «teacher's» means belonging to one teacher.», reached through the remembered sentence the question matched. What matched: its «because» matches the remembered cause (+4); the same action «use» (+2); the same thing acted on «apostrophe» (+2). · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics
Exam question 4 · formal language · right ✓
Which of the following statements most accurately characterises the plural of «sheep»?
- 1. The plural is formed by the addition of -en — score 6
- 2. The plural is formed by the addition of -s — score 6
- 3. The plural is identical in form to the singular — ← Mova's choice · ✓ the right answer · score 7
- 4. The plural is formed by the alteration of the vowel — score 6
Why: It took the question to ask who or what does it. It chose option 3 with score 7, against 6 for the next best. Its support: lesson 6, line 1: «Plural means more than one; singular means just one («singular» has «single» inside it). Most nouns just add -s: cat, cats. But after s, x, z, ch and sh you ad…», reached through the same lesson line as the sentence the question matched. What matched: it fills the role the question asks for (+4); the same doer «plural» (+3). · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics
This page in Markdown → https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/school-run/english/6-spelling-plurals/