By Naeemah Aliya Small
This is your top-trending, high-impact SEO tool designed to help you master the foundational keywords in the language — covering singulars, plurals, high-impact verbs, current tenses, and essential idioms. Whether you’re aiming for high scores on the TOEFL, advancing your skills for in-demand careers in NLP Data Science, or simply looking to improve your writing, these core essentials will provide you with the competitive edge needed to communicate clearly and confidently.
Singular
Plural
Verbs
Tense
Modal
Phrasal Verbs
Idioms
Other Notes
Key Guidelines for Tenses with Modals
Present Simple: Modal + base verb (e.g., She can swim).
Present Continuous: Modal + be + present participle (e.g., She might be swimming).
Present Perfect: Modal + have + past participle (e.g., She must have swum).
Present Perfect Continuous: Modal + have been + present participle (e.g., She could have been swimming).
Past Simple: Use past modal if available (e.g., She could swim) or equivalent (e.g., She had to swim).
Past Continuous: Past modal + be + present participle (e.g., She would be swimming).
Past Perfect: Past modal + have + past participle (e.g., She should have swum).
Past Perfect Continuous: Past modal + have been + present participle (e.g., She might have been swimming).
Future Simple: Will + modal equivalent if needed, but often “will + base” (e.g., She will be able to swim).
Future Continuous: Will be + present participle, with modal context (e.g., She will be having to swim — rare).
Future Perfect: Will have + past participle, with modal (e.g., She will have had to swim).
Future Perfect Continuous: Will have been + present participle, with modal (e.g., She will have been able to swim).
Phrasal verbs are verbs that consist of a base verb combined with one or more particles (prepositions or adverbs), often creating a meaning different from the original verb.
English Idioms Idioms are phrases or expressions whose meanings cannot be understood from the literal interpretation of the words.
Singular and Plural Forms of Common Nouns
In English, nouns typically form plurals by adding -s or -es (regular), but many have irregular forms (e.g., change vowels, add -en, or remain unchanged). Below is a table of 300 common nouns with their singular and plural forms. The list includes a mix of regular, irregular, and uncountable nouns (which often don’t have plural forms or use the same form). It’s alphabetized by singular form for easy reference. For uncountable nouns (e.g., “water”), plurals are noted as N/A or contextual (e.g., “waters” in specific senses like bodies of water).
For rules:
Regular: Add -s (e.g., cat → cats).
Ending in -s, -sh, -ch, -x, -z: Add -es (e.g., box → boxes).
Ending in consonant + y: Change y to ies (e.g., baby → babies).
Irregular: Memorize (e.g., man → men, foot → feet).
Uncountable: No plural or same form (e.g., furniture, information).
Rules for Irregular Plurals in English
English nouns typically form plurals by adding -s or -es (regular plurals), but irregular plurals deviate from these patterns due to historical, linguistic, or borrowed origins. Below, I’ll detail the main categories of irregular plural rules, with explanations, examples, and exceptions where relevant. These rules are not exhaustive, as English borrows from many languages, leading to variations. Use a dictionary for uncommon words.
1. Vowel Changes (Umlaut or Mutation)
Some Old English nouns change internal vowels to form plurals. This is called “umlaut” or vowel mutation.
Rule: The vowel in the singular form shifts (e.g., a to e, oo to ee, ou to i).
Common Patterns:
a → e: man → men, woman → women.
oo → ee: foot → feet, goose → geese, tooth → teeth.
ou → i: mouse → mice, louse → lice.
2. Adding -en or -ren
From Old English, some nouns add -en (or -ren for children).
Rule: Add -en to the singular; sometimes with vowel change.
Common Examples: Limited to a few words.
3. Unchanged Forms (Zero Plural)
Some nouns remain the same in singular and plural.
Rule: No change; often for animals, fish, or abstract concepts. Context determines singular/plural.
Subcategories:
Animals hunted/fished: deer, sheep, moose, fish (but fishes for types of fish).
Nationality endings in -ese: Chinese, Japanese.
Abstract/uncountable: aircraft, series, species, headquarters.
Others: trout, cod, salmon (fish species).
4. Borrowed from Latin, Greek, or Other Languages
English borrows plurals from classical languages, often retaining original forms (especially in formal/academic contexts). Regular -s forms are sometimes acceptable.
Rule: Follow the source language’s pluralization.
Latin Patterns:
-us → -i: cactus → cacti, fungus → fungi, nucleus → nuclei, stimulus → stimuli, radius → radii.
-um → -a: datum → data, medium → media, bacterium → bacteria, stratum → strata.
-a → -ae: formula → formulae (or formulas), larva → larvae.
-ix/-ex → -ices: index → indices, appendix → appendices.
Greek Patterns:
-on → -a: criterion → criteria, phenomenon → phenomena.
-is → -es: analysis → analyses, basis → bases, crisis → crises, thesis → theses, oasis → oases, parenthesis → parentheses.
5. Ending in -f or -fe: Change to -ves
From Old English, some change -f/fe to -ves.
Rule: Replace -f/fe with -ves.
6. Compound Nouns
Plurals depend on the main noun or structure.
Rule: Pluralize the principal word (often the last); if no noun, add -s.
Examples:
Hyphenated: mother-in-law → mothers-in-law, passer-by → passers-by.
No hyphen: spoonful → spoonfuls, forget-me-not → forget-me-nots.
Titles: attorney general → attorneys general.
Exceptions: If the compound is treated as a single unit, add -s (e.g., handful → handfuls).
7. Other Irregularities and Multiple Forms
People/Person: Person → people (general), persons (formal/legal).
Dwarf: Dwarfs or dwarves (dwarves popularized by Tolkien).
Penny: Pennies (coins), pence (value in UK).
Die: Dice (plural for gaming), dies (tools).
Hebrew Origins: Cherub → cherubim, seraph → seraphim.
Italian/French: Graffito → graffiti (unchanged), tempo → tempi.
General Tips
Context Matters: Some words change meaning in plural (e.g., good → goods for merchandise).
Uncountable Nouns: No plural (e.g., furniture, information, advice); use quantifiers like “pieces of furniture.”
Acronyms/Abbreviations: Usually add -s (e.g., CD → CDs).
Foreign Words: May retain original plural or anglicize (e.g., panino → panini).
Evolution: English is dynamic; consult current dictionaries (e.g., Oxford, Merriam-Webster) for variations between British/American English.
Tense

Verbs







Modal Verbs Tense

Semi-Modal


Phrasal Verbs


Idioms



Singular and Plural








Vowel Changes (Umlaut or Mutation) & Adding -en or -ren

Unchanged Forms (Zero Plural)

Borrowed from Latin, Greek, or Other Languages

Ending in -f or -fe: Change to -ves

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