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# plural

noun (a plural, plurals; the plural); adjective (plural)

«plural» in the English dictionary: everyday and in Jewish tradition — its meanings, how the lessons use it, and examples, each with its tree on Mova.

## Everyday

1. Plural means more than one: «cats» is the plural of «cat». [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/plural/#m1)
2. The plural of a word is the form it takes when it means more than one. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/plural/#m2)
3. (formal) Plural can also mean having many kinds or groups living together, as in «a plural society». [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/plural/#m3)

### In the lessons

In English grammar lessons pupils learn plural rules: add «-s» (dog, dogs), add «-es» after s, x, z, ch, sh (box, boxes), change «y» to «ies» (baby, babies), «f» to «ves» (leaf, leaves), and learn irregular plurals (child – children, mouse – mice, foot – feet, sheep – sheep). Phrases: «singular and plural», «in the plural», «plural noun», «plural verb». In maths word problems, a plural noun shows there is more than one thing.

### Examples

- «Cats» is the plural of «cat». [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/plural/#x1)
- What is the plural of «mouse»? It is «mice». [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/plural/#x2)
- «Sheep» is the same in the singular and the plural. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/plural/#x3)
- Add «-es» to make the plural of «box». [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/plural/#x4)
- «We» and «they» are plural pronouns. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/plural/#x5)
- The plural of «baby» is «babies». [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/plural/#x6)
- Use a plural verb with a plural subject: «The dogs bark». [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/plural/#x7)
- The word «scissors» is always plural. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/plural/#x8)
- \[The word terem (plural terema) which occurs twice in this story (rendered the second time by "chamber") deserves a special notice. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/plural/#x9)

### Note

Opposite: «singular» (just one). Traps: «data» and «media» are old plurals; «news» looks plural but takes a singular verb («the news is good»). Some words have no plural («water», «furniture»). An apostrophe does not make a plural: write «apples», not «apple's». In maths problems, a plural word does not tell you how many; read the number.

## In Jewish tradition

Interpretation: Writers on Sefer Yetzirah note that the Hebrew word sefirot is a plural, "countings", and stress that Hebrew names often have plural forms with deeper meaning. In the primary lessons: In English grammar lessons pupils learn plural rules: add «-s» (dog, dogs), add «-es» after s, x, z, ch, sh (box, boxes), change «y» to «ies» (baby, babies), «f» to «ves» (leaf, leaves), and learn irregular plurals (child – children, mouse – mice, foot – feet, sheep – sheep). Phrases: «singular and plural», «in the plural», «plural noun», «plural verb». In maths word problems, a plural noun shows there is more than one thing.

### Examples

- Chiim, is the plural of Chi — living, or life. (Sefer Yetzirah, Westcott 1893) [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/judaism/P/plural/#x1)
- Frey in his dictionary gives ChHM as the plural word, lives, or vitae. (Sefer Yetzirah, Westcott 1893) [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/judaism/P/plural/#x2)
- The word sefirot by itself is the plural action noun of סָפַר safar 'to count', thus meaning literally 'countings'. (Sefer Yetzirah, Sefaria community translation) [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/judaism/P/plural/#x3)

### Note

Opposite: «singular» (just one). Traps: «data» and «media» are old plurals; «news» looks plural but takes a singular verb («the news is good»). Some words have no plural («water», «furniture»). An apostrophe does not make a plural: write «apples», not «apple's». In maths problems, a plural word does not tell you how many; read the number.

## On Mova

- [Trees and pragmatics of «plural» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/plural/): every meaning and example parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.
- [«plural» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/plural.html) on Mova free.
- [Trees and pragmatics of «plural» in the Judaism dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/judaism/P/plural/): every meaning and example parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.
- [«plural» in the Judaism dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/judaism/w/plural.html) on Mova free.