plural
gb/plˈʊɹəl/ us/plˈʊɹəl/
A2
English
~ 9300
többes számú, többes szám, többes alak, plurális, pluralista, sokszínű
A2
TECHNICAL
1
többes számú
B1
Usage pattern:
plural [noun]
In English, most plural nouns are made by adding -s or -es.
Az angolban a legtöbb főnév többes számát -s vagy -es hozzáadásával képezzük.
The verb must be in the plural form to match the subject.
Az igének többes számú alakban kell állnia, hogy egyezzen az alannyal.
Use a plural pronoun when you are talking about more than one person.
The teacher asked us to underline all the plural nouns in the text.
Many languages have special plural endings for feminine nouns.
Learner examples
Children is a plural word.
A „children” többes számú szó.
We use plural nouns for more than one thing.
Többes számú főneveket használunk, ha egynél több dologról beszélünk.
These are plural forms of the words.
Put the verb in the plural form.
He wrote three plural sentences in his notebook.
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes say *"two cat"* instead of using the plural form *"two cats"*. Another common mistake is calling a word *"a plural"* when they mean *"a plural noun"* or *"a plural form"*. Also, some learners confuse "plural" with "many" and try to use it before a noun like an article (e.g., *"a plural cats"*), which is incorrect; "plural" here is an adjective describing the grammatical form, not the quantity in real life.
Meaning
showing more than one (grammar)
Collocations
plural noun
|plural form
|plural verb
|plural ending
|plural pronoun
|regular plural
Synonyms
multiple (General word for more than one; not limited to grammar like "plural" is.)
|
more than one (Informal descriptive phrase used instead of the technical term "plural".)
Antonyms
singular (Refers to exactly one in grammar, the opposite of plural.)
Themes
language
|education
|communication
|core_vocabulary
Definition
Describes a word form that means there is more than one person or thing.
Relating to a grammatical form that refers to more than one person, thing, or instance.
NOUN
A2
TECHNICAL
2
többes szám
B1
többes alak
B2
Usage pattern:
the plural of [singular noun]
The plural of "child" is "children", not "childs".
A „child” többes száma „children”, nem „childs”.
Students often forget that the plural of "person" is "people".
A diákok gyakran elfelejtik, hogy a „person” többes száma „people”.
What is the plural of this noun?
Some languages have more than one plural for the same word.
You need to learn the irregular plurals separately.
Learner examples
The plural of "man" is "men".
A „man” többes száma „men”.
What is the plural of "mouse"?
Mi a „mouse” többes száma?
The plural of "book" is "books".
We learned ten new plurals today.
This table shows the singular and the plural of each word.
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes say *"the plurals form"* instead of *"the plural form"*. They may also confuse spelling and pronunciation in irregular plurals, for example saying *"childs"* or *"mouses"* instead of *"children"* and *"mice"*. Another issue is mixing up the noun "plural" with the adjective, e.g., saying *"this is plural"* when they mean *"this is a plural"* (a plural form).
Meaning
word form for more than one
Collocations
the plural of
|irregular plural
|regular plural
|make the plural
|form the plural
|collective plural
Synonyms
plural form (More explicit phrase; clearly highlights that it is one particular grammatical form.)
Antonyms
singular (The word form used for exactly one person or thing, the opposite number to the plural.)
Themes
language
|education
|communication
|core_vocabulary
Definition
The way a word changes to show there is more than one person or thing.
The form of a word that is used to refer to more than one person, thing, or instance.
C1
FORMAL
3
Usage pattern:
a plural [society/system/tradition]
The country developed as a highly plural society with many ethnic and religious groups.
Az ország rendkívül plurális társadalommá fejlődött, sok etnikai és vallási csoporttal.
Plural legal systems can recognize both state law and traditional law at the same time.
A plurális jogrendszerek egyszerre ismerhetik el az állami jogot és a szokásjogot.
A truly plural democracy must give voice to all major social groups.
Her research focuses on how plural communities manage conflict between different traditions.
Learner examples
They live in a very plural society.
Nagyon sokszínű társadalomban élnek.
A plural community includes many different groups.
Egy sokszínű közösség sok különböző csoportot foglal magában.
Some countries have a plural legal system.
The book talks about plural cultures in one city.
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes confuse this formal sense of "plural" with the grammatical sense and think it must always refer to words. In expressions like "a plural society", it does not mean the society is grammatically plural; it means the society includes many different groups.
Meaning
having several groups or kinds
Collocations
plural society
|plural community
|plural legal system
|plural marriage
|plural traditions
Synonyms
diverse (General word for having variety; "plural" is more formal and often used in social or political analysis.)
|
multicultural (Focuses on different cultures specifically, while "plural" can refer to different groups or types more broadly.)
Antonyms
homogeneous (Describes something made up of one main type or group, the opposite of a plural or diverse structure.)
Themes
society
|politics
|culture
|core_vocabulary
|relationships
|education
Definition
Having many different groups or kinds inside one society, system, or situation.
Consisting of or involving more than one distinct group, element, or kind, especially in a social, cultural, or institutional context.
Grammar
Dictionary form
plural
IPA
GB/plˈʊɹəl/
US/plˈʊɹəl/
Syllables & stress
plur - al (2 syllables)
Stress on 1st syllable (plur)
Word forms
Adjective
- Base: plural
Noun
- Base: plural
- Plural: plurals
Word family
Forms
plurals
noun
Related words
pluralize
verb
Negative and opposite forms
singular
adjective B2
Advanced or less common
pluralization
noun
plurality
noun
Expressions
in the plural
1/ˈɪn ðə plˈʊɹəl/
fixed phrase
technical
using a word in plural form
Using a word in its plural form, not its singular form.
Examples
- The noun "fish" can be used in the plural to talk about many fish of the same kind.
- These pronouns are only used in the plural, not in the singular.
- In this exercise, rewrite each sentence in the plural.
plural noun
1/plˈʊɹəl nˈaʊn/
fixed phrase
technical
a noun in plural form
A noun that is in the form used for more than one person or thing.
Examples
- "Dogs" is a plural noun, but "dog" is singular.
- In English, a plural noun usually takes a plural verb.
- The worksheet asks students to change each singular noun into a plural noun.
singular and plural
1/sˈɪŋɡjəlɚ ˈænd plˈʊɹəl/
fixed phrase
technical
the two basic number forms
The two basic forms of a word: one for one thing (singular) and one for more than one thing (plural).
Examples
- The chart shows the singular and plural of fifty common nouns.
- Children often learn singular and plural forms at the same time.
- Please write the singular and plural of each adjective in the table.