The following table explains the use of final -s and -es.
| (a) SINGULAR: one bird (b) PLURAL: two birds, three birds, many birds, all birds, etc | SINGULAR = one, not two or more PLURAL = two, three, or more |
| (c) Birds sing. (d) A bird sings. | A plural noun ends in -s, as in (c) A singular verb ends in -s, as in (d). |
| (e) A bird sings outside my window. It sings loudly. Sally sings beautifully. She sings songs to her children. Steve sings very well. He sings in a chorus. | A singular verb follows a singular subject. Add -s to the simple present verb if tire subject is (1) a singular noun (e.g., a bird, Sally, Steve) or (2) he, she, or it* |
SPELLING OF FINAL -S/-ES
| (a) visit ——–> visits speak ——> speaks (b) ride ——–> rides write ——-> writes | Final -s, not -es, is added to most verbs. INCORRECT: visites, speakes Many verbs end in -e. Final -s is simply added. |
| (c) catch ——> catches wash ——> washes miss ——> misses fix ——> fixes buzz ——> buzzes | Final -es is added to words that end in -ch, -sh, -s, -x and -z. PRONUNCIATION NOTE: Final -es is pronounced /əz/ and adds a syllable. |
| (d) fly ——–> flies (e) pay ——-> pays | If a word ends in a consonant + -y, change the –y to -i and add -es. (INCORRECT: flys) If a word ends in a vowel + -y, simply add -s.* (INCORRECT: paies or payes) |
| (f) go ———> goes /ɡoʊz/ do ———> does /dəz/ have ——> has /hæz/ | The singular forms of the verbs go, do, and have are irregular. |
Download “Final -s in English Grammar Explanation” in PDF.
Download “Final -s in English Grammar Explanation” in PDF.
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