Singular and Plural Noun Activities | Noun Worksheets & Lesson Plans

Do you want some fresh, new ideas for singular and plural nouns? Then you’ll definitely want to check out these plural noun games and singular noun activities, along with worksheets, lesson plans, online practice resources and more.

ESL Singular and Plural Noun Activities and Games

Without further ado, let’s get into the best singular plural nouns games and activities that you can try out with your English learners today.

#1: Plural Nouns Crossword

One of the best activities for plural nouns is to make up a crossword puzzle. My go-to resource is Discovery.com’s Puzzlemaker. Use the singular noun for the clues but the plural noun in the answers. Yes, it really is that easy!

#2: Concentration ESL Memory Game

If you’re teaching absolute beginners about singular and plural nouns for the first time, then you may want to consider trying out concentration. The way it works is that you make matching cards with the singular and then the plural version of the same word.

In groups of 4, students mix them up and place them face down on the desk. Then, they take turns picking two cards to see if they match. Find out how to set it up and play this ESL memory game here:

Concentration ESL Game.

#3: Dictogloss

If you want to challenge the listening skills of your students, then consider trying out Dictogloss. Besides listening, you can choose to focus on either speaking or writing.

The way it works is that you find (or write) a passage filled with the target vocabulary. In this case, it might have lots of plural nouns for example. Then, put students into pairs and read it out at a faster than normal pace. Students take notes on what they’ve heard and try to recreate it by either speaking or writing. Read it again and students add to what they have. Finally, they can compare their version with the original.

Do you want to try it out with your students? Find out all the details you need to know here: Dictogloss.

#4: Flashcard Sentences

If you teach beginners, then consider bringing some flashcards to class with you. In my opinion, they are one of the most under-utilized teaching resources out there! In this case, have a mix of singular nouns and plural nouns. Then, show each student a card and they have to make a sentence.

That’s just one very simple example, but there are lots of other games you could consider too. Here are some of my favourites: ESL Flashcard Games.

#5: Singular and Plural Noun Videos

Sometimes I get the feeling that my students are tired of hearing me talk! Is that the case for you? Yes? Well, then you might consider using some videos in your class instead of lecturing all the time. In this case, there are a ton of excellent videos to teach singular plural nouns. Have a look on YouTube for so many good ones to choose from.

#6: Proof-Reading and Editing

It’s often not until students see something in writing, or have to write it themselves that they get a grasp on it. In this case, one activity I like to use to reinforce key grammatical concepts is proofreading.

For beginners, make a passage or dialogue filled with errors that are related to a certain topic. In this case, the errors would be related to plural or singular nouns. More advanced students can often handle a wider variety of errors, from spelling to grammar and punctuation.

Students have to correct the passage and I usually tell them how many mistakes they can expect to find. Do you want to give it a try with your English learners? Find out more here: ESL Proofreading Activity.

#7: Picture Prompt ESL Warmer

One easy, fun way to introduce singular and plural nouns is to use a picture filled with lots of interesting things. Then, elicit from the students what they see. They may say dog. If there’s more than one dog, ask how many. The students may say two dog. Then, you could correct them and say two dogs?

See where I’m going with this? It’s kind of the ultimate way to introduce plural nouns to beginners. More recommendations here:

ESL Picture Prompt Activity.

#8: Clothing + Plural and Singular Nouns

The clothes unit is definitely one that lends itself well to singular and plural. For example, we always say pair of pants, instead of pant. Or, a glove vs. gloves.

For some of the best ideas on how to teach about clothing, you’ll want to take a look at the following resource: ESL Clothing Activities and Games. 

#9: Singular and Plural Nouns Songs

If you teach kids, consider incorporating some songs and chants into your lesson. Not great at singing? Don’t worry about it. There are a million and one resources on YouTube for just about any topic or grammar point, including plural nouns.

#10: Whiteboard Games and Activities

I’m not sure why, but students seem to love writing on the whiteboard! Take advantage of this because there are a ton of fun relay type ESL games that you can play. And, many of them work very well with teaching plural nouns. One simple game is to say the singular noun of something and students have to race to write the correct plural form.

There are way more ideas here: ESL Whiteboard Games.

#11: Is that Sentence Correct?

I love to use this simple warm-up activity in the next class after I’ve taught singular and plural nouns. The way it works is that you write some sentences on the whiteboard. Some are correct while others are not. Students have to choose the incorrect ones and then fix them.

More details about this error correction activity here: Is that Sentence Correct?

#12: Brochure Scanning

A quick reading activity that you can use to introduce plural and singular nouns is brochure scanning. Find a brochure or menu of some kind. Then, have students quickly scan through it and make a list of 5-10 (depends on the length of the brochure) singular nouns and then the same amount of plural nouns.

Find out more details here: ESL Scanning Activity.

#13: Quantifiers and Singular/Plural Nouns

Quantifiers like some, any, much, many are a natural fit with singular and plural nouns and they’re in fact often taught together in many ESL textbooks. If you want some of the best ideas for teaching about quantifiers, then you’ll want to check this out:

ESL Quantifier Activities

#14: Countable and Uncountable Noun Activities

Singular and plural nouns are closely related to countable and uncountable nouns. For example, an uncountable nouns like pollution or air will never be made plural.

For some of the best ideas for these kinds of nouns, you’ll want to take a look at this:

ESL Countable and Uncountable Nouns.

#15: Body Parts and Singular/Plural Nouns

Body parts is another one of those topics that is often combined with plural and singular nouns. Things like legs, fingers, toes, etc. lend themselves very well to making plurals.

Do you want to see some of our top ideas for this unit? Then you’ll want to check out the following:

ESL Body Part Activities and Games.

#16: The Memory Circle

A fun memory game to help your students out with plural nouns is this memory circle game. Give students a topic. Animals for example. Then, the first student make a sentence using a plural nouns: I have 2 dogs.

The next student has to say that first sentence and then add their own. He has 2 dogs and there are 6 elephants at the zoo. The game continues on until someone can’t remember something. They are out and the game continues on until the last person is left standing. I recommend that the teacher take notes about the additions unless you have a freakishly good memory!

#17: ESL Vocabulary Auction

Although this ESL vocabulary and sentence building game does require a bit of prep, I find that it’s totally worth it. In this case, you’d want to make some sentences with both plural and singular nouns. Then, cut up the sentences into words and students have to bid on words that they think can help them form the maximum amount of sentences. After that, there’s some trading time with other teams.

Finally, students make sentences and the team who can make the most is the winner. Do you want to try it out? See more details here: ESL Vocabulary Auction.

#18: Dialogue Substitution 

#19: Eliciting Singular and Plural Noun Activity

Unless you’re teaching absolute beginners, it’s likely that your students already know a fair amount about how to make singular nouns plural. If this is the case, I like to elicit some information from my students about how to do this.

Doing this serves two purposes. The first is that it’s easy to see what my students already know and also where their knowledge gaps are so that I can target my lesson more appropriately to that. Secondly, it helps to activate the students’ prior knowledge so that it’s easier for them to retain the new information. Find out how to do it here:

How to Elicit Language from English Learners.

#20: Dictation, a Singular and Plural Nouns Activity

Dictation has kind of fallen out of favour these days as the more communicative style of teaching is all the rage. However, it can still be quite a valuable exercise.

In this case, say a sentence that has either singular or plural nouns or both. Students have to write down what they hear, using correct punctuation and spelling. Check the answers together with the class.

#21: Running Dictation

Did you Like these Plural Activities for ESL?

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You can get these ESL grammar activities book in both digital and print formats. Keep a copy on the bookshelf in your office and use it as a handy reference guide when making your lesson plans. Or, take the digital copy with you on your phone to your favourite coffee shop for some serious lesson planning on the go.

Yes, it really is that easy! Check out the book for yourself on Amazon, but only if you want a serious dose of ESL teaching awesome in your life:

Singular and Plural Nouns ESL Lesson Plans

Are you a busy teacher who doesn’t have time to always plan lessons? Then we have some good news for you! There are a ton of excellent singular and plural lesson plans that you can just print off and use. Here are some of the best resources out there:

TEFL Handbook

Education.com

Study.com

Plural and Singular Worksheets

Why reinvent the wheel if you don’t have to, right? The better idea is to borrow some ideas from teachers who’ve gone before you. In this case, there are lots of great worksheets to help your students practice plural nouns and singular nouns. Here are some of our top picks:

ISL Collective

All Things Grammar

Busy Teacher

Online Practice for Plural and Singular Nouns

If your students need a little bit more practice with plural and singular, then you may want to recommend some of the following online practice resources:

Agenda Web

My English Pages

Roy the Zebra

Singular and Plural Noun FAQS

There are a number of common questions that people have about these kinds of nouns. Here are the answers to some of the most popular ones.

What is a singular and plural noun?

A singular noun is one person, place, thing or idea. A plural noun is more than one of these things. There are a few specific rules to remember to make singular nouns plural.

How do you teach singular nouns to plural?

Here are a few hints to teach students how to make singular nouns into their plural form:

• The spelling of the singular nouns will be your guide as to how to form the plural.
• Add s/es to the end of most singular nouns to make them plural.
• There are some exceptions (foot—>feet, mice—>mouse, half—>halves).
• Some nouns the same for both singular and plural (deer).

How to teach singular plural nouns ESL?

To teach singular and plural nouns to ESL students, first show them the forms and rules for making plurals, along with a few exceptions. Then, use a variety of interactive and student-centred ESL games and activities for students to get some practice, including running dictation, dictogloss, videos, reading and listening passages, concentration, flashcard games, and more.

Have your say about these Singular and Plural Activities

What’s your top pick for activities to teach singular and plural nouns? Is it one of them from this list or do you have another that you’d like to recommend? Leave a comment below and let us know what you think. We’d love to hear from you.

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Last update on 2022-01-23 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API