A1 · Beginner · Practice

Singular and Plural Nouns + There is / There are: A1 Exercises

60 exercises · 20 multiple choice · 20 fill in the blank · 20 word ordering

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Most English plurals are made by adding -s, which is the easy part. The difficulty lives in the spelling changes that follow certain endings — a noun ending in -ch, -sh, -s, -x or -z takes -es; a consonant plus -y becomes -ies; several nouns ending in -f swap it for -ves — and in the handful of irregular plurals that change their vowel instead: man becomes men, foot becomes feet, child becomes children.

The second half of this set is there is and there are, because the plural you have just formed decides which one the sentence needs. There is a chair and there are chairs are the same structure with the verb agreeing with what follows it. These sixty exercises drill the spelling rules, the irregulars, and the agreement that connects the two halves of the topic.

60 exercises in this set

3 question types

~25 minutes to finish

80% to pass

What these exercises drill

Every question in this set tests one of the rules below. If any of them is unfamiliar, read the Singular and Plural Nouns + There is / There are lesson first — practice before the rule is understood mostly teaches you your own guesses.

Most nouns add -s to form the plural; nouns ending in -s, -sh, -ch, -x or -o add -es.
Nouns ending in consonant + y change y to -ies; nouns ending in -f or -fe often change to -ves.
Some everyday nouns are irregular and must be memorised.
Use there is with singular nouns and there are with plural nouns to say what exists.

Practise Singular and Plural Nouns + There is / There are now

Answer at your own pace — nothing is timed and nothing is submitted. Each answer is marked the moment you give it, the explanation appears whether you were right or wrong, and the progress bar tracks all 60. Your score is saved in this browser, and to your account if you are signed in.

Multiple choice questions

Choose the correct answer.

One box, two ___.boxs · boxes · boxies · box
One baby, three ___.babys · babyes · babies · babyies
One child, four ___.childs · childes · childrens · children
One knife, two ___.knifes · knives · knifs · knive
One watch, several ___.watchs · watches · watchies · watchs'
One foot, two ___.foots · feets · feet · footes
One day, seven ___.daies · dayes · days · day's
___ a letter for you on the table.There are · There is · There have · It is
___ three people waiting outside.There is · There are · There has · It is
One person, many ___.persons · people · peoples · personnes
How many ___ are in your team?woman · womans · women · womens
___ any milk in the fridge?Are there · Is there · There is · Have there
One tomato, three ___.tomatos · tomatoes · tomatoies · tomato
There ___ two supermarkets in this street.is · are · has · have
One sheep, five ___.sheeps · sheepes · sheep · shepes
Which sentence is correct?There are a problem. · There is a problem. · There have a problem. · It has a problem there.
One leaf, many ___.leafs · leaves · leafes · leavs
___ a lot of traffic this morning.There were · There are · There was · There have
One bus, two ___.bus · busses only · buses · busies
How many ___ are there in the flat?room · rooms · roomes · roomies

Fill-in-the-blank questions

Type the missing word.

I bought three __________ at the market. (peach)
There are two __________ in this building. (library)
My grandmother has six __________. (grandchild)
Please put the __________ back in the drawer. (knife)
There __________ a small café at the end of the street.
There __________ four bedrooms in the new flat.
How many __________ work in your department? (person)
The baby has tiny __________. (foot)
The old barn is full of __________. (mouse)
I need to buy two __________ of bread. (loaf)
There __________ any sugar left in the jar.
The garden is full of yellow __________. (butterfly)
There __________ two men waiting at reception.
She washed all the __________ after dinner. (dish)
Our team has four __________ this season. (match)
How many __________ do you brush every day? (tooth)
There __________ a lovely park near our house.
I put the books on the top two __________. (shelf)
There __________ some interesting shops in the old town.
The farmer keeps about fifty __________ on his land. (goose)

Sentence structure: word ordering

Put the words in the correct order.

Say how many coffee shops there are near you.There / are / three / cafés / in / our / street.
Describe one building near a transport hub.There / is / a / bank / next / to / the / station.
Say where your family's young ones are educated.My / children / go / to / the / same / school.
Describe a purchase using a plural container word.We / bought / two / boxes / of / chocolates.
Ask whether places are still available.Are / there / any / seats / left?
State a fact about the calendar.There / are / twelve / months / in / a / year.
Say where cutlery is kept, using an irregular plural.The / knives / are / in / the / top / drawer.
Ask a stranger about one shop nearby.Is / there / a / pharmacy / near / here?
Describe some people outside, using an irregular plural.Two / women / were / waiting / at / the / door.
Explain a limitation of the late-night transport.There / are / no / buses / after / midnight.
Say what vegetables a dish requires.I / need / three / potatoes / for / this / recipe.
Report one fault in a building.There / is / a / problem / with / the / heating.
Ask about population, using the plural of person.How / many / people / live / in / your / town?
Describe the autumn, using an irregular plural.The / leaves / fall / in / October / here.
Tell somebody where food has been left.There / are / some / sandwiches / in / the / kitchen.
Complain about a body part, using an irregular plural.My / feet / hurt / after / the / long / walk.
Explain why you were late, using an uncountable noun.There / was / a / lot / of / traffic / yesterday.
Describe who lives in a block of flats.We / have / two / families / in / this / building.
Ask about a countable food item at home.Are / there / any / eggs / in / the / fridge?
Describe a limitation of a house's first floor.There / is / only / one / bathroom / upstairs.

Show the answer key for all 60 exercises

Every answer with the reason behind it. Read the explanation for the ones you got right as well — that is where you find out whether you were right for the right reason.

Multiple choice questions — answers

1. One box, two ___. → boxes: Nouns ending in -x take -es in the plural, because -xs is unpronounceable in English.
2. One baby, three ___. → babies: A consonant plus -y becomes -ies: baby, babies.
3. One child, four ___. → children: Children is an irregular plural and never takes an extra -s.
4. One knife, two ___. → knives: Several nouns ending in -fe swap it for -ves: knife, knives; wife, wives; life, lives.
5. One watch, several ___. → watches: Nouns ending in -ch take -es so the plural can be pronounced as a separate syllable.
6. One foot, two ___. → feet: Feet is an irregular plural formed by a vowel change rather than an ending.
7. One day, seven ___. → days: A vowel plus -y simply takes -s: day, days; boy, boys; key, keys.
8. ___ a letter for you on the table. → There is: One letter is singular, so the sentence needs there is.
9. ___ three people waiting outside. → There are: Three people is plural, so there are is required.
10. One person, many ___. → people: People is the everyday plural of person. Persons survives only in legal English.
11. How many ___ are in your team? → women: Women is the irregular plural of woman, formed by changing the vowel sound.
12. ___ any milk in the fridge? → Is there: Milk is uncountable and therefore singular, so the question begins with is there.
13. One tomato, three ___. → tomatoes: Some nouns ending in -o take -es: tomatoes, potatoes, heroes.
14. There ___ two supermarkets in this street. → are: Two supermarkets is plural, so the verb is are.
15. One sheep, five ___. → sheep: Sheep, fish and deer keep the same form in the plural.
16. Which sentence is correct? → There is a problem.: A problem is singular, so the verb is is.
17. One leaf, many ___. → leaves: Leaf, shelf, half and wolf all change -f to -ves in the plural.
18. ___ a lot of traffic this morning. → There was: Traffic is uncountable and singular, so the past form here is there was.
19. One bus, two ___. → buses: A noun ending in -s takes -es, giving buses with one s in British and American English alike.
20. How many ___ are there in the flat? → rooms: How many is followed by a countable plural, and room takes a simple -s.

Fill-in-the-blank questions — answers

1. I bought three ___ at the market. (peach) → peaches: A noun ending in -ch takes -es so the plural forms a separate syllable.
2. There are two ___ in this building. (library) → libraries: A consonant plus -y becomes -ies in the plural.
3. My grandmother has six ___. (grandchild) → grandchildren: Child and its compounds are irregular: children, grandchildren.
4. Please put the ___ back in the drawer. (knife) → knives: Knife changes -fe to -ves in the plural.
5. There ___ a small café at the end of the street. → is: A café is one singular thing, so the sentence takes is.
6. There ___ four bedrooms in the new flat. → are: Four bedrooms is plural, so the verb is are.
7. How many ___ work in your department? (person) → people: People is the ordinary plural of person in everyday English.
8. The baby has tiny ___. (foot) → feet: Feet is an irregular plural formed by a vowel change.
9. The old barn is full of ___. (mouse) → mice: Mice is an irregular plural formed by a vowel change, like feet and teeth.
10. I need to buy two ___ of bread. (loaf) → loaves: Loaf changes -f to -ves, like leaf, half and shelf.
11. There ___ any sugar left in the jar. → isn't: Sugar is uncountable and singular, so the negative is isn't.
12. The garden is full of yellow ___. (butterfly) → butterflies: A consonant plus -y becomes -ies.
13. There ___ two men waiting at reception. → are: Men is a plural noun, so it takes are.
14. She washed all the ___ after dinner. (dish) → dishes: A noun ending in -sh takes -es.
15. Our team has four ___ this season. (match) → matches: Nouns ending in -ch add -es in the plural.
16. How many ___ do you brush every day? (tooth) → teeth: Teeth is irregular, formed by changing the vowel rather than adding an ending.
17. There ___ a lovely park near our house. → is: One park is singular, so the verb is is.
18. I put the books on the top two ___. (shelf) → shelves: Shelf changes -f to -ves in the plural.
19. There ___ some interesting shops in the old town. → are: Shops is a countable plural, so it takes are even after some.
20. The farmer keeps about fifty ___ on his land. (goose) → geese: Geese is another irregular plural formed by a vowel change.

Sentence structure: word ordering — answers

1. Say how many coffee shops there are near you. → There are three cafés in our street.: Say how many coffee shops there are near you.
2. Describe one building near a transport hub. → There is a bank next to the station.: Describe one building near a transport hub.
3. Say where your family's young ones are educated. → My children go to the same school.: Say where your family's young ones are educated.
4. Describe a purchase using a plural container word. → We bought two boxes of chocolates.: Describe a purchase using a plural container word.
5. Ask whether places are still available. → Are there any seats left?: Ask whether places are still available.
6. State a fact about the calendar. → There are twelve months in a year.: State a fact about the calendar.
7. Say where cutlery is kept, using an irregular plural. → The knives are in the top drawer.: Say where cutlery is kept, using an irregular plural.
8. Ask a stranger about one shop nearby. → Is there a pharmacy near here?: Ask a stranger about one shop nearby.
9. Describe some people outside, using an irregular plural. → Two women were waiting at the door.: Describe some people outside, using an irregular plural.
10. Explain a limitation of the late-night transport. → There are no buses after midnight.: Explain a limitation of the late-night transport.
11. Say what vegetables a dish requires. → I need three potatoes for this recipe.: Say what vegetables a dish requires.
12. Report one fault in a building. → There is a problem with the heating.: Report one fault in a building.
13. Ask about population, using the plural of person. → How many people live in your town?: Ask about population, using the plural of person.
14. Describe the autumn, using an irregular plural. → The leaves fall in October here.: Describe the autumn, using an irregular plural.
15. Tell somebody where food has been left. → There are some sandwiches in the kitchen.: Tell somebody where food has been left.
16. Complain about a body part, using an irregular plural. → My feet hurt after the long walk.: Complain about a body part, using an irregular plural.
17. Explain why you were late, using an uncountable noun. → There was a lot of traffic yesterday.: Explain why you were late, using an uncountable noun.
18. Describe who lives in a block of flats. → We have two families in this building.: Describe who lives in a block of flats.
19. Ask about a countable food item at home. → Are there any eggs in the fridge?: Ask about a countable food item at home.
20. Describe a limitation of a house's first floor. → There is only one bathroom upstairs.: Describe a limitation of a house's first floor.

The errors these questions are built to catch

There is three chairs in the room.

There are three chairs in the room.

Three chairs is plural, so the verb must be are.
I saw two childs at the bus stop.

I saw two children at the bus stop.

Child has an irregular plural: children.
She has three baby.

She has three babies.

Consonant + y becomes -ies in the plural.

After this set

Once plurals are secure, the next question is which nouns can be made plural at all — the countable and uncountable distinction that decides whether a noun takes -s, a, some or a unit word.