---
title: "Irregular Plurals and Collective Nouns"
description: "Form and use irregular plural nouns (e.g., children, teeth, mice, geese) in addition to regular plurals, recognising that some nouns have irregular plural forms that do not follow the -s/-es pattern"
canonical: https://lightmysky.com/learn/english/irregular-plurals-and-collective-nouns-mt_nFBLNoChD0
source: https://lightmysky.com/learn/english/irregular-plurals-and-collective-nouns-mt_nFBLNoChD0.md
retrieved: 2026-09-12
---

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# Irregular Plurals and Collective Nouns

Form and use irregular plural nouns (e.g., children, teeth, mice, geese) in addition to regular plurals, recognising that some nouns have irregular plural forms that do not follow the -s/-es pattern

Subject: English · Area: Grammar & Punctuation · Ages 7 to 9
Page: https://lightmysky.com/learn/english/irregular-plurals-and-collective-nouns-mt_nFBLNoChD0

## Ready when they can

- Form and use irregular plural nouns correctly (e.g. child→children, tooth→teeth, mouse→mice, goose→geese)
- Identify collective nouns that name a group (e.g. 'a flock of birds', 'a group of children', 'a pack of wolves')
- Correct over-regularised plurals in writing (e.g. change 'mouses' to 'mice', 'foots' to 'feet')

## Lesson: Irregular Plurals: Not Just Adding -s

You already know that most nouns add -s or -es to become plural, like cat turns into cats. But a few nouns break that rule. They change into a whole new word instead.

**Example.** One goose swims alone, but many geese swim together. The word does not just get an -s. It changes shape completely.

*(drawing: One child, many children. No -s at the end.)*

**Tip.** Watch out for over-regularising. Do not say mouses, childs, or foots. The right words are mice, children, and feet.

Some words also name a whole group at once. A flock of birds, a pack of wolves, and a group of children are all collective nouns. They talk about many as if they were one thing.

**Recap.** Some nouns change completely instead of adding -s, like child to children and mouse to mice, so learn them by heart, and remember a group of things can have its own special name too.

## Practice

24 questions on this page, each with its working shown.

## Needs first

- [Regular Plural Nouns](https://lightmysky.com/learn/english/regular-plural-nouns-mt_18qkgxr_-T)

## Opens up

- [Apostrophes for possession (age 7+)](https://lightmysky.com/learn/english/apostrophes-for-possession-age-7-mt_HdI1y5KsBl)