Identify the plural form of the following noun: city [Intermediate]
A. cities B. citys C. citiez D. None of the above
The correct answer and explanation is:
The correct answer is A. cities.
To form the plural of most nouns in English, the standard rule is to add -s to the singular form. However, for words ending in -y that are preceded by a consonant, the -y changes to -ies. In this case, the word “city” ends in -y and is preceded by the consonant -t, so the plural form becomes cities.
Let’s break down the options:
- A. cities: This is the correct plural form. As mentioned earlier, when a word ends with -y and is preceded by a consonant, we replace the -y with -ies to form the plural.
- B. citys: This is incorrect because we don’t simply add -s when a word ends in -y with a preceding consonant. Instead, the -y must change to -ies.
- C. citiez: This is incorrect because -z is not the correct plural ending in English. Pluralizing words like “city” requires the -ies ending, not -iez.
- D. None of the above: This is incorrect because option A, cities, is indeed the right plural form.
The rule for pluralizing nouns ending in -y is a part of the broader set of rules for regular noun pluralization. However, it’s important to note that this rule applies only when the -y is preceded by a consonant. If the word ends in -y but is preceded by a vowel (like “boy” or “day”), the plural is formed by simply adding -s: boys, days.