Question

Form the plural form of the noun: deer
(a) deers
(b) dears
(c) deeres
(d) deer

Answer 1

Hint: Each of the given options displays different spellings. Try to look for the correct suffix and its placement. Nouns can be converted into plural form by adding ‘-s’ or ‘-es’. They usually do not contain apostrophes.
Complete answer:
It is very necessary to understand the difference between singular and plural nouns. A singular noun only names one person, place, thing, or, idea, while a plural noun names multiple persons, places, things, and, ideas. A plural noun conveys that there is more than one of that particular noun. Usually, singular nouns are made plural by simply adding ‘-s’ or ‘-es’ at the end.

For example, the noun ‘book’ implies that there is only one book. It can be made plural by
just adding ‘-s’ at the end, i.e. ‘books’. Likewise, the noun ‘match’ can be made plural by
adding ‘-es’ at the end, i.e. ‘matches’.

However, there are some exceptions like ‘fish’ and ‘sheep’ which stay the same in their
plural and singular forms. Another one of these exceptions is the word ‘deer’.
Now, let’s look at our available options:
(a)deers - This word is made by adding the suffix ’s’ to the root word. Even though this is considered grammatically correct, this is not the correct plural form, as it is not widely accepted. This is not the required option. So, this is an incorrect option.
(b)dears - This is not the same root word that is given in the question. The word ‘dear’ is a term of endearment. This is not the plural form of ‘deer’. This is not the required answer. So, this is an incorrect option.
(c)deeres - This word is made by adding the suffix ‘es’ to the root word. This word is grammatically incorrect, so it is not the plural form of the given word. This is not the required answer. So, this is an incorrect option.
(d)deer - This word has the same spelling as the root word, however, this word is an exception to the plural rule. This is the plural form of the word ‘deer’. This is the required option. So, this is the correct option.
Note: Check each option for the appropriate suffix. The suffix needs to be grammatically correct. Then, check for any incorrect punctuation. The punctuation also
determines the correctness of the word. Accordingly, select the most appropriate option.