Question

Form the plural form of the noun: wife
(a)wives
(b)wive
(c)wifes
(d)none of the above

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. The word ‘wife’ is an irregular noun.
Now, let’s look at our available options:
(a)wives - This word is grammatically correct as it contains the correct suffix. This is the required answer. So, this is the correct option.
(b)wive - This word is grammatically incorrect, and no such word exists in the English language. This is not the required answer. So, this is an incorrect option.
(c)wifes - This word is grammatically incorrect, and no such word exists in the English language. This is not the required answer. So, this is an incorrect option.
(d)none of the above - This is an incorrect option as we have already found the correct answer from the above-given options. So, this is not the required answer.

Note: Check each option for the appropriate suffix. It is important for the suffix 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.