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Irregular Plurals- Stories

A LESSON PLAN FOR ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHERS

Oral storytelling practice of plurals which do and don't take regular forms, with cards at five levels from A1 to C1, and testing students on how well they remember the plurals that they just used.

By: Alex Case
Level: All Levels
Theme: Numbers
Study Area: Nouns
      Page: /

Lesson Plan Content:


Regular and irregular plurals storytelling game

 

Instructions for teachers

Cut up one pack of at least twenty or thirty cards per group of two to four students, with the plurals attached to the singular but folded behind, including some words which are lower than their level to make up the number. You can also make similar cards on the blank cards if there aren’t enough, but make sure that the vocabulary is suitable for storytelling.

Students spread the cards across the table singular side up, then take turns choosing a card and continuing the story with one or more of the things mentioned (e.g. adding “a soldier” to the story or adding “three soldiers” to the story). They can turn the card over to check the plural if they aren’t sure. After they finish, test them on their memories of the plurals and/ or ask them to test each other orally.

 

Cards to cut up/ Suggested answers

Elementary

boy

boys

child

children

foot

feet

leg

legs

king

kings

man

men

person

people

adult

adults

policeman

policemen

soldier

soldiers

postman

postmen

bus driver

bus drivers

princess

princesses

schoolchild

schoolchildren

woman

women

mother

mothers

 

 

 

 

 

Pre-Intermediate

daughter

daughters

fish

fish

knife

knives

lip

lips

mouse

mice

rat

rats

sword

swords

tooth

teeth

turtle

turtles

wife

wives

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Intermediate

cookie

cookies

criminal

criminals

loaf

loaves

thief

thieves

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Upper Intermediate

alumnus

alumni

aircraft

aircraft

cow

cows

crisis

crises

deer

deer

swan

swans

factory

factories

fox

foxes

goose

geese

problem

problems

sheep

sheep

goat

goats

steelworks

steelworks

a third

two thirds

wolf

wolves

student

students

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Advanced

bacterium

bacteria

biceps

biceps

(blind) date

(blind) dates

(wild) boar

(wild) boar

calf

calves

caterpillar

caterpillars

criterion

criteria

diagnosis

diagnoses

elf

elves

faux pas

faux pas

flea

fleas

giraffe

giraffes

grouse

grouse

hoof

hooves

larva

larvae

louse

lice

virus

viruses

moose

moose

muscle

muscles

neurosis

neuroses

oasis

oases

lake

lakes

ox

oxen

pheasant

pheasants

prawn

prawns

puppy

puppies

rendezvous

rendezvous

salmon

salmon

sardine

sardines

spacecraft

spacecraft

species

species

squid

squid

starfish

starfish

UFO

UFOs

vertebra

vertebrae

rib

ribs

 

 

 

 

 

 

Without looking above, write the plurals in the gaps of the section or sections below that your teacher tells you to work on.

 

Elementary

boy

 

child

 

foot

 

leg

 

king

 

man

 

person

 

adult

 

policeman

 

soldier

 

postman

 

bus driver

 

princess

 

schoolchild

 

woman

 

mother

 

 

Pre-Intermediate

daughter

 

fish

 

knife

 

lip

 

mouse

 

rat

 

sword

 

tooth

 

turtle

 

wife

 

 

Intermediate

cookie

 

criminal

 

loaf

 

thief

 

 

Upper Intermediate

alumnus

 

aircraft

 

cow

 

crisis

 

deer

 

swan

 

factory

 

fox

 

goose

 

problem

 

sheep

 

goat

 

steelworks

 

a third

 

wolf

 

student

 

 

Advanced

bacterium

 

biceps

 

(blind) date

 

(wild) boar

 

calf

 

caterpillar

 

criterion

 

diagnosis

 

elf

 

faux pas

 

flea

 

giraffe

 

grouse

 

hoof

 

larva

 

louse

 

virus

 

moose

 

muscle

 

neurosis

 

oasis

 

lake

 

ox

 

pheasant

 

prawn

 

puppy

 

rendezvous

 

salmon

 

sardine

 

spacecraft

 

species

 

squid

 

starfish

 

UFO

 

vertebra

 

rib

 

 

Check above. Other plurals might sometimes be possible, so please check if you wrote something different.

Try to find patterns in how regular plurals and made.

Are there any patterns in how irregular plurals are made?

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