The plural form of the noun “witness” is witnesses. Witnesses refer to individuals who provide testimony or evidence about an event, particularly in legal contexts.
However, This guide will explain the grammatical rules governing this pluralization, including its usage in different contexts.
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Contents
Grammatical Rules For Pluralization
1. Regular Plurals
Most nouns form their plural form by simply adding “-s” to the end.
Let’s check out some Examples:
- cat – cats
- dog – dogs
- book – books
2. Nouns Ending in “s,” “x,” “ch,” “sh,” or “z”
For nouns that end in these letters, you’ll need to add “-es” to form the plural.
Here are some Examples:
- bus – buses
- box – boxes
- church – churches
3. Nouns Ending in “y”
If the “y” is preceded by a consonant, change the “y” to “i” and add “-es.”
For instance:
- city – cities
- country – countries
However, if the “y” is preceded by a vowel, simply add “-s.”:
- boy – boys
- toy – toys
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4. Nouns Ending in “f” or “fe”
Also, many nouns ending in “f” or “fe” form their plurals by changing the “f” or “fe” to “ves.”:
- leaf – leaves
- knife – knives
However, there are exceptions to every rule, some nouns ending in “f” or “fe” simply add “-s.”:
- roof – roofs
- chief – chiefs
5. Irregular Plurals
Some nouns also have irregular plural forms as they do not follow the standard rules:
- child – children
- man – men
- woman – women
Are There Any Exceptions To The Plural Noun Rule?
While most nouns follow the simple rule of adding “-s” to form the plural, there are some words that don’t follow this pattern.
1. Irregular Plurals:
Irregular plurals are nouns that don’t follow the standard rule of adding “-s” or “-es” to form the plural.
They have unique ways of becoming plural:
- Child becomes children.
- Man becomes men.
- Woman becomes women.
- Tooth becomes teeth.
- Foot becomes feet.
- Goose becomes geese.
- Mouse becomes mice.
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2. Compound Nouns:
Compound nouns are words made up of two or more words. The plural form of compound nouns can sometimes be difficult.
- Sister-in-law becomes sisters-in-law.
- Passerby becomes passersby.
- Cupful becomes cupfuls.
How Can I Use “Witnesses” In A Sentence?
You can use the word “witnesses” in different sentences like legal, everyday, historical, and religious contexts:
Here are some Examples:
- Multiple witnesses testified in court.
- The jury listened carefully to the witnesses’
- Witnesses to the accident described the chaos.
- The police interviewed several witnesses.
- Eyewitness witnesses provided valuable information.
- Historians often rely on the accounts of witnesses.
- Many witnesses saw the miracle.
- The apostles were the primary witnesses to Christ’s resurrection.