74. There are thirteen nouns ending in f and three in fe which form the plural in ves. They are:
| beef | beeves |
| calf | calves |
| elf | elves |
| half | halves |
| leaf | leaves |
| loaf | loaves |
| self | selves |
| sheaf | sheaves |
| shelf | shelves |
| staff | staves |
| thief | thieves |
| wharf | wharves |
| wolf | wolves |
| knife | knives |
| life | lives |
| wife | wives |
All other nouns in f or fe are regular; adding only s, to form the plural.
75. About forty nouns ending in o after a consonant form the plural in es. The most common ones are:
- buffalo
- cargo
- potato
- tomato
- negro
- veto
- cargo
- echo
- calico
- embargo
- hero
- mulatto
- mosquito
- motto
- tornado
- volcano
- torpedo
- flamingo
Most nouns ending in o form the plural regularly, adding only s, as pianos, banjos, cameos, etc.
76. A few words form their plurals by a change in the word and without adding s or es.
The most common of these words are:
| man | men |
| goose | geese |
| ox | oxen |
| woman | women |
| foot | feet |
| mouse | mice |
| brother | brethren |
| tooth | teeth |
| child | children |
| louse | lice |
77. Proper nouns, when made plural, generally follow the same rule as common nouns. Thus we write: