Students can use this worksheet to practice identifying and writing irregular plural nouns like "geese" and "people" in context.

Problem Overview:

The worksheet focuses on irregular plural nouns, which do not follow the standard rule of adding "-s" or "-es" to form plurals. Some nouns have unique plural forms, while others remain the same in both singular and plural forms. The task is to identify the correct plural form of each noun provided in parentheses.

Solution:

Let's solve each sentence step by step:

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#### 1. Carrie saw a flock of _______ across the field. (goose)
- Singular: goose
- Plural: geese
- Explanation: The plural form of "goose" is "geese," which is an irregular plural.
- Answer: geese

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#### 2. There were too many _______ in line, so I left. (person)
- Singular: person
- Plural: people
- Explanation: The plural form of "person" is "people," which is an irregular plural.
- Answer: people

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#### 3. Five _______ grazed in my backyard. (deer)
- Singular: deer
- Plural: deer
- Explanation: The word "deer" remains the same in both singular and plural forms.
- Answer: deer

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#### 4. The farmer shaved the wool of seven _______. (sheep)
- Singular: sheep
- Plural: sheep
- Explanation: The word "sheep" remains the same in both singular and plural forms.
- Answer: sheep

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#### 5. Two _______ helped move the television. (man)
- Singular: man
- Plural: men
- Explanation: The plural form of "man" is "men," which is an irregular plural.
- Answer: men

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#### 6. The desert is home to many _______. (cactus)
- Singular: cactus
- Plural: cacti/cactuses
- Explanation: The plural form of "cactus" can be either "cacti" (Latin-derived) or "cactuses" (English-derived). Both are acceptable, but "cacti" is more commonly used in formal contexts.
- Answer: cacti (or cactuses)

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#### 7. The baseball knocked out several of her _______. (tooth)
- Singular: tooth
- Plural: teeth
- Explanation: The plural form of "tooth" is "teeth," which is an irregular plural.
- Answer: teeth

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#### 8. We roll two _______ in the game of Monopoly. (die)
- Singular: die
- Plural: dice
- Explanation: The plural form of "die" is "dice," which is an irregular plural.
- Answer: dice

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#### 9. Several _______ swim downriver each spring. (salmon)
- Singular: salmon
- Plural: salmon
- Explanation: The word "salmon" remains the same in both singular and plural forms.
- Answer: salmon

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#### 10. Three _______ walked slowly across the road. (elk)
- Singular: elk
- Plural: elk
- Explanation: The word "elk" remains the same in both singular and plural forms.
- Answer: elk

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Final Answers:

1. geese
2. people
3. deer
4. sheep
5. men
6. cacti (or cactuses)
7. teeth
8. dice
9. salmon
10. elk

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Explanation of Irregular Plurals:

Irregular plural nouns do not follow the standard rules for forming plurals. Instead, they have unique plural forms that must be memorized. Examples include:
- Child → Children
- Mouse → Mice
- Goose → Geese
- Person → People
- Deer → Deer
- Sheep → Sheep
- Man → Men
- Cactus → Cacti/Cactuses
- Tooth → Teeth
- Die → Dice
- Salmon → Salmon
- Elk → Elk

Some nouns, like "deer," "sheep," "salmon," and "elk," remain unchanged in both singular and plural forms. Others, like "cactus," have multiple accepted plural forms depending on context.

Final Answer Box:

\[
\boxed{
\text{1. geese, 2. people, 3. deer, 4. sheep, 5. men, 6. cacti (or cactuses), 7. teeth, 8. dice, 9. salmon, 10. elk}
}
\]