About Count Nouns

Most English nouns are count nouns.  They refer to objects which are thought of as separate and distinct entities, and they have both singular and plural forms.  Generally speaking, their plurals are formed in a regular and predictable way.  Usually, plurals are formed by adding -s to the singular, or unmarked form of the noun.  Nouns that end in -s, -z, -ch, -sh, and -x are made plural by adding an -es.

When a count noun is unspecified, the articles a or an must be used:

Example: When Shirley Wang's grandfather came to visit her from China, it was the first time he had ever been on an airplane.

A sample of count nouns which take -s to create the plural form:

Airplane	horse	orange	vase
book	inch	pencil	window
car	jar	quarter	x-ray
desk	key	rose	year
eraser	lamp	street	zipper
fork	motorcycle	train	*
garden	nest	umbrella	*