o quarto tyro
halo octavo solo
junto piano stiletto

3. NOUNS ENDING IN "Y." If the "y" is preceded by a vowel, the plural
is regular: as, valley, valleys.

If the "y" is preceded by a consonant, "y" is changed to "i" and "es" is
added to form the plural: as, lady, ladies; city, cities.

4. PROPER NOUNS are changed as little as possible: as, Henry, Henrys;
Mary, Marys; Cicero, Ciceros; Nero, Neros.
5. Most COMPOUND NOUNS form the plural by adding the proper sign of the
plural to the fundamental part of the word, i.e., to the part which
is described by the rest of the phrase: as, ox-cart, ox-carts;
court-martial, courts-martial; aide-de-camp, aides-de-camp.

Note the difference between the _plural_ and the _possessive_ of compound
nouns,--forms which are often confounded. See page 16.

6. Letters, figures, and other symbols are made plural by adding an
apostrophe and "s" ('s): as, "There are more _e's_ than _a's_
in this word"; "Dot your _i's_ and cross your _t's_."

7. Some nouns have two plurals, which differ in meaning:--

_Singular. Plural_.

brother brothers (by birth), brethren (of a society).
die dies (for coining or stamping), dice (for play).
fish fishes (separate fish), fish (collective).
index indexes (in books), indices (in algebra).
penny pennies (separate coins), pence (sum of money).
shot shots (discharges), shot (balls).
staff staves (poles), staffs (bodies of assistants).

[15] "Foundations," pp. 45-47.

EXERCISE XI.[16]

_Write the plural of_: Lash, cage, race, buffalo, echo, canto, volcano,
portfolio, ally, money, solo, memento, mosquito, bamboo, ditch, chimney,
man, Norman,[17] Mussulman, city, negro, baby, calf, man-of-war, attorney,
goose-quill, canon, quail, mystery, turkey, wife, body, snipe,
knight-errant,[17] donkey, spoonful, aide-de-camp, Ottoman,
commander-in-chief, major-general, pony, reply, talisman, court-martial,
father-in-law, court-yard, man-trap, Brahman, journey, Henry, stepson,
deer, mouthful, Miss Clark,[18] Mr. Jones, Dr. Brown, Dutchman, German,
forget-me-not, poet-laureate, minister-plenipotentiary, hero, fish, trout,
Mary, George, bill-of-fare.

[16] To THE TEACHER.--To have its full value this should be given as a
dictation exercise.
[17] Consult a dictionary for this and similar nou