Learning Plurals In The English Language

We’ll begin with a box, and the plural is boxes,

But the plural of ox becomes oxen, not oxes.

One fowl is a goose, but two are called geese,

Yet the plural of moose should never be meese.

You may find a lone mouse or a nest full of mice,

Yet the plural of house is houses, not hice.

If the plural of man is always called men,

Why shouldn’t the plural of pan be called pen?

If I speak of my foot and show you my feet,

And I give you a boot, would a pair be called beet?

If one is a tooth and a whole set are teeth,

Why shouldn’t the plural of booth be called beeth?

Then one may be that, and three would be those,

Yet hat in the plural would never be hose,

And the plural of cat is cats, not cose.

We speak of a brother and also of bretheren,

But though we say mother, we never say metheren.

Then the masculine pronouns are he, his and him,

But imagine the feminine: she, shis and shim!

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Although this is a widely repeated poem across the internet, I had to share because I'm at the point in my life where I'm trying to explain the finer points of English to my youngster and sometimes, our arguments are just as funny as this poem.

I am unable to track down an original author, so credit cannot be given - wherever you are, anonymous, you've certainly crafted a cute poem that illustrates a great point!

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Wait, let me try...

If person could be people

should worsen become weople?

Hrm, maybe I'll stick to romance...