Begin with a fox, add one you have foxes
But more than one ox will be oxen, not oxes.
And one fowl’s a goose, but a pair are called geese
Yet the plural of moose will never be meese.
I can find a lone mouse, or a whole lot of mice
Who live in my house, though not in our hice.
If a man is a man, but more are called men
Could a pan become pen, could can become cen?
And I speak of a foot, yet stand on two feet.
An owl gives a hoot, but should I give two heet?
One is a tooth, but a mouthful are teeth
Shouldn’t the plural of booth become beeth?
The singular this when the plural is these-
Could one single kiss become lots of kese?
Though one may be that and two will be those
The plural of chat would never be chose
And while I’m out fishing, I don’t worry about
Catching one or a dozen – they’ll still be called trout
And it still makes no sense when I’m falling asleep
One or a flock, I’m still counting sheep
Attributed to The English Lesson by Richard Krogh
English Plurals