Trousers singular or plural. English: plural nouns

According to the basic rule, the plural of nouns in English is formed by adding the ending to the end of the word -s or –es(if the noun ends in -s, -sh, -ch, -x, and also for a number of nouns of Spanish origin ending in -o, like tomato, mosquito, potato, hero, veto: tomato - tomatoes).

In nouns ending in a letter -y with a preceding consonant, y changes to i and adds -es: lady - ladies, party - parties. If the letter -y is preceded by a vowel, then just -s is added: boy - boys.

In the words calf, half, knife, leaf, life, loaf, self, sheaf, shelf, thief, wife, wolf, plural f changes to v+(e)s: shelf - shelves.

Some nouns in mind historical reasons have other ways of constructing the plural: man - men, woman - women, tooth - teeth, foot - feet, goose - geese, mouse - mice, louse - lice, child - children, ox - oxen, brother - brethren(brethren).

Now let's look at some special cases. You can practice their use and learn more during individual lessons with your teacher.

1. Collective nouns. They can be viewed as a single indivisible whole or as a collection of individuals, objects. These include words such as class, team, crew, staff, group, army, team, committee, audience, family etc. If collective nouns designate a group as a single collective, then the verb-predicate is used in the singular form, for example: His family was large. If collective nouns denote individual representatives that make up a group, then the verb-predicate is used in the plural form, for example: My family are early risers. (Members of my family get up early).

Among the collective nouns there are words that are always perceived as a set - nouns of multitude. This is: people, police, militia, clothes, cattle, poultry. They are used with plural verbs ( e.g. The police were on duty).

Noun people in the meaning of "people" has the meaning of a plural person: People are so mean here. However, in the meaning of "people" it can be used both in the singular and in the plural: UNO helps all people of the world.

2. Uncountable nouns agree with the predicate in the singular. These are nouns: meat, tea, butter, bread, juice, weather, accommodation, advice, permission, behavior, chaos, damage, furniture, luggage, baggage, news, knowledge, scenery, traffic, work, luck, research, progress, information etc.

3. Nouns that have the same singular and plural form. Some of them end in -s: species, series, means (e.g. That species is rare. those species are common). The other part never ends in -s: sheep, deer, fish (e.g. That deer is young. Those deer are old).

4. Nouns that do not have a plural form. This is:
- names of sciences and sports: mathematics, physics, economics, statistics, ethics, gymnastics ( e.g. Physics was his favorite subject);
- some abstract nouns: news, politics ( e.g. What is the news?);
- name of diseases: measles, mumps, herpes.

5. In compound nouns only the second element usually takes the plural form: housewives, schoolchildren.
In compound nouns with the first element man/woman in the plural, both parts change: women-writers, gentlemen-farmers.
In words with the component -man, it changes to -men: policeman - policemen.
If parts of a compound word are written with a hyphen, then the key component is put into the plural form: man-of-war - men-of-war; hotel-keeper – hotel-keepers.
If there is no noun element in the compound word, then to form the plural, you need to add -s to the last element: forget-me-nots, drop-outs.

6. Nouns denoting objects, bipartite, are used only in the plural form, for example: scissors, trousers, jeans, shorts, pajamas, spectacles, scales. Similar words are often used in the phrase a pair of -s, for example: a pair of scissors, a pair of trousers, etc..

7. The nouns hair, money, knowledge, information, progress are used only in the singular form ( e.g. His hair was grey. The money is on the table).

8. Expression a number of agrees with the plural verb, and the number of requires a singular verb ( e.g. The number of people we need to hire is thirteen. A number of people have written about this subject).

9. Nouns Latin and Greek origin:

Is > -es (Greek) basis, crisis, hypothesis, analysis, thesis, axis ( e.g. The hypothesis were supported by the data)
-on > -a (Greek) criterion, phenomenon ( e.g. These phenomena follow the Newton Law)
-us > -i (lat.) radius, alumnus, nucleus, genius
-a > -ae (lat.) formula, vita
-um > -a (lat.) datum, medium, bacterium
-ix /-ex > -ices (lat.) index, appendix

10. Words like dozen, score (ten), couple, pair, stone (stone weight measure), head (cattle head) have both forms of the number, but if they are used together with a specific numeral, they remain in the singular: e.g. four dozen eggs, two score tables. If they are used in the meaning of "many", then they take the form of the plural: e.g. scores of people, dozens of boxes.

Nouns have two numbers: singular and plural.

1. The singular is characterized by the absence of an ending:

a cup, a table, a teacher, a day.

2. The plural of nouns is formed with the help of the ending -s or -es:

a sea - seas, a tent - tents, a bus - buses.

However, you should be aware that:

nouns ending in the singular -ss, -sh, -ch, -x, -z, form the plural with the ending -es:

a process - processes; a box - boxes;

nouns ending in -about, plural ending in -es or at -s:

hero - heroes, potato - potatoes, tomato - tomatoes

bamboos, photos, pianos, radios, solos, videos.

1. Some nouns form the plural by changing the root vowel:

a man - men, a woman - women, a tooth - teeth, a foot - feet;

a goose - geese, a mouse - mice, etc.

2. There are nouns in which the singular and plural forms are the same:

aircraft (airplane - planes), deer (deer - deer);

means (means - means), salmon (salmon - salmon);

series (row - series, series - series);

sheep (sheep - sheep), trout (trout - trout);

works (factory - factories).

3. Noun child children.

4. Noun oh plural has the form oxen.

5. Noun penny has a plural form sense, if we are talking about a monetary amount, and the form pennies, if individual coins are meant:

It costs three pennies. - It costs 3 pence.

Pennies are made of bronze. - Pens are made of bronze.

6. Nouns gate, sledge, watch, clock used in singular and plural:

The gate is open. - The gates are open.

My watch is slow. - My clock is slow.

(At the same time, in Russian the verb always has the plural form, although the noun itself is used in the singular.)

All the gates are open. - All gates are open.

He has two watches. - He has two watches.

7. Nouns with a prefix man-, woman- are plural in both parts of the word:

a man-servant - men-servants

8. Nouns that include a preposition or adverb have the ending -s in its first part, if used in the plural:

a mother-in-law - mothers-in-law

a commander-in-chief - commanders-in-chief

9. Of particular note are the nouns of Latin-Greek etymology, the formation of the plural of which has many variants (it is difficult to list them, therefore, we recommend that in cases where students of English have doubts about the correctness of the variant, check the plural in dictionaries):

-us -es (chorus - choruses, circus - circuses, bonus - bonuses etc.), ending -i (stimulus - stimuli), have both options at the same time (cactus - cactuses/cacti; This group also includes words such as focus, nucleus, radius, syllabus);
nouns of Latin origin -a can form the plural with the ending -ae (alumna - alumnae, larva - larvae), ending -s (area - areas, arena - arenas, dilemma - dilemmas, diploma - diplomas, drama - dramas etc.), have both options (antenna - antennas, as a term in electronics, and antennae- in biology; formula - formulas in general terms and formulae- in mathematics;
nouns of Latin origin -um plural ending in -s (album - albums, museum - museums, chrysanthemum - chrysanthemums, stadium - stadiums etc.), on -a (stratum - strata, curriculum - curricula), can have both options ( symposium - symposiums / symposia, memorandum - memorandums / memoranda and etc.);
nouns of Latin origin -ex, -ix can have both double plural forms with endings -es and -ices (index - indices/indexes, appendix - appendices/appendixes, matrix - matrices/matrixes) or just the ending -ices at the noun codex - codices;
nouns of Greek origin -is form the plural by changing the ending to -es (thesis - theses, crisis - crises, analysis - analyses, basis - bases etc.), there are cases of plural formation by adding the ending -es (metropolis - metropolises) and many other variants of plural formation.

Even a person with a high level of English "suddenly" discovers that the list of irregular plurals in English is not limited to "teeth", "men" and "children". And the presence of the ending “ae” in a group of words of Latin origin becomes a perfect revelation.

Let's analyze in detail:

1. Formation of the plural by changing the root of the word

man - men;

woman - women;

child - children;

ox-oxen;

mouse - mice;

louse-lice;

foot - feet;

tooth - teeth;

goose-geese.

2. Nouns ending in “f/fe”

Some nouns that end in "f/fe" form plurals. number by changing "f/fe" to "ves", for example:

leaf - leaves;

loaf - loaves;

half - halves;

calf-calves;

wolf - wolves;

self-selves;

shelf - shelves;

elf - elves;

thief-thieves;

sheaf - sheaves;

life - lives;

wife - wives;

knife - knives.

But some nouns that end in "f/fe" form the plural in the standard way by adding an "s", for example:

Nouns that end in "ff" add an "s" to form plurals. numbers: sheriff - sheriffs; cuff - cuffs.

3. The same form of singular and plural

Some nouns have the same singular and plural form, for example:

one sheep - two sheep;

a deer - two deer;

a bison - five bison;

a fish - two fish;

a salmon - several salmon;

a dozen - two dozen;

an aircraft - two aircraft;

a means - by all means;

a series - two series;

a species - different species.

When such nouns are plural. number, they need a plural verb. number, for example:

Some fish are dangerous. Two sheep were in the forest. Modern aircraft are powerful machines.

Note: The word “fish” (herring, sprat, tuna, shark, etc.) in common speech and writing has the same singular and plural form. However, sometimes the plural form “fishes” (herrings, salmons, tunas, shrimps, etc.) can be used in relation to different species, varieties of individuals, for example: freshwater fish, aquarium fish. Some uncountable mass nouns are used in the plural in the same way when talking about various types, varieties, varieties, for example: the teas of India (types of Indian tea), soft cheeses (soft cheeses), etc.

4. Only in the plural

Nouns that denote an inseparable pair are used in the plural. number and with plural verb. numbers, for example:

5. Only in the singular

Uncountable nouns are not used in the plural. Some uncountable nouns are similar in form to the plural, have the ending “s”, but are used only in the singular and with a singular verb:

mathematics, physics, economics, phonetics, politics, billiards (game), dominoes (game), news, measles, mumps (disease), for example:

Physics is his favorite subject.

Billiards is an interesting game.

No news is good news. (proverb)

Mumps is a serious disease.

6. Latin and Greek plurals

Some nouns of Latin and Greek origin retained their own plural endings. numbers.

ending pl. h. "es" as in the word "analyses" is pronounced; the ending “i” as in the word “alumni” is pronounced, the ending “ae” is .

Nouns with Latin and Greek plural endings are divided here into ending groups. English ending pl. the numbers "s/es" are also used with some of these nouns; in such cases, two options are given, and the option with the English ending “s/es” is marked with the letter (E).

Group 1

analysis-analyses

axis-axes

basis - bases

crisis-crises

hypotheses

oasis - oases

parenthesis - parentheses

thesis-these

Group 2

alumnus – alumni

cactus – cactuses (E) / cacti

calculus - calculi / calculuses (E)

corpus–corpora

fungus - fungi

genus - genera / genuses (E)

hippopotamus – hippopotamuses (E) / hippopotami

octopus - octopuses (E) / octopi

papyrus - papyri

radius - radii / radiuses (E)

stimulus – stimuli

syllabus – syllabuses (E) / syllabi

terminus–termini/terminuses (E)

Group 3

criteria - criteria

phenomenon - phenomena

Group 4

addendum - addenda

bacterium - bacteria

curriculum – curricula (E) / curricula

datum-data

erratum-errata

forum - forums (E) / fora

medium-medium

memorandum – memorandums (E) / memoranda

Group 5

alumna - alumnae

dogma - dogmas (E) / dogmata

enigma–enigmas (E) / enigmata

formula – formulas (E) / formulae

stigma–stigmata/stigmas (E)

vertebra - vertebrae / vertebras (E)

Group 6

appendix - appendixes (E) / appendices

matrix - matrices / matrixes (E)

index - indexes (E) / indices

vertex - vertexes (E) / vertices.

And more remarks

Hello dear readers! Today you will learn how the plural is formed in English. The topic is not complicated at first glance, but there are many nuances that you should pay attention to.

In English, the plural is formed only by countable nouns, that is, nouns that can be counted. Such nouns can be either singular or plural. I think it's no secret to anyone what the plural is. If the singular is used to refer to one subject or concept, then the plural is used to refer to several items. So, now we will consider the basic rules for the formation of the plural in English. Plural of nouns in English

1. The plural of most nouns is formed by adding the ending −s to a singular noun.

−s reads:

[z] after vowels and voiced consonants
[s] after voiceless consonants

a tie tie— tie s ties
a teacher teacher- teacher s[ˈtiːʧəz] teachers
a room room— room s rooms
a map map-map s cards

2. Nouns that end in consonants s, ss, sh, ch, tch, x, take the plural ending -es, which is read [ɪz].

a match match- match es[ˈmæʧɪz] matches

3. Nouns that end in a vowel -about, in the plural also take the ending -es.

hero hero— hero es[ˈhɪərəʊz] heroes
tomato tomato−tomato es tomatoes

If before the end -about there is a vowel, then the plural noun takes the ending -s.

radio radio- radio s[ˈreɪdɪəʊz] radio receivers
kangaroo kangaroo– kangaroo s kangaroo

If a noun that ends in -about in the singular, is an abbreviation, then in the plural it also takes the ending -s.

photo (graph) photo)— photo s[ˈfəʊtəʊz] Photo
kilo (gramme) kilo (gram)-kilo s[ˈkiːləʊz] kilograms

In some cases, variations with −s and -es.

flamingos flamingos— flamingo s flamingo es flamingos
volcano volcano—volcano s volcano es volcanoes

4. To nouns that end in -y, and before the end -y there is a consonant, the ending is added -es and at changes to i.

a factory factory, plant− factor ies[ˈfæktəriz] factories, plants

In case before −at there is a vowel, no change occurs, and the plural is formed by adding the ending -s.

a day day— day s days

5. Plural of some nouns that end in f, fe, formed by replacing f consonant v and adding an ending -es. The following nouns are subject to this rule:

calf calf− cal weight calves
half half− hal weight halves
elf elf−el weight elves
knife knife−kni weight knives
leaves tree leaf−lea weight leaves
life a life−li weight life
loaf loaf-loa weight loaves
self self −sel weight we ourselves
sheaf bundle— shea weight[ʃiːvz] bundles
shelf a shelf− shel weight[ʃɛlvz] shelves
thief thief-thie weight[θiːvz] the thieves
wife wife− wi weight wives
wolf −wolves

In some cases, variations with endings are possible f and v.

hoof hoof— hoo fs, hoo weight hooves
scarf scarf— scar fs, scar weight scarves
scarf jetty- whar fs, whar weight pier

Plural exclusion

6. Some nouns have preserved archaic plural forms. The plural of such nouns is formed by changing root vowel or by adding an ending —en.

a man the male− m e n men
a woman female−wom e n [ˈwɪmɪn] women
brother ["brʌðər] brother−br e thr en["breðrɪn] brethren
foot leg− f ee t legs
goose goose— g ee se geese
louse ["laus] louse− l i ce lice
mouse mouse— m ic e mice
teeth tooth— t ee th teeth
a child [ʧaɪld] child− children en[ˈʧɪldrən] children
ox [ɒks] bull— ox en[ˈɒksən] bulls

7. In English, the forms of some nouns in the singular and in the plural are the same.

craft ship - ships
works factory - factories
species["spi:ʃi:z] biol. view - views
headquarters ["hed" kwɔ:təz] headquarters - central authorities
alms [ɑːmz] alms - alms
barracks [ˈbærəks] barracks - barracks
corps military dipl. hull - hulls
grow partridge − partridges
crossroads [ˈkrɒsˌrəʊdz] road crossing - intersections
deer deer - deer
sheep [ʃiːp] sheep − sheep
fish ["fɪʃ] fish - fish
fruits fruit - fruits
gallows [ˈgæləʊz] gallows - gallows
trout trout - trout
means means - means
salmon ["sæmən] salmon - salmon
series ["sɪəri:z] series − series
swine pig - pigs

8. Some nouns that are of Latin or Greek origin have retained an archaic form in the plural.

analysis [ə"næləsɪs] analysis− analyzes [ə"næləsi:z] analyzes
axis ["æksɪs] axis− axes ["æksɪz] axes
basis ["beɪsɪs] the basis− bases ["beɪsi:z] basics
crisis ["kraɪsɪs] a crisis− crises ["kraɪsi:z] crises
datum ["deɪtəm] given value− data ["deɪtə] data
erratum typo− errata list of typos
formula [ˈfɔ:rmjulə] formula− formulae ["fɔ:rmjuli:], formulas ["fɔ:rmjuləz] formulas
locus ["ləukəs] location− loci ["ləusaɪ] locations
memorandum [, memə "rændəm] record for memory− memoranda [, memə "rændə], memorandums [, memə" rændəmz] notes
nucleus cell− nuclei cells
phenomenon phenomenon− phenomena phenomena
radius ["reɪdɪəs], [ˈreɪdjəs] radius− radii ["reɪdɪaɪ] radii
species [ˈspiːʃiːz] kind, type— species [ˈspiːʃiːz] kinds, types
thesis [ˈθiːsɪs] thesis- theses [θiːsiːz] theses

9. There are a number of nouns in English that are used only in the plural.

binoculars - binoculars
breeches ["brɪtʃɪz] − breeches
glasses ["aɪglɑːsɪz] − glasses
jeans [ʤiːnz]- jeans
pajamas, pajamas pajamas
pliers [ˈplaɪəz] − pliers
scissors [ˈsɪzəz] − scissors
shorts ʃɔːts − shorts, underpants
stockings[ˈstɒkɪŋz] − socks
tights - tights
tongs- forceps
trousers [ˈtraʊzəz] - trousers
proceeds [ˈprəʊsiːdz] − income
surroundings - neighborhood
riches [ˈrɪʧɪz] − wealth
thanks [θæŋks] − gratitude
wages [ˈweɪʤɪz] − earnings

Plural Formation of Compound Nouns

1. Compound nouns, which are written together, form the plural by adding an ending to the second element.

school girl schoolgirl— schoolgirl s schoolgirls
policeman policeman— policem e n police officers

2. If a complex noun, which is written with a hyphen, includes words man or woman, as one of constituent parts words, then all parts of the word take the plural.

woman-writer writer−wom e n-writer s writers
gentleman farmer gentleman farmer− gentleman e n farmer sgentleman farmers

3. Compound nouns that are written with a hyphen form the plural by changing the key element in the meaning.

family-name surname− family-name s surnames
commander-in-chief commander in chief− commander s-in-chief commanders-in-chief

4. If there is no noun element in the compound noun, then the plural is formed by adding the ending −s to the last element.

forget-me-not forget-me-not− forget-me-not s forget-me-nots
merry-go-round carousel− merry-go-round s carousels

Note!

1. In English, some uncountable nouns can be used as countable.

Uncountable: success - luck, success (generally)

Success is in the details. − A meticulous attitude to business is the path to success.

Calc. :a success successful result− success esgood results

My new job is a success. − My new job is just a happy accident.
We learn from our success es and failures. − We learn from our successes and mistakes.

2. In English, some nouns can agree with the verb in the singular and in the plural, depending on the context, while not changing their form.

my family is large. — My family is big.(Family as a whole)
my family are early risers. — Everyone in our family gets up early.. (Family - as a set of individual members of the team)

3. In English, the same noun can be countable in one sense, and uncountable in another.

Uncountable: iron iron
Calc.: an iron iron— iron s irons

4. In English, some nouns with endings -s have a singular meaning and accordingly agree with singular verbs.

The English language, like Russian, is built on the interaction of different parts of speech, each of which has its own individuality. One of the brightest signs of a noun is the category of number. Many of you know that plural form formed by adding the ending -s. But it's not so simple. In this case, there are more exceptions than the rule itself.

When studying the plural in English (the plural number), you will have to strain and remember more than a dozen words and cases of their use. The ending -s in nouns does not always indicate plurality. How to know how to put it correctly, how to say it correctly? We will divide all nouns into two large groups: mutable (variable) and immutable (invariable).

variable nouns

regular nouns. Nouns that we can classify as "correct" form the plural form in English with the help of endings - s: question-questions, group-groups. But, when adding - s, there are writing features.

1. if the word ends with - s, ss, sh, ch, x, z, then add es: box-boxes, bush-bushes, branch-branches.
2. if the word ends with acc + y, then instead of "y" spelled "i+es" : city-cities, story-stories, lady-ladies. But if there is a structure vowel + y then at the end of the word is added only -s without any changes: boy-boys, toy-toys, day-days.
3. if the word in the singular ends with acc + o, then add es : tomatoes, potatoes, heroes. But in the words: vowel + o - s: zoos, radios.

Exceptions:

1. photos- Photo, kilos- kilograms, autos– cars, memos- memorandum, directive, note, logos— logos, torsos- torsos, sopranos- soprano, solos- solo, concertos- concerts, commandos- detachments special purpose, Eskimos- eskimos, piano- pianos (piano), video- videos (video).

2. two options: buffalo- buffaloes (buffalo), buffalos; volcano- volcanoes, volcanos (volcano); mosquito- mosquitoes, mosquitos (mosquito); zero- zeroes, zeros (zero); tornado- tornadoes, tornados (tornadoes), flamingos- flamigos, flamigoes (flamingos).

4. another ending puts a spoke in the wheel: f (or fe) is changed to -v (or ve) and -s is added. English plural words with this ending look like this: wife-wives, wolf-wolves, knife-knives, life-lives, half-halves, thief-thieves.

Exceptions:

1. belief- beliefs (faith), chef- chefs (cook), head- chiefs (head, head), proof - proofs (proof), roof- roofs (roof), safe- safes (safe), cliff- cliffs (cliff, cliff), cuff- cuffs (cuff).

2. have two correct options: scarfs- scarves (scarf), dwarfs- dwarves (dwarf, dwarf), handkerchiefs- handkerchieves (handkerchief), hoofs- hooves (hoof), wharfs- wharves (pier), turfs- turves (turf).

Irregular nouns. To irregular nouns, we can include those whose plural formation does not lend itself to any rule. So, everything depends on your will, memory and desire.

1. The plural of nouns is formed by vowel changes :

man- men - men; woman- women - women; goose- geese - geese; teeth- teeth - teeth; foot- feet - feet, legs; mouse- mice - mice; lose- lice - lice

2. The plural is formed with the help of the ending -en :

child— child r en - children; ox-oxen - bulls; brother- bretheren - brothers, brotherhoods

3. Words that have the same shape both in the singular and in the plural.

a sheep- sheep (sheep); a swine- swine (pig); a deer- deer (deer); a fish- fish (fish - but: different types fishes: fishes); a craft- craft (ship); a salmon- salmon (salmon); a trout- trout (trout).

4. Withfishing-foreigners that came from Latin or Greek, but have already become full-fledged residents " English world". If the word ends with:

- us - i : stimulus - stimuli - stimulus

- a - ae : vertebra - vertebrae - vertebra, spine

-um-a: datum - data - data

- is - es: basis - bases - basis, foundation, base

- on - a : phenomenon - phenomena - phenomenon

- ex, ix - ices: appendix - appendices - application

- eau - eaux: bureau - bureaux - bureau

invariable nouns

1. There is a group of nouns that are used only in singular , which means that they require after themselves and the verb in the same number.

uncountable: sand, gold, water
abstract: love, music, homework, advice
some diseases: diabetes, mumps, measles, rabies, rickets, shingles
some games despite the -s ending: bowls, billiards, drawghts, darts, skittes
word news
item names ending in ics: aerobics, classics, genetics, linguistics, mathematics, phonetics, statistics
some proper names: Athes, Brussels, Wales, the United States, The United Nations
collective nouns: money, information, jewelery, fruit(but fruits in pl.: several kinds of fruits)
in separate group Let's single out nouns that sound in Russian in the plural, and in English - in the singular:

applause (applause), cream (cream), debate (debate), fightings (battles), gossip (gossip, rumors), hair (hair), ink (ink), knowledge (knowledge), gate (gate), watch (watch ),vacation (vacation)

2. There is a similar situation with other nouns that can be used only in the plural (Plurals).

Nouns denoting a couple: braces, shorts, glasses, trousers, binoculars, jeans, leggins, tights, scissors, scales. But, if we still need to mark the singular, then we will put the phrase before these nouns: a pair of (jeans), and then we use the verb in the singular.

Substantivized adjectives denoting people: the rich (rich), the poor (poor), the old (old), the young (youth), the English (English).
Some proper names: the Netherlands, the Midlands, the Hebriedes, the East Indies
A couple of nouns that are singular in Russian and plural in English:

wages (wages), sweepings (garbage), the contents of the book (content), arms (weapons), greens (greenery), looks (view), stairs (ladder), manners (manners), minutes (protocol), outskirts (outskirts), riches (wealth), thanks (gratitude), The Middle Ages (Middle Ages).

Plural of compound nouns

The plural number of such nouns is usually formed with -s added to the last element: housewife - housewives, shoe-shop - shoe-shops.
If the composition contains the words "woman, man", then two words take the form of the plural: woman-doctor - women-doctors, man - driver - men - drivers(But, if the word is spelled together, then only men, woman: policemen change)
If there are prepositions in the composition, then the first element takes the plural form: mothers-in-law, men-of-war, editors-in-chief. If the word consists of: noun + preposition, then add only to the noun: passers-by, lookers-on. But if there is a union, then to the second word: gin and tonics.
But if there is no noun in the word, but it has such a meaning, then the ending -s is added to the whole phrase: forget-me-nots (forget-me-nots), merry-go-rounds (carousels), stand-bys (followers), grown-ups (adults), pick-ups (casual acquaintances), drop-outs (deserters).

As you can see, the rule "Plural in English" is a complete exception. But do not grab your head or think that you cannot remember it. Millions already know this by heart, so you can too. A little patience, diligence and practice is all you need to absorb all the information.