essay plural name

Definition of 'essay'

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Essay in american english, examples of 'essay' in a sentence essay, cobuild collocations essay, trends of essay.

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• 1.1.1 Pronunciation
• 1.1.2.1 Derived terms
• 1.1.2.2 Related terms
• 1.1.2.3 Translations
• 1.2.1 Pronunciation
• 1.2.2.1 Translations
• 1.3 Anagrams
• 2.1 Etymology
• 2.2 Pronunciation
• 2.3.1 Hypernyms
• 2.3.2 Derived terms
• 2.3.3 Descendants
• 3.1 Etymology
• 3.2.1 Derived terms
• 3.3 References
• 4.1 Etymology
• 4.2.1 Derived terms
• 4.3 References

English [ edit ]

Etymology 1 [ edit ].

Since late 16th century, borrowed from Middle French essay , essai ( “ essay ” ) , meaning coined by Montaigne in the same time, from the same words in earlier meanings 'experiment; assay; attempt', from Old French essay , essai , assay , assai , from Latin exagium ( “ weight; weighing, testing on the balance ” ) , from exigere + -ium .

Pronunciation [ edit ]

• ( Received Pronunciation , General American ) IPA ( key ) : /ˈɛs.eɪ/ (1), IPA ( key ) : /ɛˈseɪ/ (2-4)
• Rhymes: -ɛseɪ
• Homophone : ese

Noun [ edit ]

essay ( plural essays )

• 2013 January, Katie L. Burke, “Ecological Dependency”, in American Scientist ‎ [1] , volume 101 , number 1, archived from the original on 9 February 2017 , page 64 : In his first book since the 2008 essay collection Natural Acts: A Sidelong View of Science and Nature , David Quammen looks at the natural world from yet another angle: the search for the next human pandemic, what epidemiologists call “the next big one.”
• ( obsolete ) A test , experiment ; an assay .
• 1861 , E. J. Guerin, Mountain Charley , page 16 : My first essay at getting employment was fruitless; but after no small number of mortifying rebuffs from various parties to whom I applied for assistance, I was at last rewarded by a comparative success.
• 1988 , James McPherson, Battle Cry of Freedom , Oxford, published 2003 , page 455 : This was Lee's first essay in the kind of offensive-defensive strategy that was to become his hallmark.
• ( philately , finance ) A proposed design for a postage stamp or a banknote .

Derived terms [ edit ]

• argumentative essay
• automated essay scoring
• eight-legged essay
• essay question
• photo-essay
• photo essay

Related terms [ edit ]

Translations [ edit ], etymology 2 [ edit ].

From Middle French essayer , essaier , from Old French essaiier , essayer , essaier , assaiier , assayer , assaier , from essay , essai , assay , assai ( “ attempt; assay; experiment ” ) as above.

• ( UK , US ) IPA ( key ) : /ɛˈseɪ/

Verb [ edit ]

essay ( third-person singular simple present essays , present participle essaying , simple past and past participle essayed )

• 1900 , Charles W. Chesnutt , chapter II, in The House Behind the Cedars : He retraced his steps to the front gate, which he essayed to open.
• 1950 April, R. A. H. Weight, “They Passed by My Window”, in Railway Magazine , page 260 : The train took the slow to branch spur at the north end at a not much slower speed, then essayed the short sharply curved climb with a terrific roar, smoke rising straight from the chimney to a height of some 60 ft., the long train twisting and curling behind.
• ( intransitive ) To move forth, as into battle.

Anagrams [ edit ]

• Sayes , Seays , Sesay , eyass

Dutch [ edit ]

Etymology [ edit ].

Borrowed from English essay ( “ essay ” ) , from Middle French essai ( “ essay; attempt, assay ” ) , from Old French essai , from Latin exagium (whence the neuter gender).

• IPA ( key ) : /ɛˈseː/ , /ˈɛ.seː/
• Hyphenation: es‧say
• Rhymes: -eː

essay   n ( plural essays , diminutive essaytje   n )

Hypernyms [ edit ]

Descendants [ edit ], norwegian bokmål [ edit ].

Borrowed from English essay , from Middle French essai .

essay   n ( definite singular essayet , indefinite plural essay or essayer , definite plural essaya or essayene )

• an essay , a written composition of moderate length exploring a particular subject
• essaysamling

References [ edit ]

• “essay” in The Bokmål Dictionary .

Norwegian Nynorsk [ edit ]

essay   n ( definite singular essayet , indefinite plural essay , definite plural essaya )

• “essay” in The Nynorsk Dictionary .

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Meaning of essay in English

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• I want to finish off this essay before I go to bed .
• His essay was full of spelling errors .
• Have you given that essay in yet ?
• Have you handed in your history essay yet ?
• I'd like to discuss the first point in your essay.
• boilerplate
• composition
• dissertation
• essay question
• peer review
• go after someone
• go all out idiom
• go down swinging/fighting idiom
• go for it idiom
• go for someone
• shoot the works idiom
• smarten (someone/something) up
• smarten up your act idiom
• square the circle idiom
• step on the gas idiom

essay | American Dictionary

Examples of essay, collocations with essay.

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spin your wheels

to waste time doing things that achieve nothing

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Pronunciation [ change ]

• ( UK ) ( US ) IPA ( key ) : /ˈɛˌseɪ/

Noun [ change ]

• Writing that looks at an issue or subject . Each student had to write an essay on his favorite author.

Related words and phrases [ change ]

• photo essay

Verb [ change ]

• ( transitive ) To try .
• ( intransitive ) To move forth, as into battle .

• Regular verbs
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Eseys or Essays – Which is Correct?

• by Sarah Thompson
• March 3, 2024

Let’s have a conversation about the common mistake people make when writing the word “Essays.” Many individuals seem to get confused between “Eseys” and “Essays” and find themselves wondering which spelling is correct. Today, we will debunk this confusion and establish the correct spelling once and for all.

To address this issue, it is pertinent to emphasize that “Essays” is the correct spelling of the word. The incorrect term “Eseys” is a common misspelling resulting from a typographical error or a lack of familiarity with the correct spelling.

Now, let’s learn the reasons why “Essays” is the right spelling. Firstly, “Essays” is the plural form of the singular noun “Essay.” When we want to refer to more than one essay, we simply add an “s” to the end of the word. This is the conventional English rule for forming plurals of nouns, and it applies to “Essay” as well. For example, “I have written multiple essays on various topics.” Here, the correct plural form of “Essay” is used to convey the idea that the speaker has written more than one essay.

Moreover, we can also look at past forms of verbs to further solidify the correct spelling. For instance, the verb form of “Essay” is “Essayed.” “Essayed” is the past tense form, and by examining the conjugation of the verb, we can recognize that “Essays” is indeed the accurate plural form. You might say, “He essayed his thoughts on the subject,” to convey that someone expressed their ideas in the form of an essay.

To illustrate the incorrect spelling, “Eseys,” it is crucial to emphasize that this word does not exist in Standard English. It is a mistake that has often emerged due to a lack of knowledge or inattentiveness during writing. Therefore, it is essential to be attentive and avoid this misspelling in formal writing, as it may weaken your language skills and leave a negative impression on the reader.

In conclusion, we have effectively established that the correct spelling of the word referring to multiple essays is “Essays.” “Eseys” is an erroneous form that should be avoided. Remember, using proper grammar and spelling not only enhances your communication skills, but it also showcases your proficiency in the English language. So, the next time you find yourself unsure about whether to write “Eseys” or “Essays,” confidently choose the latter for an accurate and grammatically correct sentence!

So, keep practicing your writing skills, pay attention to proper grammar, and remember the correct spelling of “Essays.” With dedication and practice, you will become an exceptional writer and expert in the English language.

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I have a love/hate relationship with the English language. I love writing and communicating ideas to fellow readers. I (sometimes) hate all the weird rules.

Take plurals, for instance. English has many strange plural words that defy rules or make their own. In this article, we'll cover several tricky plurals (such as "moose" and "moose") and do our best to explain how they work. I hope it drives your love/hate relationship more toward the former!

Regular Plurals

You probably don't need our help with these. For most words, simply add an "s" to the end of the singular form to make a plural. For instance:

Singular: paper / Plural: paper s

Singular: cat / Plural: cat s

Singular: tree / Plural: tree s

Easy enough. Things get slightly complicated when the word already ends with an "s," or with a "ch," "sh," "x," or "z." In this case, it's often correct to add "es" instead:

Singular: grass / Plural: grass es

Singular: bench / Plural: bench es

Singular: radish / Plural: radish es

What about words like "memory"? To pluralize a word ending in a consonant and the letter "y," replace the "y" with "ies":

Singular: memory / Plural: memor ies

Singular: baby / Plural: bab ies

Singular: glory / Plural: glor ies

Now let's advance to the truly tricky stuff.

Irregular Plurals

As the name implies, irregular plurals don't follow the rules of their regular counterparts. The best way to learn these is to memorize them. Here are a few examples:

Calf and Calves

One might think calfs is the right word, but it's actually cal ves . There are a few others with a similar construction, including leaf and lea ves , knife and kni ves , and life and li ves .

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Hoof and Hoofs (or Hooves)

Some irregular plurals are actually acceptable in multiple forms, as in the case of the word hoof . The logical plural hoof s actually works here. Yet using hoo ves is also valid. As the writer, it's your choice which you use, so long as you're consistent.

Just don't get tripped up with words that sound similar. For example, hooves is an acceptable plural of hoof . However, prooves is not the plural of proof . The correct plural is proof s . It's just one of those things you have to remember (though ProWritingAid's homonym report can help).

Person and People

This is certainly one of the stranger ones on this list. The preferred plural of person is not persons . It's people .

However, you've probably heard the word persons used before, such as in the phrase "Missing Persons Case." That's because persons is a formal version of the plural and therefore used almost exclusively in legal settings. So unless you're a law enforcement official, you should opt for people .

What about peoples ? In the words of Jane Mairs , Director of English Language Learning Publishing, "the only time you will want to use the word 'peoples' is when you are referring to groups of people from multiple ethnic, cultural, racial, or national backgrounds." For example:

"The American people." (We use people because we're referring only to Americans.)

"The American, Chinese, Mexican, and English peoples." (We use peoples because we're referring to many folks from many countries.)

Latin and Greek Plurals

There are a few tricky holdovers from these languages that have remained in English. A few examples:

Stimulus and Stimuli

There's no such word as stimuluses (even though that would make logical sense). According to our Ancient Greek friends, the proper plural is stimuli .

Genus and Genera

Again, you'd probably guess that the plural form of genus would be genuses . However, it's actually genera . Fortunately, if you're not a scientist, this probably won't be a concern too often.

Alumnus and Alumni

This one came up when I revisited my alma mater the other day. When asked for the reason for my visit, I said, "I'm an alumni." I feared I'd botched it and, sure enough, I had.

What I should've said was, "I'm an alumnus ." That's the singular form for male graduates. For female graduates, the generally accepted form is alumna . The plural form for both is alumni . So if my wife had been there as well, she would've said, "I'm an alumna," or, "We're alumni."

As if that wasn't tricky enough, there's also another plural form for a group of graduates who are all women. It's alumnae . So if my wife was with a female friend who graduated from the same school, she would've said, "We're alumnae."

So to reiterate: alumni can refer to a group of all-male graduates or a group of both men and women. Alumnae can refer only to a group of all-female graduates. If there's even one dude in there, you'd use alumni .

Many animals use the same word for both their singular and plural form. Thanks, animals! These are called invariants. For example, "I saw a moose " is correct, as is, "I saw several moose ." Mooses , meese , and moocices are not real words. Here are some others that fit this category:

Miscellaneous Weird Plurals

Ox and oxen.

Logic rarely factors into English. Therefore, the plural of ox is not oxes . It's oxen ! You probably knew that one if you're a fan of the Oregon Trail computer games.

Fox and Foxes

Since fox rhymes with ox , you might think the plural of fox would be foxen . It's not! The plural of fox is foxes . I made this error several times and felt silly for doing so.

Data and Datas(?)

There's a constant debate over the plural form of data . Is it datas ? Is datas even a word?

First of all, data is already a plural word; its singular companion is datum —or was. Unless you're in a technical field, that singular has been largely abandoned. Instead, most grammarians accept data as both a singular and plural form.

So what about the word datas ? It's mostly a matter of opinion. Though some use datas as a plural, others oppose the word. It seems most authorities agree that the preferred form for both singular and plural is data , and that it should be never used with the indefinite article ("a"). Easy to remember, since sentences like "I found a data I think you should see" just sound weird.

If you're still confused, I found this article immensely helpful when researching the topic myself. Check it out!

What are some tricky plurals we missed? Let us know in the comments below!

Common Questions about Plurals

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• Writing Tips

Grammar Tips: Plural Nouns

• 7-minute read
• 10th March 2023

If someone asked you what a noun is , you’d probably say it’s a person, place, or thing. Pretty simple, right? But what about plural nouns? For example, what is the plural form for cat ? If you said cats , you’re right! What about the plural for foot ? If you said foots , you’re incorrect. The correct form is feet. Simply adding an s at the end works for some nouns – but not all.

Plural nouns can be confusing for many English learners. Most students struggle with regular versus irregular plurals as well as apostrophe usage with some plurals. Nevertheless, understanding plural nouns is important for effective communication. After all, you’ll encounter them in many contexts!

If you find plural nouns confusing, read on! This blog will provide essential grammar tips for using plural nouns correctly in written and spoken English. We’ll discuss pluralization rules as well as irregular and tricky plural noun forms. By the time you finish reading, you’ll feel confident using plural nouns effectively in any context. And understanding plural nouns can go a long way to improving your English grammar .

What Are Plural Nouns?

Plural nouns refer to more than one person, place, or thing. You can easily recognize most of them by their s or es ending:

There’s not much to pluralizing such nouns. However, things get tricky with irregular plurals, as they have their own unique forms. For example:

English language learners often struggle to distinguish regular plurals from irregular ones . Fortunately, to form irregular plurals, you just need to know which letters to change.

How to Make Nouns Plural

As we stated above, you can make most singular nouns plural by adding s or es to the end of the word, depending on the word’s ending. Likewise, collective nouns (nouns that represent groups) can be made plural by adding s or es . For example:

Regular Plural Nouns

Nouns such as bottle, toy, bike , and chair are the easiest to pluralize, as you simply add s to the end. However, some nouns require the es ending:

Irregular Plurals

The rules for forming these plurals are different from the rules for forming regular plurals, and interestingly enough, there are multiple ways to form irregular plurals. Examples of nouns that have irregular plurals include mouse , man , goose , wolf , and wife . Their pluralization looks like this:

Pluralizing these is usually a matter of knowing the rules regarding certain noun endings. If a noun ends in f or fe , you change the ending to ve before adding an s to form the plural:

The only exceptions to this rule are roof, belief, chef, chief , and café , which take the s ending. For nouns such as goose, foot, and tooth , you change the double o into a double e to make the plural. So the plural forms are geese, feet, and teeth , respectively.

Booth and book are exceptions: their plurals use the s ending. Therefore, changing the double o to a double e is incorrect. And for nouns such as man and woman , you only need to change the a to e to make the plural.

How to Pluralize the Word Mouse

The word mouse has a unique plural form. You simply change mouse to mice :

However, you wouldn’t apply this rule to other words ending in ouse , such as house . You would simply add the s ending for those.

More Rules for Plural Nouns

The final letter of a noun often dictates the correct spelling of the pluralized form. But just as we saw with irregular plurals, you must be aware of special rules.

Singular Nouns Ending in Y

If a singular noun ends in y and the letter before the y is a consonant, you change the ending to ies to make the plural:

If a singular noun ends in y and the letter before the y is a vowel, just add an s to make the plural:

Singular Nouns Ending in O

If a singular noun ends in o , add es to make the plural:

However, you would not apply this rule to nouns such as piano , halo , and photo , which take the s ending for the plural.

Which Nouns Take the es Ending?

We know you’ve probably been asking this question from the beginning. The simple answer is that the es ending applies to nouns that end in s , ss , sh , ch , x , and z . For example:

Plural Noun Exceptions

While we’ve already mentioned a few exceptions, more exist. If a singular noun ends in us , the plural ending is i . For example:

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If a singular noun ends in is , the plural ending is es :

If a singular noun ends in on , the plural ending is a :

Believe it or not, some nouns don’t change at all when you pluralize them. Such nouns include sheep, fish, deer, series , aircraft , and species . They can be singular or plural:

Plural Nouns Versus Possessive Nouns

Possessive nouns demonstrate ownership, generally with the ’ s ending. Let’s say your cousin Bill owns a boat (lucky Bill!). You would indicate it like this:

Most students confuse plural nouns with possessive nouns because of the s endings. Understanding how to use apostrophes with plurals and possessives can be tricky. Plural nouns don’t have apostrophes unless they’re also possessive. Let’s consider the following examples:

Common Mistakes When Using Plural Nouns

1. Adding s or es endings to irregular nouns (e.g., goose , man , child , foot )

2. Adding an apostrophe to a plural noun when it’s not possessive

3. Adding s endings with nouns that actually need the es ending

4. Adding pluralizing endings to nouns that don’t change at all (e.g., deer , fish , series )

5. Adding the wrong ending to nouns that end in us , is , and on

Tips for Avoiding Errors in Writing and Speaking

1. Remember that plural nouns don’t use apostrophes unless they’re also possessive.

2. You cannot pluralize all nouns simply by using s or es endings.

3. Remember which letters need to be changed to form irregular plurals (which all have unique forms).

4. Know which nouns use the s and es endings.

5. Know which nouns are singular and plural in sentences.

Tips for Identifying Singular and Plural Nouns in Sentences

Looking at how much of something a noun is referring to can tell you whether that noun is singular or plural. It’s singular if it refers to one person or thing. It’s plural if it refers to more than one person or thing.

When reading a sentence, look for any nouns with s or es endings. If so, they’re likely plural. Furthermore, by understanding how much of something the noun refers to, you can recognize the tricky irregular plural nouns we’ve covered.

Incorrect Plural Nouns Lead to Different Meanings

It’s important to use the correct forms of plural and possessive nouns, as incorrect plurals can change the meaning of a sentence. Take these examples:

We encourage you to practice using plural nouns correctly. One way to do this is by trying a worksheet on singular and plural nouns . The more practice you have, the more comfortable you’ll be. For our visual learners, we recommend this video on how to form plural nouns . Finally, we encourage you to proofread your written work for correct plural noun usage.

If you’re currently working on an essay or a paper, you might be interested in letting our proofreading experts review your writing. They can check for grammar and punctuation errors and make sure the spelling is perfect. They’ll also ensure the correct use of plural nouns! Consider submitting a 500-word document for free today.

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The plural form of most nouns is formed by adding s to the end of the word.

There are twelve boys and thirteen girls in that class.

When a word ends in sh , ch , s , z , or x , the plural is usually formed by adding es to the end.

We need three batches of cookies for three different classes at school.

When a word ends in [consonant] + y , the plural is formed by changing the y to ie and adding s .

I may live in only one country at a time, but I feel like a citizen of many countries .

In compound nouns, the principal word is the one made plural.

daughters-in-law , governors general , passers-by , ladies in waiting

Many nouns referring to animals have the same form in the singular and in the plural.

The land sustained an abundance of deer and moose , and could also be used to raise sheep .

If a noun ends in f or fe the plural is usually formed by adding s , but is sometimes formed by changing the f or fe to a ve and adding s .

His beliefs told him that those loaves required sharp knives .

If a noun ends in o , the plural is usually formed by adding s , but is sometimes formed by adding es .

My heroes all play banjos .

Words borrowed into English from other languages sometimes follow the rules for pluralisation in English and sometimes those for pluralisation in the original language.

phenomenon , phenomena and thesis , theses from Greek; alumnus , alumni and alumna , alumnae from Latin; tableau , tableaux and corps , corps from French

Special Cases

Plurals of symbols, numbers (including years), and uppercase letters are usually formed by adding s .

He was concerned with the use of @s in formal writing since the 1990s . I could not suppress a smile when I saw so many As on my transcript.

Plurals of lowercase letters are usually formed by adding ’s after the letter.

He wondered how many c’s and m’s were in the word “accommodate.”

For most proper names, the plural is formed simply by adding s to the end of the name, though when a proper name ends in s the plural is formed by adding es .

The three Jacks joined the three Jills to fetch three pails of water. We always worked very hard to keep up with the Joneses .

Collective nouns (referring to groups of people, animals, or things) are usually treated as singular. If, however, you want to lay stress on the individual members rather than on the overall unit, you may treat the noun as plural:

A flock of birds is flying in a V formation , but A flock of birds are threatening our crops . My family is strange , but My family are unpredictable in their tastes .

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• What Is a Plural Noun? | Examples, Rules & Exceptions

What Is a Plural Noun? | Examples, Rules & Exceptions

Published on April 14, 2023 by Jack Caulfield .

A plural noun  is a noun that refers to more than one of something (as opposed to a singular noun, which refers to just one). Like singular nouns, they may refer to people, animals, things, concepts, or places.

Plural nouns are normally formed by adding -s to the singular noun (e.g., the singular “cat” becomes the plural “cats”). With certain nouns, you need to add or change some of the other letters. The rules are explained in the table below.

There are also some irregular plurals that don’t end in  -s at all. The following section explains them.

Table of contents

Irregular plurals, plurals of compound nouns, common mistake: adding an apostrophe, plural nouns with singular functions, nouns that are always plural, uncountable nouns, worksheet: plural nouns, other interesting language articles, frequently asked questions about plural nouns.

Some plural nouns don’t end in -s at all. These are generally called irregular plurals . They are typically either leftovers from older ways of forming plurals in English or foreign words that were imported into English.

Only a small proportion of nouns have irregular plurals, but some of them are very commonly used words, so it’s important to be aware of them. There are a few main groups of irregular plurals, which are explained in the table below.

If you’re unsure about how to pluralize a word that isn’t mentioned in the table, consult a dictionary.

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Compound nouns are nouns that are made up of multiple words. They may be open compounds (written with spaces; e.g., “head of state”); hyphenated compounds (written with hyphens ; e.g., “brother-in-law”); or closed compounds (no spaces or hyphens; e.g., “household”).

To create the plural of a compound noun, you often pluralize only the final word (e.g., “high schools “), but there are also cases where you pluralize an earlier word (e.g., “ heads of state”) or occasionally multiple words (e.g., “ men-children “).

To determine how to pluralize a compound noun, consider which word is the “head” of the noun—the thing being represented, which the other words modify. For example, “high schools” refers to multiple schools, not multiple “highs.”

When it’s still not obvious, consult a dictionary to find the correct plural.

A common mistake when forming plural nouns is to add an apostrophe before the “s.” In English, apostrophes are used to form possessive nouns and contractions , not plurals. You also don’t need an apostrophe to pluralize a number, acronym , or proper noun .

• Maya loves pop music from the 1980’s .
• Maya loves pop music from the 1980s .
• SUV’s are bad for the environment and for road safety.
• SUVs are bad for the environment and for road safety.
• The Jones’s have gone on vacation.
• The Joneses have gone on vacation.

There’s one context in which it’s standard to use an apostrophe to form the plural. This is when you’re pluralizing a single letter. The apostrophe is generally added in such cases to avoid confusion with other words (e.g., “a’s” vs. “as”).

Some nouns are said to be plural in form but singular in construction . These words originate as plural forms but are now primarily used in a singular sense.

This is most common in the names of fields of study: for example, “physics,” “mathematics,” “ethics,” and “aesthetics.” Other examples include “news,” “measles,” and “billiards.”

“Singular in construction” means that these words have singular subject-verb agreement . For example, you’d write “the news is …” rather than “the news are …”

Similarly, some nouns are always plural and have no singular form—typically because they refer to something that consists of a pair of something. For example, “scissors” consist of two blades, “pants” of two legs, and “glasses” of two lenses.

Even a single pair of scissors, for example, is referred to in the plural (e.g., “the scissors are over there”). These nouns are sometimes referred to by the Latin term plurale tantum (“plural only”).

Because it’s wrong to use an indefinite article with a plural noun (e.g., “a scissors”) and no singular form exists (e.g., there’s no such thing as “a scissor”), the phrase “a pair of” is used before the noun when an indefinite article is needed. “Pairs of” is also used to specify quantities of these nouns (e.g., “three pairs of pants,” not “three pants”).

Your new spectacles suit you very nicely.

How many pairs of shorts do you own?

Uncountable nouns (also called mass nouns or noncount nouns ) are nouns that don’t have a plural form and can’t be preceded by an indefinite article (“a” or “an”). They often refer to abstract ideas or processes (e.g., “research”), physical substances (e.g., “water”), or areas of study (e.g., “geography”).

Uncountable nouns are singular, not plural, in terms of subject-verb agreement, and the words themselves cannot be pluralized. An alternative phrasing or word choice must be used instead:

• Several researches have been performed on this subject.
• A substantial amount of research has been performed on this subject.
• Several studies have been performed on this subject.
• Several pieces of research have been performed on this subject.

If you need to refer to a specific quantity of an uncountable noun, you use a unit of measurement to do so, since the noun itself doesn’t represent a specific quantity:

• There are 70 waters in the glass.
• There are 70 ml of water in the glass.

Test your understanding of how plural nouns are formed with the worksheet below. In each sentence, add the correct plural form of the noun in brackets. Some of the plurals are regular, some irregular.

• Practice questions
• Answers and explanations
• I love visiting [church] _______ on my [travel] _______.
• The atmosphere is made up of several [gas] _______.
• I bought two [loaf] _______ of bread and some [tomato] _______ at the market.
• Many [species] _______ of [fish] _______ live in [river] _______.
• A lot of [game of chance] __________________ involve rolling [die] _______.
• The singular noun “church” ends in “-ch,” so “-es” is added to form the plural noun. “Travels” is pluralized in the normal way, by adding “-s.”
• “Gas” ends in “-s,” so “-es” is added to pluralize it.
• As with some other nouns ending in “-f,” the plural form of “loaf” ends in “-ves.” “Tomato” follows the rule for most nouns ending in “-o” by adding “-es.”
• Both “species” and “fish” have the same form in the singular and the plural, so nothing is added to them. “River” is pluralized normally.
• The open compound noun “game of chance” is pluralized by adding “-s” to the head of the phrase, “game.” “Chance” is not pluralized. The word “die” has the irregular plural “dice.”

If you want to know more about nouns , pronouns , verbs , and other parts of speech , make sure to check out some of our other language articles with explanations and examples.

Nouns & pronouns

• Common nouns
• Proper nouns
• Collective nouns
• Personal pronouns
• Uncountable and countable nouns
• Verb tenses
• Phrasal verbs
• Sentence structure
• Active vs passive voice
• Subject-verb agreement
• Interjections
• Determiners
• Prepositions

The plural of “moose” is the same as the singular: “moose.” It’s one of a group of plural nouns in English that are identical to the corresponding singular nouns. So it’s wrong to write “mooses.”

For example, you might write “There are several moose in the forest.”

The correct plural of “octopus” is “octopuses.”

People often write “octopi” instead because they assume that the plural noun is formed in the same way as Latin loanwords such as “fungus/fungi.” But “octopus” actually comes from Greek, where its original plural is “octopodes.” In English, it instead has the regular plural form “octopuses.”

For example, you might write “There are four octopuses in the aquarium.”

Normally, the plural of “fish” is the same as the singular: “fish.” It’s one of a group of irregular plural nouns in English that are identical to the corresponding singular nouns (e.g., “moose,” “sheep”). For example, you might write “The fish scatter as the shark approaches.”

If you’re referring to several species of fish, though, the regular plural “fishes” is often used instead. For example, “The aquarium contains many different fishes , including trout and carp.”

The plural of “crisis” is “crises.” It’s a loanword from Latin and retains its original Latin plural noun form (similar to “analyses” and “bases”). It’s wrong to write “crisises.”

For example, you might write “Several crises destabilized the regime.”

Sources in this article

We strongly encourage students to use sources in their work. You can cite our article (APA Style) or take a deep dive into the articles below.

Caulfield, J. (2023, April 14). What Is a Plural Noun? | Examples, Rules & Exceptions. Scribbr. Retrieved April 15, 2024, from https://www.scribbr.com/nouns-and-pronouns/plural-noun/

Aarts, B. (2011). Oxford modern English grammar . Oxford University Press.

Butterfield, J. (Ed.). (2015). Fowler’s dictionary of modern English usage (4th ed.). Oxford University Press.

Garner, B. A. (2022). Garner’s modern English usage (5th ed.). Oxford University Press.

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Follow the rules below for forming words to show more than one of the things named:

• For most words, add s: books, guitars. Except when making a plural of single letter, do not add an apostrophe to words or numbers to make them plural.
• Add s to compound words written as single words: cupfuls, handfuls. For compound words that use separate words or link the words with a hyphen, make the most significant word plural: assistant attorneys, attorneys general, daughters-in-law, deputy chiefs of staff.
• Add s to figures: General Motors built the car in the 1940s. The Boeing Co. sold 12 more 767s.
• Don't change the spelling of proper nouns when making them plural. Add es to most proper names ending in es or z: Gonzalezes, Jameses, Joneses, Parkses. Add s to other proper names, including most proper names ending in y even if preceded by a consonant: the Clintons, the Abernathys, not the Abernathies.
• Add es to most words ending in ch, s, sh, ss, x and z: churches, buses, foxes, fuzzes, glasses.
• Change is to es in words ending in is: parentheses, theses.
• Add es to most words ending in o if a consonant precedes o: echoes, heroes. There are exceptions: pianos.
• Words with Latin roots: Change us to i in words ending in us: alumnus, alumni. Change words ending in on to a: phenomenon, phenomena. Add s in most words ending in um: memorandums, referendums but not addenda, curricula, media.
• Avoid using a possessive name as a plural: The free passes are available at four McDonald's restaurants. Not: The free passes are available at four McDonald's.
• Do not use 's when writing about words as words: His speech had too many ifs, ands and buts.
• To avoid confusion, add 's to single letters: Dot your i's. She earned two A's and three B's on her report card. Add s to multiple letters: He knows his ABCs. They have three color TVs.

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Plurals of Names and Other Proper Nouns

Form the plural of a given or a family name by adding s . If the name ends in a sibilant sound (like s , x , z ), add es instead.

• There are two Johns , three Nancys , and four Agneses in my class.
• Are the Smiths here yet?
• The Joneses live next door to the Murrays .

Avoid using an apostrophe to form a plural.

• Poor: The Johnson’s and the Garcia’s are old family friends. Better: The Johnsons and the Garcias are old family friends.

Don’t add es or ies to given or family names ending in vowels or those ending in y ; simply add s .

• Incorrect: We have invited the Castilloes and Murphies to dinner. Correct: We have invited the Castillos and Murphys to dinner.

To form the possessive of a plural name, add an apostrophe after—not before—the s that forms the plural.

• Incorrect: Is that the Brown’s car parked in your driveway? Correct: Is that the Browns’ car parked in your driveway?

The general rule

Add s or es without an apostrophe to form the plural of a name or other proper noun .

• Both Jacks are guitarists, and both Jills are drummers.
• We have three Ryans , two Janes , and three Jennys in the family.
• The Williamses and Perezes are neighbors.
• Do the Danbys still live here?
• The Patels and the Smiths are on holiday together in Portugal.
• The Rousseaus and Mendozas are old family friends.

People’s names are proper nouns and do not have a dictionary-defined plural form. There are, however, accepted style guidelines on how to form plurals of names. In this article, we discuss how to pluralize given and last names in English, along with some exceptions.

Use of apostrophe

In general, don’t use an apostrophe to form the plural of a name.

• Incorrect: The Garcia’s have moved to Seattle. Correct: The Garcias have moved to Seattle.
• Incorrect: The Murphy’s and the Murray’s have always lived next door to each other. Correct: The Murphys and the Murrays have always lived next door to each other.
• Incorrect: Nobody cares anymore about keeping up with the Jones’s . Correct: Nobody cares anymore about keeping up with the Joneses .
• Incorrect: We have invited the Smith’s and the Ali’s over for dinner. Correct: We have invited the Smiths and the Alis over for dinner.
• Incorrect: There were two Lucy’s , three Anita’s , and four Mitch’s on board the ship. Correct: There were two Lucys , three Anitas , and four Mitches on board the ship.

With names ending in vowels, an apostrophe can sometimes help avoid confusion or improve readability.

• We have two Denise’s and two Denises in our hiking group. Use an apostrophe to distinguish between the plurals of the names “Denise” and “Denis.”
• We have two Mary’s and two Maryses in the family already. The apostrophe helps avoid confusion between the names “Mary” and “Marys.”

Such sentences are often better reworded.

Use an apostrophe to form the plural of a name only if not using one would result in confusion.

Names ending in s and other sibilants

Add es without an apostrophe to form the plural of a name ending in s , x , z , and other sibilants like ch , sh , and j .

• The Harrises live next door to the Diazes .
• The Hendrixes’ cat is in our window.
• The Walshes and the Williamses run a soup kitchen downtown.
• We have two Alexes , two Nikolajes , two Mitches , and three Inezes in the family.
• Neither of the Charleses I know is a prince.

Add es , not ses , to form the plural of a name ending in s .

• Incorrect: The Harrisses live in California. Correct: The Harrises live in California.
• Incorrect: Both Thomasses are writers. Correct: Both Thomases are writers.

Don’t use an apostrophe to form the plural of a name ending in s , x , z , and other sibilant sounds.

• Incorrect: The Jones’s are selling their house. Correct: The Joneses are selling their house.
• Incorrect: The Lopez’s have adopted a dog from the local shelter. Correct: The Lopezes have adopted a dog from the local shelter.

Names ending in vowels

Add s to form the plural of a name ending in a vowel ( a , e , i , o , u ). Avoid using an apostrophe before the s .

• We have two Ritas , three Janes , and two Lulus in class this year.
• Have the Bianchis been informed?
• Did you ask the Russos about it?

Don’t add es to form the plural; add just s , even for names that end in i or o .

• Incorrect: You know the Rossies better than I. Correct: You know the Rossis better than I.
• Incorrect: Both Pabloes are guitarists. Correct: Both Pablos are guitarists.

Very rarely, plurals of names ending in vowels like a or i can benefit from the use of an apostrophe , which can aid with pronunciation and also improve clarity. But use an apostrophe to form the plural of a name only when not using one could result in confusion.

• Both Luca’s are artists, and both Lucases are writers. The apostrophe helps distinguish the plural of “Luca” from the name “Lucas.”

Names ending in y

To form the plural of a name ending in y , simply add s after the y , without an apostrophe.

• They have four Dannys and three Marys in the family. not Dannies or Maries
• My aunts were obsessed with the Kennedys . not the Kennedies
• The Dalys come from Howth, while the Murphys are from Drogheda.

To form the plural of a name ending in y , don’t change the y to ies ; simply add s .

• Incorrect: The Murphies have opened a new store downtown. Correct: The Murphys have opened a new store downtown.
• Incorrect: Both Harries are princes. Correct: Both Harrys are princes.

Names ending in other consonants

Simply add s without an apostrophe to pluralize given or last names ending in consonants other than s or other sibilants.

• The Jacks and the Jills are busy fetching water.
• The Singhs have bought a new car.
• He and the Johnsons work together at the store.
• The Smiths and the Millers are neighbors.
• They live next door to the Nguyens .

Plurals of other proper nouns

Plurals of other proper nouns (such as names of brands, businesses, countries, and regions) are formed the same way as plurals of people’s names: by adding s or es .

• The Americas can be roughly divided into two major cultural regions. — “Americas,” Encyclopaedia Britannica (Accessed June 13, 2022)
• He found that even small departments and universities were buying top-of-the-range Audis , BMWs and Mercedes Benzes . — “Russians Tire of Corruption Spectacle,” BBC News (Mar. 6, 2012)
• The vast data centers that process information for the Facebooks and Amazons of the Web work at a brisk clip. — “A Wireless Way around Data Traffic Jams,” New York Times (Jan. 14, 2012)
• I think there are many interesting stories to be told of the two Germanys . — “Germans Fascinated by Life on Either Side of Berlin Wall,” Guardian (Feb. 14, 2015)
• It’s competing against the General Motorses and the General Electrics of the world. — “Red Ink,” PBS (transcript, Feb. 19, 2004)
• Conflicts of interest . . . are everyday occurrences for the Morgan Stanleys and Goldman Sachses of the world. — “Can There Be Investment Banks Without Conflicts?” Harvard Business Review (Feb. 5, 2010)
• They prefer to call themselves ‘financial services companies,’ just like the American Expresses and the Merrill Lynches . — “A Bank, by Any Other Name . . .,” New York Times (Dec. 27, 1981)

Possessives of plural names

To form the possessive of a plural name, place an apostrophe after the s that indicates the plural. For example, to refer to the Smith family, add s to the name ( the Smiths ), then place an apostrophe after the final s to form the possessive ( the Smiths’ car ). Here are some more examples.

• Is that the Garcias’ cat?
• For many, the Jacksons’ music defined the eighties.
• The Millers’ story is similar to the Joneses’ .

To form a possessive, never insert an apostrophe before the s that forms the plural; always add one after.

• Incorrect: the Wilson’s car Correct: the Wilsons’ car

Be careful with names that end in s and other sibilants. Form the possessive by placing an apostrophe after the final s .

• Incorrect: Is that the Roberts’ dog eating all your roses? The plural of the surname “Roberts” is “Robertses.” Form the plural, and then add an apostrophe. Correct: Is that the Robertses’ dog eating all your roses?
• Incorrect: The Martinez’s bookstore has shut down. Correct: The Martinezes’ bookstore has shut down.

Similarly, with names that end in vowels, remember to place an apostrophe after—not before—the s that forms the plural.

• Incorrect: I’ve lost the Moore’s invitation. Correct: I’ve lost the Moores’ invitation.
• Incorrect: The Mendoza’s garden party is tomorrow. Correct: The Mendozas’ garden party is tomorrow.

Examples from published content

Here are some examples from literature and other published content that show how names are pluralized. Note how s is generally used to form the plural, except when a name ends in a sibilant sound, when es is used instead. Also note the absence of apostrophes in the plural forms shown below.

• Peeping through the meshes of the hammock, he saw the Marches coming out, as if bound on some expedition. — Louisa May Alcott , Little Women (1868)
• That the Miss Lucases and the Miss Bennets should meet to talk over a ball was absolutely necessary. — Jane Austen , Pride and Prejudice (1813)
• I maintain that the Ewells started it all. — Harper Lee , To Kill a Mockingbird (1960)
• It would be no less unreasonable if ‘Tender is the Night’ were known primarily as a novel inspired by the Murphys . — “Books of the Times,” New York Times (June 25, 1971)
• You can try the same with all the Harrys , Harrises and Harrisons . Some might even want to add in all the Henrys as well. — “Baby Names: Peaky Blinders ‘May Have Inspired’ Choices,” BBC Culture (Aug. 29, 2019)
• To be fair, all Annas are doomed to fade in the lingering light of Garbo. — “Goings On about Town,” New Yorker (Accessed June 17, 2022)

Usage guide

In general, form the plural of a given or a last name by adding s ( two Alices in the family , the Smiths , the Garcias ). For names ending in y , simply add s , not ies ( the Duffys , the Murphys ). If the name ends in a sibilant like s , z , or x , add es instead ( the Williamses , the Perezes ). Don’t use an apostrophe to form the plural of a name, except when not using one would result in confusion. Finally, be careful with forming possessives of plural names : always place an apostrophe after the final s ( the Woods’ cat , the Joneses’ car ).

Share this article

Avoid using an apostrophe to form the plural of a name.

Form the plural of a name ending in a sibilant sound (like s , z , x ) by adding es instead of s , without an apostrophe.

Avoid using an apostrophe to form the plural of a name, even if it ends in a vowel.

To form the plural of a name ending in y , simply add s .

To form a plural possessive, form the plural of a name, and then place an apostrophe after the final s .

Synonyms of essay

• as in article
• as in attempt
• as in to attempt
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Thesaurus Definition of essay

 (Entry 1 of 2)

Synonyms & Similar Words

• dissertation
• composition
• prolegomenon
• undertaking
• trial and error
• experimentation

Thesaurus Definition of essay  (Entry 2 of 2)

• have a go at
• try one's hand (at)

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How does the verb essay differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of essay are attempt , endeavor , strive , and try . While all these words mean "to make an effort to accomplish an end," essay implies difficulty but also suggests tentative trying or experimenting.

When might attempt be a better fit than essay ?

While the synonyms attempt and essay are close in meaning, attempt stresses the initiation or beginning of an effort.

Where would endeavor be a reasonable alternative to essay ?

Although the words endeavor and essay have much in common, endeavor heightens the implications of exertion and difficulty.

When is strive a more appropriate choice than essay ?

While in some cases nearly identical to essay , strive implies great exertion against great difficulty and specifically suggests persistent effort.

How do try and attempt relate to one another, in the sense of essay ?

Try is often close to attempt but may stress effort or experiment made in the hope of testing or proving something.

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“Essay.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus , Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/essay. Accessed 16 Apr. 2024.

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Essay Plural, What is the Plural of Essay?

Meaning: a short piece of writing on a particular subject.

Table of Contents

Plural of Essay

• dissertation

Essay as a Singular Noun in Example Sentences:

• She submitted her essay before the deadline.
• The student received an A+ on his essay .
• The teacher assigned a persuasive essay for the assignment.
• He spent hours researching and writing the essay .
• The essay explored the theme of identity in literature.
• The scholarship required a well-written essay on a specific topic.
• The university professor provided feedback on the essay .
• The essay was published in a renowned academic journal.

Essay as a Plural Noun in Example Sentences:

• The students submitted their essays for grading.
• The conference received numerous essays from scholars around the world.
• The collection of essays covered a wide range of topics.
• The professor assigned weekly essays to encourage critical thinking.
• The finalists presented their essays in front of the audience.
• The anthology included essays from various renowned authors.
• The competition aimed to recognize outstanding essays on social issues.
• The workshop focused on refining students’ persuasive essays .

Singular Possessive of Essay:

The singular possessive form of “Essay” is “Essay’s”.

Examples of Singular Possessive Form of Essay:

• I need to read Essay’s conclusion.
• The topic of Essay’s first paragraph is intriguing.
• Have you seen Essay’s thesis statement?
• I appreciate Essay’s insightful analysis.
• The structure of Essay’s body paragraphs is clear.
• Essay’s introduction captures the reader’s attention.
• I admire Essay’s coherent argumentation.
• Essay’s conclusion summarizes the main points.
• Can you provide me with Essay’s bibliography?
• The evidence in Essay’s supporting paragraphs is compelling.

Plural Possessive of Essay:

The plural possessive form of “Essay” is “Essays'”.

Examples of Plural Possessive Form of Essay:

• I need to read the Essays’ conclusions.
• The topics of the Essays’ first paragraphs are diverse.
• Have you seen the Essays’ thesis statements?
• I appreciate the Essays’ insightful analyses.
• The structures of the Essays’ body paragraphs are well-organized.
• The Essays’ introductions engage the readers effectively.
• I admire the Essays’ coherent argumentations.
• The Essays’ conclusions summarize the main points eloquently.
• Can you provide me with the Essays’ bibliographies?
• The evidence in the Essays’ supporting paragraphs is substantial.

Explore Related Nouns:

• Complete List of Singular Plurals

Last updated on June 9th, 2023 at 09:23 pm

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NPR defends its journalism after senior editor says it has lost the public's trust

David Folkenflik

NPR is defending its journalism and integrity after a senior editor wrote an essay accusing it of losing the public's trust. Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

NPR is defending its journalism and integrity after a senior editor wrote an essay accusing it of losing the public's trust.

NPR's top news executive defended its journalism and its commitment to reflecting a diverse array of views on Tuesday after a senior NPR editor wrote a broad critique of how the network has covered some of the most important stories of the age.

"An open-minded spirit no longer exists within NPR, and now, predictably, we don't have an audience that reflects America," writes Uri Berliner.

A strategic emphasis on diversity and inclusion on the basis of race, ethnicity and sexual orientation, promoted by NPR's former CEO, John Lansing, has fed "the absence of viewpoint diversity," Berliner writes.

NPR's chief news executive, Edith Chapin, wrote in a memo to staff Tuesday afternoon that she and the news leadership team strongly reject Berliner's assessment.

"We're proud to stand behind the exceptional work that our desks and shows do to cover a wide range of challenging stories," she wrote. "We believe that inclusion — among our staff, with our sourcing, and in our overall coverage — is critical to telling the nuanced stories of this country and our world."

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She added, "None of our work is above scrutiny or critique. We must have vigorous discussions in the newsroom about how we serve the public as a whole."

A spokesperson for NPR said Chapin, who also serves as the network's chief content officer, would have no further comment.

Praised by NPR's critics

Berliner is a senior editor on NPR's Business Desk. (Disclosure: I, too, am part of the Business Desk, and Berliner has edited many of my past stories. He did not see any version of this article or participate in its preparation before it was posted publicly.)

Berliner's essay , titled "I've Been at NPR for 25 years. Here's How We Lost America's Trust," was published by The Free Press, a website that has welcomed journalists who have concluded that mainstream news outlets have become reflexively liberal.

Berliner writes that as a Subaru-driving, Sarah Lawrence College graduate who "was raised by a lesbian peace activist mother ," he fits the mold of a loyal NPR fan.

Yet Berliner says NPR's news coverage has fallen short on some of the most controversial stories of recent years, from the question of whether former President Donald Trump colluded with Russia in the 2016 election, to the origins of the virus that causes COVID-19, to the significance and provenance of emails leaked from a laptop owned by Hunter Biden weeks before the 2020 election. In addition, he blasted NPR's coverage of the Israel-Hamas conflict.

On each of these stories, Berliner asserts, NPR has suffered from groupthink due to too little diversity of viewpoints in the newsroom.

The essay ricocheted Tuesday around conservative media , with some labeling Berliner a whistleblower . Others picked it up on social media, including Elon Musk, who has lambasted NPR for leaving his social media site, X. (Musk emailed another NPR reporter a link to Berliner's article with a gibe that the reporter was a "quisling" — a World War II reference to someone who collaborates with the enemy.)

When asked for further comment late Tuesday, Berliner declined, saying the essay spoke for itself.

The arguments he raises — and counters — have percolated across U.S. newsrooms in recent years. The #MeToo sexual harassment scandals of 2016 and 2017 forced newsrooms to listen to and heed more junior colleagues. The social justice movement prompted by the killing of George Floyd in 2020 inspired a reckoning in many places. Newsroom leaders often appeared to stand on shaky ground.

Leaders at many newsrooms, including top editors at The New York Times and the Los Angeles Times , lost their jobs. Legendary Washington Post Executive Editor Martin Baron wrote in his memoir that he feared his bonds with the staff were "frayed beyond repair," especially over the degree of self-expression his journalists expected to exert on social media, before he decided to step down in early 2021.

Since then, Baron and others — including leaders of some of these newsrooms — have suggested that the pendulum has swung too far.

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New York Times publisher A.G. Sulzberger warned last year against journalists embracing a stance of what he calls "one-side-ism": "where journalists are demonstrating that they're on the side of the righteous."

"I really think that that can create blind spots and echo chambers," he said.

Internal arguments at The Times over the strength of its reporting on accusations that Hamas engaged in sexual assaults as part of a strategy for its Oct. 7 attack on Israel erupted publicly . The paper conducted an investigation to determine the source of a leak over a planned episode of the paper's podcast The Daily on the subject, which months later has not been released. The newsroom guild accused the paper of "targeted interrogation" of journalists of Middle Eastern descent.

Heated pushback in NPR's newsroom

Given Berliner's account of private conversations, several NPR journalists question whether they can now trust him with unguarded assessments about stories in real time. Others express frustration that he had not sought out comment in advance of publication. Berliner acknowledged to me that for this story, he did not seek NPR's approval to publish the piece, nor did he give the network advance notice.

Some of Berliner's NPR colleagues are responding heatedly. Fernando Alfonso, a senior supervising editor for digital news, wrote that he wholeheartedly rejected Berliner's critique of the coverage of the Israel-Hamas conflict, for which NPR's journalists, like their peers, periodically put themselves at risk.

Alfonso also took issue with Berliner's concern over the focus on diversity at NPR.

"As a person of color who has often worked in newsrooms with little to no people who look like me, the efforts NPR has made to diversify its workforce and its sources are unique and appropriate given the news industry's long-standing lack of diversity," Alfonso says. "These efforts should be celebrated and not denigrated as Uri has done."

After this story was first published, Berliner contested Alfonso's characterization, saying his criticism of NPR is about the lack of diversity of viewpoints, not its diversity itself.

"I never criticized NPR's priority of achieving a more diverse workforce in terms of race, ethnicity and sexual orientation. I have not 'denigrated' NPR's newsroom diversity goals," Berliner said. "That's wrong."

Questions of diversity

Under former CEO John Lansing, NPR made increasing diversity, both of its staff and its audience, its "North Star" mission. Berliner says in the essay that NPR failed to consider broader diversity of viewpoint, noting, "In D.C., where NPR is headquartered and many of us live, I found 87 registered Democrats working in editorial positions and zero Republicans."

Berliner cited audience estimates that suggested a concurrent falloff in listening by Republicans. (The number of people listening to NPR broadcasts and terrestrial radio broadly has declined since the start of the pandemic.)

Former NPR vice president for news and ombudsman Jeffrey Dvorkin tweeted , "I know Uri. He's not wrong."

Others questioned Berliner's logic. "This probably gets causality somewhat backward," tweeted Semafor Washington editor Jordan Weissmann . "I'd guess that a lot of NPR listeners who voted for [Mitt] Romney have changed how they identify politically."

Similarly, Nieman Lab founder Joshua Benton suggested the rise of Trump alienated many NPR-appreciating Republicans from the GOP.

In recent years, NPR has greatly enhanced the percentage of people of color in its workforce and its executive ranks. Four out of 10 staffers are people of color; nearly half of NPR's leadership team identifies as Black, Asian or Latino.

"The philosophy is: Do you want to serve all of America and make sure it sounds like all of America, or not?" Lansing, who stepped down last month, says in response to Berliner's piece. "I'd welcome the argument against that."

"On radio, we were really lagging in our representation of an audience that makes us look like what America looks like today," Lansing says. The U.S. looks and sounds a lot different than it did in 1971, when NPR's first show was broadcast, Lansing says.

A network spokesperson says new NPR CEO Katherine Maher supports Chapin and her response to Berliner's critique.

The spokesperson says that Maher "believes that it's a healthy thing for a public service newsroom to engage in rigorous consideration of the needs of our audiences, including where we serve our mission well and where we can serve it better."

Disclosure: This story was reported and written by NPR Media Correspondent David Folkenflik and edited by Deputy Business Editor Emily Kopp and Managing Editor Gerry Holmes. Under NPR's protocol for reporting on itself, no NPR corporate official or news executive reviewed this story before it was posted publicly.