Several times we come across words ending in "to the" and we are in doubt as to the correct way to use the plural. For example, the words melon, citizen, hat, among others.
But this is a natural phenomenon that affects most people, due to the suppression of two subjects that were part of the curriculum of previous generations: Latin and Historical Grammar.
To better understand this issue, it is necessary and at the same time interesting to go back to the roots of some words.
why do we use it now "AOS", now "AES" to form the plural of words ending in “NO”? Historical Grammar and Latin teach us this way. Let's see:
These words ended in Latin in -ONE; -ANE and -ANU and were Portuguese with endings: - OM; - Ã or AM and - NO. Afterwards all started to - TO THE.
The plural, however, basically obeys the Latin roots. Thus:
# The plural - ONS was born from the words ending in ONE or ONE and then, the words in the Portuguese language remained the same, such as:
Condition - Conditions
Heart - Hearts
Intentione - intentions
nation - nations
Prayer - prayers
Perfectione - perfections
ration - reasons
Sermone - sermons
temptation - temptations
# The plural - AES was born from the words ending in - AN; -ANE or -ANES (sometimes -ANI, -ANIS):
Cane - dogs
Bread - buns
Scribane - registrars
Alemanni - Germans (because it came through Italian and not Latin, where it would be Alemanu).
Capelan - chaplains (because it came from Provencal, if it came straight from Latin, the plural would be chaplains, because in Latin it is capellanus).
Capitan - Captains (because it came through Italian, if it were Latin, it would be captains)
# The plural - TO THE he was born:
From the words ending in -ANU, -ANUS:
manu - hands
Germanu - brothers
Paganus-pagans
Granu - grains
Planu - floors
#The words paroxytones also do the plural "-TO THE":
Blessing - blessings
orphan - orphans
Organ - Organs
attic - attics
There are certain words that allow both endings: OH and OH. Are they:
villain - villains or villains
villager - villagers or villagers
Elder - Elders - Elders - Elders
Do not stop now... There's more after the advertising ;)
By Vânia Duarte
Graduated in Letters
Brazil School Team
Grammar - Brazil School
Would you like to reference this text in a school or academic work? Look:
DUARTE, Vânia Maria do Nascimento. "The different plural forms of words ending in “-AO”"; Brazil School. Available in: https://brasilescola.uol.com.br/gramatica/as-diferentes-formas-plural-das-palavras-terminadas-.htm. Accessed on June 27, 2021.