If you add an s to the end of a word, in order to make it plural, do you up the syllable count by 1?

Question

Ex:

Fan

Fan-s?

Answer 1

It might for some, but I know it doesn't for all of them. I mean look at the word plants. I looked it up and it's only one syllable either way. It might only be for a couple, but I know that it doesn't always add a syllable.

Answer 2

no,not always

Answer 3

no

Answer 4

Yes and no

Yes to:

Piece/ pieces

Face/faces

Chase/chases

Vase/vases

No to:

Fan/fans

Beer/Beers

Banana/bananas

Answer 5

You can just as easily use the "clapping" technique to figure that one is one syllable only, nothing added.

Now, if you add an "es" it's different.  In a majority of cases, it adds one syllable;

Ex. Watch

Watch-es

In other instances (sometimes more humorous ones), an "i" is needed at the end of a word to make it plural, and although I can't think of any examples (hippopatomi instead of hippopotamuses is what I'm kind of getting at) it usually adds 1 more syllable.

And an "m" may also be necessary (in even rarer cases), generally adding one syllable just like the "i" and "es".

Ex.

Data

Dat-um

SHORT ANSWER;

No, only "es" adds syllables...

Hope I somewhat answered this...:)

Answer 6

For words like dog/dogs - no

But for words like ice/ices - yes

Answer 7

... no , not ordinarily.An "s" after a consonant produces no additional syllable sound and  syllables are  an auditory phenomenon...

...  but exceptions exist when  you are adding an "s" after a vowel  "e"  .... ex..please.. pleases , crease..creases, extravagance..extravagances

...but not after the  vowel "a" like in extravaganza..extravaganzas

...there are  also exceptions to the exceptions ... ex. ....syllable...syllables , parable...parables... apple, apples

Ah English!  so simple!   such subtly!

Phonetics was supposed to make it easier!

Answer 8

Adding an s to a word only sometimes increases the syllable count.

ex. fan = 1 count ..... fans = 1 count

face = 1 count ..... face-s = 2 counts

Adding an es to the end of a word also only sometimes increases the syllable count.

ex. buf-fa-lo = 3 counts .... buf-fa-loes = 3 counts

brush = 1 count .... brush-es = 2 counts

The words that pluralize differently seem to remain the same syllable count, but I may just not have thought of the right words for examples.

ex. da-ta = 2 counts .... da-tum = 2 counts

oc-to-pus = 3 counts ..... oc-to-pi = 3 counts

goose = 1 count ..... geese = 1 count

If you're having trouble telling how many syllables a word is, the best method I've found is the chin count. You exaggerate the word as you speak it, so that your mouth moves much wider than it usually would. Then, keeping your hand on your chin- it makes it easier, trust me- you count how many times your chin goes down.

Or you can just look the word up in the dictionary. When it shows how to pronounce the word, it breaks it up into the syllables. You could just count that.

Hope that all help. I disagreed with some of the examples in the other answers, but I checked the dictionary.

Answer 9

At the risk of being labeled grammar boy I will answer off the top of my head

If the singular form  of a noun ends in a vowel  generally you just add "s" and the number of syllables remains the same.  

If the word ends in a consonant all bets are off.

fan. . . fans

fetus. . . fetuses

matrix. . . matrices

Please! lets not get into transitive v. intransitive verbs.

Suffice it to say that the English Language is befuddling, I wish I could learn Chinese