As educators, it is our responsibility to teach students about the complexities of the English language. One particular area that can be a challenge is the plural form of nouns, especially when it comes to irregular nouns like “genius.” In this article, I will discuss some tips and techniques for teaching students about the plural of genius.
First, it is important to review the basic rules of forming plurals. Regular nouns typically take the suffix “-s” or “-es” to form the plural (e.g. dog/dogs, box/boxes). However, irregular nouns like “genius” do not follow this pattern.
The plural form of “genius” is “geniuses.” This may seem counterintuitive to some students who may assume that the plural would be “genii” or “geniusi.” It is important to explain to students that while “genii” is sometimes used informally, it is not technically correct.
To help students remember the plural form of “genius,” you can introduce some fun mnemonic devices. For example, you can tell students to think of “geniuses” as multiple “genies” (like the magical creatures in fairy tales). Or, you can explain that since “genius” ends in “-us,” the plural must end in “-es” (e.g. process/processes, campus/campuses).
Another helpful technique is to provide plenty of examples of the plural form of “genius” in context. You can read passages from books or articles that use the plural form, or you can create your own practice exercises that require students to form the plural correctly.
It is also important to explain that the plural of “genius” is not to be confused with the possessive form. For example, if referring to the achievements of Albert Einstein and Marie Curie, the correct phrasing would be “the geniuses’ contributions” (not “the genius’s contributions”).
