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Which is correct–copies or copys?
Can we write “copys” as a word, like in the sentence “he has many copys of the worksheet”?
The short answer is no, “copys” is an incorrect word. This is where the rule, change -y to -i and add -es applies. The correct word is “copies.”
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The Plural of Copy
The plural of copy is “copies.” When we want to make a regular noun plural, we usually add an -s to the end of the word. There are some exceptions to this rule, however.
When a word ends in -y, we change the -y to -i and then add -es to form the plural.
Here are some other examples of this rule:
- penny/pennies
- lily/lilies
- fly/flies
- candy/candies
As we can see, for words that end with a consonant + -y, we follow this rule to form the plural. Copy is one of these words. As a result, the plural of copy is “copies,” not “copys.”
Other Words That End in ‘Y’
For words that end in -y preceded by a vowel, we just add -s to form the plural.
Here are some examples:
- key/keys
- plural/plurals
- tray/trays
What does copies mean?
The word “copies” can be a noun meaning a duplicate or imitation of something, like when you make a photocopy of a document.
It can also be a verb meaning to produce an imitation of something, like when you copy someone’s hairstyle.
Examples of Sentences with “Copies” and “Copy” (Noun)
- “I need to make copies of these documents.”
- “Can you please make copies of this for Alice?”
- There are never enough copies when we have a meeting.
- “The printer is out of copies.”
- “Can you get two copies of this for me?”
- “I’m going to make 500 copies of this flier.”
- “Do we have enough copies for everyone in the class?”
- “Please make sure you take enough copies with you.”
Examples of Sentences with “Copies” and “Copy” (Verb)
- “She copies her sister’s hairstyle.”
- “He copied the design from the picture.”
- “I’m going to copy this recipe for you.”
- “Can you please copy this information for me?”
- “She copies the teacher’s mannerisms!”
- “Don’t copy his homework!”
- “She copied verbatim from the textbook.”
- “She copies her friends’ work during a test!”
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In Conclusion
When it comes to the correct usage of the word “copys” or “copies”, following the rule of changing -y to -i and adding -es is key. For the third-person singular verb and plural noun, “copy” takes -ies, as in “copies.”
I hope you found this helpful! If you did, please feel free to share it with your friends and family! Thank you for reading!
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I'm an Irish tutor and founder of TPR Teaching. I started teaching in 2016 and have since taught in the UK, Spain, and online.
I love learning new things about the English language and how to teach it better. I'm always trying to improve my knowledge, so I can better meet the needs of others!
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