If Children Follow Marcus's "Rule-And-Memory" Theory for Creating the Plural

question 53

Multiple Choice

If children follow Marcus's "rule-and-memory" theory for creating the plural form of nouns, we would expect that English-speaking children would

• A) add the ending "s" or "es" to every noun.
• B) vary the strategy for creating a plural form, and then notice which strategy receives the most positive reaction from grownups.
• C) add "s" or "es" to most nouns, but remember some important words that have an irregular plural.
• D) use overextensions more frequently than overregularizations.