Forming the gen.sg.: (a) Inherited from OE -es in a large number of nouns (old masculines and neuters): e.g. stōn-es, wǒlv-es, pā̆th-es, segg-es, hill-es, spēr-es, fōt-es, frẹ̄nd-es, lō̆mb-es.(b) Gradually extended to all other nouns (mostly old feminines): e.g. lǒv-es, wǒund-es, eǧǧ-es, hōlīness-es, dēd-es, mǒus-es [OE -e]; sǒn-es, nōs-es [OE -a]; brọ̄ther-es, mọ̄der-es [uninflected in OE]; rēv-es, sterr-es, tǒng-es, widew-es, ēr-es [OE -an]. The gen.sing. in -e [OE -e, -a], or uninflected, still occurs in various constructions in early ME. In the adnominal gen., esp. of nouns denoting persons and of proper names, it survives throughout the ME period, as in his lady grace his lady's favor, with his brother knowleching with his brother's knowledge, his herte wille his heart's desire, the pope holinesse. The gen.sing. in -en [OE -an] survives until late in the Southern dialects, where the nouns of this class also retain the -en plural forms. (c) Extending to all nouns borrowed from OF or L.

Forming the plural. (a) In nouns that formed the nom. and acc.pl. in -as in OE: e.g. stōn-es, wǒlv-es, pā̆th-es, seǧǧ-es, hill-es [OE stān-as, secg-as, hyll-as]. The -es was soon extended to the gen. and the dat.pl. forms of these nouns; the phonetically derived gen.pl. in -e [OE -a] and the dat.pl. in -e(n [OE -um] survive only in the earliest ME texts, esp. in the South. Nouns of this type furnished the model for reshaping the plural forms of other nouns. (b) The ending -es [OE -as] was extended to nouns that in OE formed the nom. and acc. plural in -a, -e, or -u, all of which appear as -e (the obscure vowel) in early ME. In the North the replacement of this non-distinctive -e by -es occurred before 1200, in the Midland and the South somewhat later. Examples: kār-es, wǒund-es, eǧǧ-es, spēr-es, hīd-es, sǒn-es [OE car-a, wund-a, ecg-a, sper-u, hȳd-e, -a, sun-a, -u.] (c) -es was also extended in all dialects to nouns that had no nom. and acc.plur. suffix in OE: e.g. wǒrd-es kinn-es, brọ̄ther-s, frẹ̄nd-es [OE word, cynn, etc.]. Note however, that in certain names of animals and of measures the uninflected plural survives, e.g. dẹ̄r, hors, swīn, shēp and pǒund, mark, yēr, night; and that it was even extended in certain constructions to other nouns, e.g. fish, fǒul beside fish-es, fǒul-es. The plurals fẹ̄t, gẹ̄s, tẹ̄th, mīs, līs also remained unchanged (but bẹ̄k was remodeled into bọ̄k-es). (d) In the nouns that formed the plural in OE -an, which became ME -en (later also -e), we find divergent developments. In the North and the Midland, -en is largely replaced by -es at an early date, whereas in the South -en survives until late and is even extended to other nouns. Examples: N rēv-es, sterr-es, tǒng-es, but S rēv-en, sterr-en, tǒng-en. (e) The few nouns that formed the plural in OE -ru retained the plural in -re(n, -er throughout the ME period, although -es intruded in late ME, as lomb-es for lamb-re(n, kalv-es for kalv-re(n; but child-re(n, ei-re(n remain unchanged. (f) All words borrowed from OF or L during the ME period form the plural in -es (unless the foreign plural form is retained), except that -en appears in some foreign words in the South.