Shakespearian ------------------- are generally the victims of circumstance.

Analyze the question The sentence needs the correct plural form of "hero". The verb "are" and the phrase "the victims" show that the subject must be plural.

Explain the concept Nouns ending in -o form their plurals in different ways:

• Many add -es, especially when the -o follows a consonant: hero → heroes, potato → potatoes, tomato → tomatoes, echo → echoes, veto → vetoes.
• Others add just -s, such as photo → photos, piano → pianos, radio → radios, and nouns where the -o follows a vowel (e.g. video → videos).

Show the solution

1. The subject must be plural, because "are" and "victims" are plural. This rules out C. hero.
2. A. heros is wrongly spelt. "Hero" takes -es in the plural.
3. B. heroses is not a word. It adds an unnecessary extra ending.
4. D. heroes is the correct plural.

Complete sentence: Shakespearian heroes are generally the victims of circumstance.

Answer: D. heroes

Tip: Remember the phrase "Heroes eat tomatoes and potatoes." Those common -o nouns that take -es are easy to recall together. In JAMB, if an option looks odd, such as "heroses", eliminate it first.