If the plural of roof is roofs

[starone]

(not rooves) which I think it is, shouldn't the plural of dwarf be dwarfs and not dwarves? Will someone clever at English please enlighten me?

[MarkRae]

Every language has irregularities. Don't worry about it, just learn it...

[starone]

O.K.

[Buenchico]

The Concise Oxford Dictionary says that both 'dwarves' and 'dwarfs' are correct (and Firefox's British English spellchecker seems to agree!)

[MarkRae]

Chris, just be thankful didn't think that the plural of roof was roof's... ;-)

[Buenchico]

Oops!

Before someone points it out, I should have remembered that my use of 'both' required the use of the singular 'is', rather than the plural 'are'.

[MarkRae]

Er, no - both takes a plural verb, obviously...

[annadomino]

What about hooves? Doubt there is (are) hoofs.

[MarkRae]

Every language has irregularities. Don't worry about it, just learn it...

[Quizmonster]

Ann, The Oxford English Dictionary says, "hoofs, sometimes hooves" and Chambers Dictionary says, "hooves or hoofs." Use whichever one you fancy would seem to be the approach.

[bibblebub]

thank goodness for fora

[factor-fiction]

lol, bibblebub. This is the best forum of all the 'fora' .
I once recall someone saying ombnibi (or was it omnibii) as the plural of omnibus. I'm not sure he was correct because I know I'd get strange looks if I said bii instead of buses.
When I'm teaching maths the students just don't believe me when I write AXES ("you've spelt axis wrong sir") or FORMULAE.

[factor-fiction]

^ ...or is it busses?

[rowanwitch]

in Brum it's Buzzes

aaaaaaaggggghhhh!!!!

[netibiza]

so is the plural of pouf, pouves, as believe me there are a lot of plurals of them where I come from.

[Quizmonster]

Throughout most of the 19th century, bus WAS spelt buss, so the plural would have been busses, but now, only buses is used. Of course, going further back in time, busses meant kisses amongst other things! Catching a bus(s) has always been a good idea!

[Quizmonster]

Neti, since your word was probably based on puff - for which the plural would certainly be puffs - I'd say you should just add an 's' as well.

[factor-fiction]

Thanks Quizmonster.
I didn't know BUS was spelt BUSS at one time- that surprised me because I thought it was an abbreviation of omnibus.
I wonder why the transport vehicles are BUSES but the BUSSES in computer technology are spelt with a double S.

As MarkRae says "Every language has irregularities. Don't worry about it, just learn it... ". It seems to me English has more irregularities than most other languages.

[coccinelle]

Here's the general rule: if the final 'f' is preceded by a vowel as in roof you just add an 's' but if it's preceded by a consonant as in shelf then the 'f' becomes a 'v' and you add 'es'.

[factor-fiction]

So that will be LEAFS then.

[andy-hughes]

i have this argument on a weekly basis with a colleague.

Because he has a Potteries accent, he pronounces words accordingly. I do not have the accent, so my pronunciation is different, and he constantly picks me up on my way of saying 'look', 'book' etc.

I always say, as MarkRae says, language does not conform to strict rules, it evolves and shifts constantly, but he still does it.

Yes, it is a pain!!