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Pedants' corner

Plural of chief please

20 replies

anniewoo · 25/05/2012 10:34

Please all you pedants-Need to know the plural of chief is it chiefs or chieves or both?

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BestestBrownies · 25/05/2012 10:35

chiefs

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WowOoo · 25/05/2012 10:35

I'd say chiefs too.

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anniewoo · 25/05/2012 11:05

So would i but am neing contradicted. Where is tje best place to look it up. Internet sites some say chieves!!!

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tartyflette · 25/05/2012 21:34
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Nanny0gg · 30/05/2012 23:20

Chiefs.
Never come across chieves before!

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nickelbarapasaurus · 07/06/2012 13:35

it's chiefs.

(and i'm the one who will recommend -ves for most things)
i think it's because it's a foreign word.

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nickelbarapasaurus · 07/06/2012 13:35
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nickelbarapasaurus · 07/06/2012 13:37

this looks good
haven't yet seen the answers though...

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nickelbarapasaurus · 07/06/2012 13:48

rooves - it's sodding rooves !!!!

(just looking at answers)
building trade uses rooves!

(at best that means "either can be used" iss the correct answer)

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Mabelface · 07/06/2012 13:53

Chiefs

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Nanny0gg · 08/06/2012 09:16

Incorrect answers
What's the plural of 'roof'?
Q4: What's the plural of 'scarf'?
Q21: What's the plural of 'wharf'?
Q26: What's the plural of 'handkerchief'?


Oh no they weren't.

And does anyone else think the plural of 'giraffe' is 'giraffe'?

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Ponders · 08/06/2012 09:22

I don't think the building trade can be considered an arbiter of English grammar, nickel Grin

The given answers all look right to me

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nickelbarapasaurus · 08/06/2012 11:29

no, but think about it - they're the ones that make rooves. and mend them etc.

(it says rooves in the CITB book)

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Ponders · 08/06/2012 11:43

yeah, but that's jargon Grin

\link{http://www.mumsnet.com/Talk/education/342213-is-the-plural-of-roof-roofs-or-rooves/AllOnOnePage\oh look! the roofs/rooves thing was raised here 5 years ago!}

ahundredtimes said roofs, & she is a proper published author so she should know (but of course she is not a builder)

if you put "rooves" into google it only finds "roofs" - some of the links are for roofing firms (of course) & I notice those tend to avoid using the plural of roof at all; just the singular or "roofing"

(& most of the other links are "is it roofs or rooves?" Grin)

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nickelbarapasaurus · 08/06/2012 13:15

blimey.

deja vu! Shock

i'm right though.

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fallenangle · 08/06/2012 13:19

'Too many chiefs, not enough Indians Native Americans'

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Springforward · 15/06/2012 20:12

Chiefs.

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Hassled · 15/06/2012 20:13

As I tell DH often, there should only ever be one chief at any one time and it's me. There should be no plural.

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ceeco · 29/11/2012 01:05

In elementary school in the sixties, we were taught "rooves", was the plural for roof, as was "hooves" for hoof.
I just discovered "today" that it is now roofs, and hoofs (saw it in the paper and researched it).
Imagine my shock after all these years. English grammar rules should remain constant but it seems they don't; shouldn't some things stay the same so that there is something you can count on?
Next we'll discover that 2 + 2 = 5 I guess!

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CocktailQueen · 04/12/2012 23:12

chiefs. That's the only plural!

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