Comments on: The Plural of “Calf” is “Calves,” or is it? http://www.dailywritingtips.com/the-plural-of-calf-is-calves-or-is-it/ Sun, 21 Mar 2010 20:36:00 -0500 hourly 1 By: Maeve http://www.dailywritingtips.com/the-plural-of-calf-is-calves-or-is-it/comment-page-1/#comment-220333 Maeve Sun, 17 Jan 2010 13:06:33 +0000 http://www.dailywritingtips.com/?p=1395#comment-220333 Sarah, The spelling "calf's" is a possessive. Ex. the calf's mother is a cow. The plural, if you aren't going to spell it "calves," would be written "calfs". Sarah,
The spelling “calf’s” is a possessive.
Ex. the calf’s mother is a cow.

The plural, if you aren’t going to spell it “calves,” would be written “calfs”.

]]> By: Sarah http://www.dailywritingtips.com/the-plural-of-calf-is-calves-or-is-it/comment-page-1/#comment-220086 Sarah Sat, 16 Jan 2010 00:44:38 +0000 http://www.dailywritingtips.com/?p=1395#comment-220086 Alex, when you spell it calves and not calfs(which is supposed to be spelled calf's I think) it makes me think of calves like the calves on a persons leg. Is that right? Alex, when you spell it calves and not calfs(which is supposed to be spelled calf’s I think) it makes me think of calves like the calves on a persons leg. Is that right?

]]> By: Tony Hearn http://www.dailywritingtips.com/the-plural-of-calf-is-calves-or-is-it/comment-page-1/#comment-204720 Tony Hearn Thu, 19 Nov 2009 14:57:53 +0000 http://www.dailywritingtips.com/?p=1395#comment-204720 Yet again we have the dialect versus standard issue. Standard English is by and large a construct, an artificial dialect, in fact. So long as the media and the education system were prepared to buy into it it flourished. This is now waning and the spoken vernaculars are reaffirming themselves. The printed language is more conservative and will maintain the standard longer, that is respond to change more slowly. In practice, those of us brought up against a fairly literary and educated background, wit parents who spoke a form of the standard language are going to feel more at home with ' knives, wives, leaves,' etc. For many the spoken form is, and doubtless long has been, 'knifes, wifes, leafs' On 'calves' by the way, there is a marked difference of vowel length between the British (for the most part) and American speakers. In Britain we use a long vowel in calf, half etc., so we would say 'cahves or caafs', but not 'kaffs'. Yet again we have the dialect versus standard issue. Standard English is by and large a construct, an artificial dialect, in fact. So long as the media and the education system were prepared to buy into it it flourished. This is now waning and the spoken vernaculars are reaffirming themselves. The printed language is more conservative and will maintain the standard longer, that is respond to change more slowly. In practice, those of us brought up against a fairly literary and educated background, wit parents who spoke a form of the standard language are going to feel more at home with ‘ knives, wives, leaves,’ etc. For many the spoken form is, and doubtless long has been, ‘knifes, wifes, leafs’
On ‘calves’ by the way, there is a marked difference of vowel length between the British (for the most part) and American speakers. In Britain we use a long vowel in calf, half etc., so we would say ‘cahves or caafs’, but not ‘kaffs’.

]]> By: Sheila http://www.dailywritingtips.com/the-plural-of-calf-is-calves-or-is-it/comment-page-1/#comment-93476 Sheila Sun, 08 Mar 2009 18:19:13 +0000 http://www.dailywritingtips.com/?p=1395#comment-93476 LuAnn: "I still believe that we gave up quality education when we stopped teaching phonics and word origins for rote memorization…" Could I add diagramming sentences to that? LuAnn:
“I still believe that we gave up quality education when we stopped teaching phonics and word origins for rote memorization…”

Could I add diagramming sentences to that?

]]> By: LGW http://www.dailywritingtips.com/the-plural-of-calf-is-calves-or-is-it/comment-page-1/#comment-72846 LGW Mon, 19 Jan 2009 07:21:21 +0000 http://www.dailywritingtips.com/?p=1395#comment-72846 I doubt I'll ever understand where "beeves" comes from - it's sometimes used at the plural of beef, or perhaps of "cow destined to become beef". Perhaps it's just a technical term, with no explanation beyond that. Tolkien was asked once about "dwarves vs dwarfs" and made some comment that perhaps the proper plural was "dwarren". Of course, he may have been joking. I doubt I’ll ever understand where “beeves” comes from – it’s sometimes used at the plural of beef, or perhaps of “cow destined to become beef”. Perhaps it’s just a technical term, with no explanation beyond that.

Tolkien was asked once about “dwarves vs dwarfs” and made some comment that perhaps the proper plural was “dwarren”. Of course, he may have been joking.

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