plural form of elf

The noun shelf adheres to the standard rules for forming the plurals of nouns in English (shown in the table below). ), Old English had parallel form *elfen (fem. (Terry Brooks). Are You Good at Plurals? To pluralize ''elf'' you can't just add an ''s'' like you do with many other nouns. In addition to elf / ælf (masc. This involves opening and closing the glottis, which is in the larynx. elf (elf ), n., pl. You must get at … The plural form of elf is elves . Nouns ending in -ë forms the plural form by having the plural suffix -i replace the final vowel. Straight talking and methodical, "Smashing Grammar" (Our Grammar Book, 2019), some nouns undergo a vowel or letters change, A world in which elves exist and magic works offers greater opportunities to digress and explore. Modern use of the word elf almost always shows up in the plural as elves, with the spelling elfs turning up on infrequent occasions: Size doesn’t matter much in the world of elves. Elves is the plural form of the noun elf, which refers to a fantasy creature. You must get at least 29/33 to ace this test. One of the best ways to understand a word is to learn where it came from. Since these creatures usually work as a team (a necessity, given how relatively tiny they are), it’s important to know how to render the plural for their species. testyourknowledge.club. A world in which elves exist and magic works offers greater opportunities to digress and explore. Quantums . Inflections of 'elf' (n noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc. noun, plural elves [elvz]. Explanation: I did the test and got it right. 1) Elfs 2) Elves. (Rita Ora) Shelves are normally made of strong materials such as wood, bamboo, or steel. For example, the … By then, use of elves as the preferred plural for the creature was well established in English, following the example set by many other nouns that end in an –f that converts to a v when the noun in pluralized: shelf becomes shelves; scarf (usually) becomes scarves; wolf and calf becomes wolves and calves. a diminutive person, especially a child. — J.R.R. We can work on verb tenses, describing, prepositions, answering questions, and even the plural form of “elf!” This is a regular memory matching game so students will easily know what to do. . Elves is the standard plural form for elf according to the OED and it cites examples going back to Shakespear’s The Tempest from 1623 and Thomas Hobbes’ Leviathan from 1651. — The Edmond Sun (Oklahoma), 14 Dec. 2018. Prev Article Next Article . testyourknowledge.club. The latter form, moreover, is mostly shunned by English reference books and doesn’t pass spell check, … The album is never finished until it's on the shelves! Elf definition: In fairy stories , elves are small magical beings who play tricks on people. Tolkien, “The Hobbit Play” will feature 44 M.V. As plurals of elf, both elfs and elves have long histories in English, and there is plenty of precedent for both, but elves has always been the more common form by far, and it remains so to this day. A poem called “The Wonders of Santa Claus,” published by Harper’s Weekly in 1857, describes the legend: “In his house upon the top of a hill, / And almost out of sight, / He keeps a great many elves at work, / All working with all their might.” An American women’s magazine called Godey’s Lady’s Book is credited with one of the earliest depictions of elves as toy workers assisting Santa, with workshop illustrations adorning the cover of its 1873 Christmas issue. Slippery Words Quiz—Changing with the Times. Learn a new word every day. A selection of words from the chillier parts of t... Test your vocabulary with our 10-question quiz! What is the correct plural of 'cactus'? | Meaning, pronunciation, translations and examples Times (Martha’s Vineyard, Mass. Elf derives from Old English. Spelling, in this case, is determined by phonetics. . The plural of elf is elves . The plural form of elk remains the same in both American English and British English. elfe (plural elfen or elfene) 1. Then there are those nouns that end in –fe: wife and knife become wives and knives. Clement Clarke Moore’s 1823 poem “A Visit from St. Nicholas” describes the visitor as “a right jolly old elf.” In 1850, Louisa May Alcott completed a manuscript entitled Christmas Elves, but it was never published. This follows the common method of pluralizing nouns in English … The noun elf adheres to the standard rules for forming the plurals of nouns in English (shown in the table below). A word’s etymology can reveal a lot about the changes a word has gone through to get to where it is today in modern English. Instead, ''elf'' is one of those less common nouns that you have... See full answer below. Elfs . Some nouns have a fixed plural form and take a plural verb. They are not used in the singular, or they have a different meaning in the singular. Such creatures also turn up in advertising, where they are known for, among other things, making cookies inside a tree. Later, elves were reestablished as helpful beings, before becoming prominent in Christmas narratives as assistants to Santa Claus in his workshop. House impeaches Trump again, insurrection Scho was so faire & so fresche, as faucon hire semed, An elfe out of an-othire erde, or ellis an Aungell.— The Wars of Alexander, 1450 1.1.1. Looking for something else? Later, elves were reestablished as helpful beings, before becoming prominent in Christmas narratives as assistants to Santa Claus in his workshop. ), Old English had parallel form *elfen (fem. New questions in English. 1. a small imaginary person with magic powers. A question surrounding a hard-working plural. Both words survived into Middle English and were active there, the former as elf (with the vowel of the plural), plural elves, the latter as elven, West Midlands dialect alven (plural elvene). In addition to elf / ælf (masc. Especially for German learners the correct declension of the word Elf is crucial. The preferred plural of elf is elves, following the grammar of shelf and shelves or wolf and wolves. Only Language Geniuses Know The Plural Forms Of The Hardest 33 Words In English. This is because the word is first pluralized to parents with the addition of the letter -s and then cannot have another -s added to show possession, thus an apostrophe is added in front of the whole. Both words survived into Middle English and were active there, the former as elf (with the vowel of the plural), plural elves, the latter as elven, West Midlands dialect alven (plural elvene). In early folklore, elves were known as mischievous creatures that did anything from causing trouble to stealing children. January 14, 2014 at 12:14 am. The plural form is used to mark more than one specific thing. (obsolete) A female elf, a fairy, nymph 1.1. And of course, Santa Claus relies on a workforce of these tiny individuals to make the toys he delivers to children every December. ... What is the correct plural of 'elf'? They often had supernatural powers, and were sometimes considered potentially dangerous, but aloof. ), the plural of which was *elfenna, -elfen, from Proto-Germanic *albinjo-. An elf can refer to a mystical being with magical powers from folklore, modern fantasy, or Santa’s helpers. Wrong!- What is the correct plural of 'goose'? Illustrations usually depict Santa’s elves as short and smiling creatures wearing green. In 21st-century edited writing, it appears many times more often than elfs. Declension Elf . Quanta . You must get at least 29/33 to ace this test. Nouns like this include: trousers, jeans, glasses, savings, thanks, steps, stairs, customs, congratulations, tropics, … Tolkien, The Hobbit, 1937, In a foreword to The Hobbit, Tolkien acknowledged that dwarfs was the “only correct plural” of dwarf, but that he had opted for dwarves “only when speaking of the ancient people to whom Thorin Oakenshield and his companions belonged.”, inaugurate, inauguration ": elves . The voiceless \f\ sound that ends these words became a voiced \v\ simply by habit of speech when the word in question was pluralized. Find more answers. Looking for something else? Vocational rather than academic, "Grammar for Grown-ups" is packed with real-life examples and keeps you engaged with a wealth of great quotations from Homer the Greek to Homer the Simpson. The History and Origin of the Word. Over the rolling plains of Edelwilde walk giants, dwarfs, elves, fairies and many other creatures unknown to the rest of the world. Correct! Elves were a ripe subject for poets ranging from Chaucer to Shakespeare to Dryden, though no consensus could seem to be reached on how to render the plural. A noun comparable to elf that went its own route when it came to establishing a plural is dwarf. In the Highlands of Scotland, new-born children are watched till the christening is over, lest they should be stolen or changed by some of these phantastical existences.”. Armed rioters storm Capitol building. In Germanic folklore, the term elf referred to any of a variety of creatures, usually of small stature, not necessarily out to cause harm but always mischievous. 1) Elfs 2) Elves. Note: this also works for the plural forms of both self and elf – as in, “Apply your-elves (apply yourselves),” and “Pull your-elves together.” Self*→ Elf*: As in, “An elf ish (selfish) person,” and “ Elf less (selfless) bravery,” and “I won’t stand for such elf ishness (selfishness).” (She was so fair and happy and seemed elegant, an elfefrom anothe… Translations and examples Some nouns have a fixed plural form is used to mark more than one thing. Explanation: I did the test and got it right in question was pluralized the Dictionary for 2021. 10-Question quiz to children every December: elves: DEFINITIONS 1 plural:! Shown in the bud ' apply to all such nouns, however definition: in fairy stories, were... Fairy stories, elves tend to be regarded as industrious and helpful, rather than havoc-wreaking English. Wolf and wolves in which elves exist and magic works offers greater opportunities to digress and.! 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