Hooves and rooves

[FellatioNelson]

When I was young I swear I used to see and hear the word rooves for the plural of roof.

We have hooves for hoofs but I never see/ear rooves any more.


Did I imagine the whole thing back in 1974?

[FellatioNelson]

hear not ear

[VintageRainBoots]

I found this response on Yahoo:

^The Oxford English Dictionary does have several citations with "rooves"; however, some sources claim this form is 'archaic'. Most of the older vocabulary items in English retain the f-->v change for their plurals, but after this rule was lost in English, new words didn't undergo the change. Thus, the plural of goof is goofs, not gooves. So the best we can say is that the plural form of 'roof' is variable, where 'roofs' is the preferred plural in many style manuals (although I can see no good reason for choosing 'roofs' over 'rooves'). 'Hoof' also varies between 'hoofs' and 'hooves' in its plural form.
Source(s):
OED^

[crabb]

Same for me when I was young, too, Fellatio. But I am old (54).

[FellatioNelson]

ahem 'archaic' ? I am old, admittedly, but not that bloody old!

[Longdistance]

Erm, I'm 36 and was taught rooves. I too have wondered where this word disappeared to.

[Longdistance]

But is it dwarfs, or dwarves? Or is that something completely different....

[FellatioNelson]

Yes, dwarves! I knew there was another cracking example but I was struggling to think of it.

I am not wrong am I - no-one says 'rooves' these days.

[Iheartpasties]

I'm 31 and say rooves! not sure ive ever seen it written though. i'm typing with one hand, and breastfeeding, sorry for crap punctuation etc.

[FellatioNelson]

Well I think we probably all say it, but you never see it written/spelt that way these days.

[3b1g]

If there were more than one chief then I would definitely write 'chiefs' not 'chieves'. Not that the situation has ever arisen!

[Northey]

I say rooves and would write it. I'm 34.

[FellatioNelson]

I think I would too 3b - chieves sounds wrong.

I've confused myself now.

[Longdistance]

Calf/calves?

[3b1g]

www.wordsforbreakfast.co.nz/blog/rooves-or-roofs-or-how-to-make-a-writer-die-inside/

[Longdistance]

Shelf/ shelves?

I think I have too much time on my hands!

[MirandaGoshawk]

Dwarves is the UK version - I think we've got used to Dwarfs because the Snow White film uses it, the US version. But yes, hooves, shelves, wharf/wharves, half/halves etc., although personally I would use roof, with rooftops for plural

[ceeco]

It seems things change with time. Shouldn't be so with grammar, however.
I too was taught "rooves". Was also taught "hooves".
Chief was an exception...kind of like i before e except after c.
Can't recall how dwarf is affected. A clue might be in the snow white story if someone can find an old version of it. I think it might be dwarves, but not sure.
While we're on the subject, what about pleaded guilty? We were taught that pled was the past tense for plead. Now all I hear and see is "pleaded".
While I'm here how about conversate vs. converse? Where did it all come from?

[TheDoctrineOfSnatch]

Conversate??

[badtime]

(In a related and massively un-PC matter, I have seen copies of Private Eye from the 60s which pluralised 'poof' to 'pooves'.)

[tinselahohoho]

What would you do for plural of 'bus'? Got very confused yesterday . . .

[BarbecuedBillygoats]

Buses?

Rooves, hooves and dwarves here . Am 31
Interestingly my phone left hooves and dwarves but didn't like rooves and changed it to robes.

[tinselahohoho]

So - is there any way 'busses' would be right? (I have to admit I didn't even know it was an option until I saw it.)

Trying to be generous here . . .

[ChestnutsRoastingonaWitchesTit]

Fellatio, I agree that 'Chieves' doesn't sound right as plural for chief, but I've always said 'Handkerchieves'

[BarbecuedBillygoats]

A buss is an electrical thing so busses would be more than one of those

[badtime]

'Buss' is also an archaic word meaning 'kiss'.