Coooeeee Pedants! Leaves Vs leafs.

[WorzselMummage]

I frequent a couple of gardening forums and leafs seems to be the most popular way of writing it but it makes my eyes bleed.

It's leaves isn't it?

Yes. I think so.

Makes my eyes bleed too, along with roofs and knifes. I was always taught that it should be 'ves' when these words are plural.

However, I believe that the convention now is to do 'fs' - not sure which to teach DC so as not to disadvantage exams (although I don't think they do negative marking for spelling any more do they?).

It could be leafs if it's being used as a verb?

ie He leafs through his gardening magazine.

So perhaps a plant might (just about) leaf (ie come into leaf). Maybe.

Yes

No no.

"I like the shape of the leafs" is an example.

Foliage ;)

Don't use rooves - the plural is roofs. Other ...f words that don't pluralise with ...ves are beliefs, chiefs, dwarfs, gulfs and proofs.