In addition to elf / lf (masc. 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. noun, plural elves [elvz]. (obsolete) A female elf, a fairy, nymph 1.1. In A Midsummer Night's Dream, the elves are almost as small as insects. The preferred plural of elf is elves, following the grammar of shelf and shelves or wolf and wolves. 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.. (Rita Ora) Shelves are normally made of strong materials such as wood, bamboo, or steel. A world in which elves exist and magic works offers greater opportunities to digress and explore. 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. Arthurian. But the popular fantasy writer J. R. R. Tolkien preferred the plural form dwarves in his works, possibly as a deliberate echo of elves: As they sang the hobbit felt the love of beautiful things made by hands and by cunning and by magic moving through him, a fierce and jealous love, the desire of the hearts of dwarves. Although elfs may occasionally be found in print the accepted modern plural form of elf is elves. You must get at least 29/33 to ace this test. Correct! Especially for German learners the correct declension of the word Elf is crucial. The plural form is used to mark more than one specific thing. Plural Form. One of the best ways to understand a word is to learn where it came from. Correct! Synonyms and related words +-Characters in stories. You must get at 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. The plural form of "elf" is "elves". In early folklore, elves were known as mischievous creatures that did anything from causing trouble to stealing children. The Plural of Shelf The plural of shelf is shelves. (incorrect spelling, use elvesinstead) Elvesis the correct spelling for the plural form of the noun elf. The oldest use of elfs cited by OED is in John Drydens Fables, Ancient and Modern from 1700. humpadumpa says . We Added New Words to the Dictionary for January 2021, Study Up With Our Official SCRABBLE Dictionary. Serf, for example, gets pluralized with a standard s: serfs. The Portland Press Herald, 9 Dec. 2019, Based on the classic by J.R.R. Elves is the plural form of the noun elf, which refers to a fantasy creature. ), 10 May 2019, Santa will fly in with two of his elfs, and Santas chair will be propped up so children can see Santa. The plural form of elk remains the same in both American English and British English. The preferred plural of elf is elves, following the grammar of shelf and shelves or wolf and wolves. Clement Clarke Moores 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. Do you disagree with something on this page. A selection of words from the chillier parts of t Test your vocabulary with our 10-question quiz! Times (Marthas Vineyard, Mass. Its personal growth that makes all the difference, according to the highly entertaining production of Elf The Musical now running at the Lyric Music Theater in South Portland. 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 wont stand for such elf ishness (selfishness). 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). Find more answers. That might have been due partly to popular perception of elves as distinctly belonging to past times, leading to a scarcity of the words occurrence in then-contemporary prose. Quanta . You must get at Nouns like this include: trousers, jeans, glasses, savings, thanks, steps, stairs, customs, congratulations, tropics, Only Language Geniuses Know The Plural Forms Of The Hardest 33 Words In English. The M.V. Looking for something else? They are not used in the singular, or they have a different meaning in the singular. Biden sworn in as 46th President, impeach Later, elves were reestablished as helpful beings, before becoming prominent in Christmas narratives as assistants to Santa Claus in his workshop. Over the rolling plains of Edelwilde walk giants, dwarfs, elves, fairies and many other creatures unknown to the rest of the world. Quantums . The noun elf adheres to the standard rules for forming the plurals of nouns in English (shown in the table below). In addition to elf / lf (masc. a diminutive person, especially a child. Elfs . What is the plural form of "Elf"? . In 21st-century edited writing, it appears many times more often than elfs. Spelling, in this case, is determined by phonetics. Elves . Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced searchad free! Declension Elf Elf derives from Old English. The album is never finished until it's on the shelves! casiupper casiupper Answer: Elves. The appearance of elves in Christmas narratives became prominent in the United States in the 19th century. Some nouns have a fixed plural form and take a plural verb. In early folklore, elves were known as mischievous creatures that did anything from causing trouble to stealing children. In more modern folklore, elves tend to be regarded as industrious and helpful, rather than havoc-wreaking. testyourknowledge.club. One characteristic of sounds is that they are either voiced (with vibrating vocal chords) or voiceless (without vibrating vocal chords). 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. The plural of elf is elves . Elves have been part of Germanic folklore since medieval times, where they were usually depicted as having a similar appearance to humans. You must get at least 29/33 to ace this test. The voiceless \f\ sound that ends these words became a voiced \v\ simply by habit of speech when the word in question was pluralized. How to use a word that (literally) drives some pe Do you know these earlier meanings of words? (noun) His work on The Secret Commonwealth of Elves, Fauns and Fairies, left in MS. and incomplete (the remainder is in the Laing MSS., Edinburgh University library), was published (a hundred copies) in 1815 by Sir Walter Scott, and in the Bibliotheque de Carabas (Lang) there is a French translation. House impeaches Trump again, insurrection This involves opening and closing the glottis, which is in the larynx. 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 Only Language Geniuses Know The Plural Forms Of The Hardest 33 Words In English. 1.1.1. You must get at least 29/33 to ace this test. Elf. Since these creatures usually work as a team (a necessity, given how relatively tiny they are), its important to know how to render the plural for their species. Prev Article Next Article . At various times, elves were believed to cause illness in humans or cattle; to cause people to have bad dreams by sitting upon them while they slept; or to swoop in and steal young children, replacing them with changelings. The noun shelf adheres to the standard rules for forming the plurals of nouns in English (shown in the table below). 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. 'Nip it in the butt' or 'Nip it in the bud'? Armed rioters storm Capitol building. ": elves 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. A words etymology can reveal a lot about the changes a word has gone through to get to where it is today in modern English. (Terry Brooks) In A Midsummer Night's Dream, the elves are almost as small as insects. A noun comparable to elf that went its own route when it came to establishing a plural is dwarf. 5 minutes ago In what ways might it ), Old English had parallel form *elfen (fem. elves (elf), Mythology (in folklore) one of a class of preternatural beings, esp. 1. a small imaginary person with magic powers. Elf, plural Elves, in Germanic folklore, originally, a spirit of any kind, later specialized into a diminutive creature, usually in tiny human form.In the Prose, or Younger, Edda, elves were classified as light elves (who were fair) and dark elves (who were darker than pitch); these classifications are roughly equivalent to the Scottish seelie court and unseelie court. The mischievous creature known as the elf seems to turn up in all kinds of narrative universesfrom the Brothers Grimm to Middle Earth to Harry Potter. In the epic poem Beowulf, which dates to around the 10th century, elves (rendered as ylfe) are among a woeful breed of creatures descended from the biblical son Cain. The two elves approached the last goblin, still stuck to the ground, from both sides. Find more words! What is the correct plural of 'elf'? 1) Elfs 2) Elves. What is the plural of elf? Such creatures also turn up in advertising, where they are known for, among other things, making cookies inside a tree. Illustrations usually depict Santas elves as short and smiling creatures wearing green. The declension of Elf as a table with all forms in singular (singular) and plural (plural) and in all four cases nominative (1st case), genitive (2nd case), dative (3rd case) and accusative (4th case). Arthur. Are You Good at Plurals? Most People Don\\\t Know The Plural Form of These Words. However, the details of these beliefs have varied | Meaning, pronunciation, translations and examples The appearance of elves in Christmas narratives became prominent in the United States in the 19th century. 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). Words From 1921: 100 Years Old and Still Around, Set your young readers up for lifelong success. 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 poem called The Wonders of Santa Claus, published by Harpers 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 womens magazine called Godeys Ladys 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. Instead, ''elf'' is one of those less common nouns that you have See full answer below. Learn a new word every day. They often had supernatural powers, and were sometimes considered potentially dangerous, but aloof. What is the correct plural of 'cactus'? Inflections of 'elf' (n noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc. J.R.R. ): npl plural noun: Noun always used in plural form--for example, "jeans," "scissors. 1) Elfs 2) Elves. Word Forms +-singular: elf: plural: elves: DEFINITIONS 1. 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. Nouns ending in -a, -o, -i, -u, -i or a consonant forms a plural with the ending -r.For example, the word Elda has the plural form Eldar; the word Ainu has the plural form Ainur etc. For example, the To pluralize ''elf'' you can't just add an ''s'' like you do with many other nouns. And of course, Santa Claus relies on a workforce of these tiny individuals to make the toys he delivers to children every December. Chief, despite ending in the same three letters as thief, gets pluralized as chiefs. The latter form, moreover, is mostly shunned by English reference books and doesnt pass spell check, . Nouns ending in - forms the plural form by having the plural suffix -i replace the final vowel. Explanation: I did the test and got it right. Check out words from the year you were born and more! . Parents is used in the plural form for both parents, so there is an apostrophe after the letter -s, as in parents house. ), the plural of which was *elfenna, -elfen, from Proto-Germanic *albinjo-. ), the plural of which was *elfenna, -elfen, from Proto-Germanic *albinjo-. Elf definition: In fairy stories , elves are small magical beings who play tricks on people. What is the plural form of "Elf"? An elf can refer to a mystical being with magical powers from folklore, modern fantasy, or Santas helpers. Then there are those nouns that end in fe: wife and knife become wives and knives. elf (elf), n., pl. Same with briefs, beliefs, roofs, and reliefs, as well as just about all words ending in double-f: tariffs, bailiffs, sheriffs, cliffs, mastiffs, bluffs, cuffs, earmuffs. While both dwarfs and dwarves have demonstrated historical use for the noun (which, like elf, derives from Old English), the preference for dwarfs was perhaps encouraged by the title of Disneys 1937 animated film Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. Charter School students there will be singing dwarves, dancing hobbits, and elves, along with other charactersGollum, trolls, goblins, and even a dragon. This rule doesnt apply to all such nouns, however. . Elves is the standard plural form for elf according to the OED and it cites examples going back to Shakespears The Tempest from 1623 and Thomas Hobbes Leviathan from 1651. What is the correct plural of 'quantum'? Download Grammarly's app to help with eliminating grammar errors and finding the right words. (in folklore) one of a class of preternatural beings, especially from mountainous regions, with magical powers, given to capricious and often mischievous interference in human affairs, and usually imagined to be a diminutive being in human form; sprite; fairy. Looking for something else? New questions in English. from mountainous regions, with magical powers, given to capricious and often mischievous 'All Intensive Purposes' or 'All Intents and Purposes'? We speak of the leaves on the trees, a den of thieves, two halves making a whole. The second edition of the Encyclopdia Britannica (177784) calls the word elf obsolete but reports that belief in such creatures still subsists in many parts of our own country. The story now best known as The Elves and the Shoemaker, in which the creatures work during the night to help an indigent merchant, was published in the German Grimms Fairy Tales as Die Wichtelmnner; Margaret Hunt chose The Elves as the title when the story was translated into English in 1884. A question surrounding a hard-working plural. 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 doesnt matter much in the world of elves. An elf (plural: elves) is a type of humanoid supernatural being in Germanic mythology and folklore.In medieval Germanic-speaking cultures, elves seem generally to have been thought of as beings with magical powers and supernatural beauty, ambivalent towards everyday people and capable of either helping or hindering them. 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. Delivered to your inbox! The plural form of elf is elves . /lvz/. (She was so fair and happy and seemed elegant, an elfefrom anothe What does elves mean? The Edmond Sun (Oklahoma), 14 Dec. 2018. January 14, 2014 at 12:14 am. Slippery Words QuizChanging with the Times. 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. You must get at least 29/33 to ace this test. This game also comes with bonus game cards which you can include in the game or leave out depending on your preference. This follows the common method of pluralizing nouns in English Tolkien, The Hobbit Play will feature 44 M.V. (Terry Brooks). The History and Origin of the Word. testyourknowledge.club. Wrong!- What is the correct plural of 'goose'? elfe (plural elfen or elfene) 1. Readers up for lifelong success of thieves plural form of elf two halves making a whole \v\ simply by of. Plural suffix -i replace the final vowel, the Hobbit play feature. Known as mischievous creatures that did anything from causing trouble to stealing children plural form of elf test your vocabulary with Official. Years Old and still Around, Set your young readers up for lifelong. Portland Press Herald, 9 Dec. 2019, Based on the classic by. 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