What is the plural form of the word “staff?” Is it “staffs?” Or “staves?” When referring to more than one staff, what is the pluralization form that the word takes? Learning possession and pluralization can be challenging. The placement of the apostrophe, depending on the base word form, can vary.
Learn everything you need to know about pluralizing this word form in this short guide.
Why is staffs plural confusing?
Many English words change depending on their singular plural form. For example, some words that end in -s simply receive an apostrophe and “s” letter to indicate possession. With a word like staff, the word form changes to a -ves to create the plural form.
Which is correct, staffs or staves?
Technically, the correct plural form of staff is staffs or staves. You’re either referring to bodies of people (employees) or walking sticks. Both forms change to staffs. Look at the sentence examples below to get an idea of how this word form works.
Sentence examples using “staffs”
Here are sentence examples using staffs:
- How many staffs are available to use for walking?
- The wizard has many staffs available to him.
- The manager had two staffing groups working for them.
Sentence examples using “staves”
Here are sentence examples using staves
- The people often carry staves with them during their travels.
- The staves are part of the oven that help people cook their meals.
How to use the apostrophe correctly
The possessive singular noun is made by adding an apostrophe and the letter “s” to the singular noun in question, regardless of whether the singular noun ends in an “s” letter.
When a plural noun has an “s” at the end, the possessive form of the noun is created by simply adding an apostrophe. When the noun ends in any other letter, the possessive form is made by adding both an apostrophe and an “s.”
Form | Example |
Singular noun | Sarah’s |
Plural noun | Women’s |
2 or more people | Kim and Adam’s |
Singular noun ending in “s” | James’s and James’ |
Plural noun ending in “s” | Parent’s |
2+ people | Kim’s and Adam’s |
Apostrophe for Possessives | Apostrophe for Contractions |
Amy’s swim class | they + have = they’ve |
Karen’s car | are + not = aren’t |
Robert’s vehicle | they + will = they’ll |
Singular Noun | Plural Noun |
My child’s dog | My children’s dog |
The man’s work | The men’s work |
The mouses’ cage | The mice’s cage |
A person’s clothes | People’s clothes |
Plural Noun Rule | Example or Exception |
To make regular nouns plural, add ‑s to the end. | Cats, Houses |
If the singular noun ends in ‑s, -ss, -sh, -ch, -x, or -z, add ‑es to the end to make it plural. | Bus / Busses, Tax / Taxes |
In some instances, singular nouns ending in -s or -z, require that you double the -s or -z prior to adding the -es for pluralization. | Gas / Gasses |
If the noun ends with ‑f or ‑fe, the f is often changed to ‑ve before adding the -s to form the plural version. | Wife / wives Exceptions: Roof / Roofs Chef / Chefs |
If a singular noun ends in ‑y and the letter before the -y is a consonant, change the ending to ‑ies to make the noun plural. | City / Cities |
If the singular noun ends in -y and the letter before the -y is a vowel, simply add an -s to make it plural. | Boy / Boys |
If the singular noun ends in ‑o, add ‑es to make it plural. | Tomato / Tomatoes Exceptions: Photo / Photos |
If the singular noun ends in ‑us, the plural ending is often ‑i. | Cactus / Cacti |
If the singular noun ends in ‑is, the plural ending is ‑es. | Ellipsis / Ellipses |
If the singular noun ends in ‑on, the plural ending is ‑a. | Criterion / Criteria |
Some nouns don’t change when they’re pluralized. | Sheep / Sheep Deer / Deer |
Possessive Nouns and Plural Posessive Nouns FAQs
Can an apostrophe and an “s” together represent a contraction?
Yes. Two words put together to make a single word can also do this. For example: ice-cream. Or ice-cream. These can be compound nouns, as well. For example, “coffee table,” “forest fire.”
What is a plural possessive noun that ends in an apostrophe “s”?
An example would be “children’s clothes.” Without an apostrophe “s” and being a possessive noun would be: kids toys, smiths house (referring to the smith family). Each relate to different things but indicate possession.
What are the seven possessive nouns?
Mine, ours, yours, his, hers, its, and theirs.
What are the three rules of possessive nouns?
Rule 1: To form the possessive of a singular or to add an apostrophe and an s.
Rule 2: For a plural noun, add only an apostrophe (‘)
Rule 3: For a possessive noun that does not end in an “s” letter, add an apostrophe and “s” letter. For examples, “mice’s.”
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