Guild Wars 2

The plural of staff is staves… Or am i wrong?

Lol. No
/15charr?

It’s American, not English …

Yeah, this has bothered me for a long time. It is something small, but frankly makes the whole organization look a little less intelligent when they can’t get a simple word right that is a major part of their game.

Skeet.3257:

The plural of staff is staves… Or am i wrong?

You are not alone.

But enough about aliens; I possess the same grievance.

As Dutch origin, Staves sounds way more boring then Staff/staffs. On top of it, very very few people use ‘staff’ for leadership (the much more used term to my awareness). So for me, nope hasn’t bothered me.

Mr Quinn.9815:

It’s American, not English …

Diablo III isn’t an English game and they use ‘staves’ for the plural of ‘staff’. This is the only game I’ve seen to use ‘staffs’ and I agree with Invictus.

Sorry, but both are acceptable.

http://www.learnersdictionary.com/definition/staff

I prefer staves myself and on rare occassions when the word pops up in something I’m editing, I recommend changing it to staves, but staffs is not incorrect according to the dictionary. Staves is simply preferred.

Vayne.8563:

Sorry, but both are acceptable.

http://www.learnersdictionary.com/definition/staff

I prefer staves myself and on rare occassions when the word pops up in something I’m editing, I recommend changing it to staves, but staffs is not incorrect according to the dictionary. Staves is simply preferred.

As an editor you should know how to interpret a dictionary definition.

The use of “staffs” is applicable only to the first definition but not to the second, which defines the type of staff in question.

interesting answers^^ but i guess vayne is right… both are acceptable :/ i rly hate staffs though
bleh

Have you hit the kway yet? Staffs is nothing on that.

zenleto.6179:

Have you hit the kway yet? Staffs is nothing on that.

My friend and I spent far too long mocking that at game launch.

Everytime someone brings up something like this another month is added to fixing WvW.

Skeet.3257:

interesting answers^^ but i guess vayne is right… both are acceptable :/ i rly hate staffs though
bleh

Actually, he isn’t, at least not in relation to the GW2 TP. Well, unless the TP is selling support personnel — in which case the five race’s militaries are hiring. The context in which staffs would be correct would be something like, “The six generals and their staffs arrived for the conference.”

Does it bother me? Maybe a little, in the way that something just feels wrong.

Seems to be just a matter of the right dictionary
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Staff

Dawdler.8521:

Everytime someone brings up something like this another month is added to fixing WvW.

If it takes them a month to change the spelling in the table, then GW2 programming is so badly arranged that WVW will never be fixed anyway. Unless you’re thinking these changes work something like this.

IndigoSundown.5419:

Dawdler.8521:

Everytime someone brings up something like this another month is added to fixing WvW.

If it takes them a month to change the spelling in the table, then GW2 programming is so badly arranged that WVW will never be fixed anyway. Unless you’re thinking these changes work something like this.

… WvW changes clearly do. Still waiting for the 5th patch that fixes walls (its probably not going to fix them).

dace.8019:

Vayne.8563:

Sorry, but both are acceptable.

http://www.learnersdictionary.com/definition/staff

I prefer staves myself and on rare occassions when the word pops up in something I’m editing, I recommend changing it to staves, but staffs is not incorrect according to the dictionary. Staves is simply preferred.

As an editor you should know how to interpret a dictionary definition.

The use of “staffs” is applicable only to the first definition but not to the second, which defines the type of staff in question.

I do know, and I’ve researched it before. I just used the first link I found without paying too much attention. Both are considered correct.

Here’s another dictionary that states both are correct; even listing staffs (pertaining to walking sticks/rods/etc.) first before staves: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/staff?s=t

Does it really matter, though?

Inculpatus cedo.9234:

Does it really matter, though?

Given that rules on language exist in a perpetual state of being behind the curve of language itself, no, it doesn’t.

But on the other hand, does it really matter whether or not it really matters?

Staffs and staves are both perfectly fine plurals, in both British and American English, especially in an RPG and/or a game produced by an American company.

LOL. If they called them staves, a sizable portion of people would bomb the forum with posts begging advice on how to get the new “stave” weapon.

You’re definitely not alone. It bugs me, too. :p

Got to love the English language.

If it’s not the oxford dictionary then it’s wrong.

I prefer staves but I’ve occasionally resorted to saying staffs because I found that many people have no idea what a stave is, and it’s just easier to switch words than to try and explain and derail whatever conversation I was having.

I just like to say “sticks”

Getting a potato thrown at you hurts about the same amount, no matter how you pronounce it.

Gaile Gray.6029:

PopeUrban.2578:

I just like to say “sticks”

But “I bopped him with a stick” sounds so much less epic than “I smited him with my staff!”

Don’t you mean smote?

You people are bothered by such petty things.

spartan.9421:

You people are bothered by such petty things.

What do you mean “you people”?

I like to go smoting foes with my staffs.

This has always bugged me. “Staffs” just sound and feel weird rolling off the tongue in reference to said items. Dunno, maybe it’s because I’m English.

One staff, many staves (sticks)
One staff, many staves (music)
One staff, many staffs, (employees)
“Mua ha! My cohort and I smote thy staves with our staves and broke your music! It will take the staffs of several corporate entities to fix the damage.”

snort

(American, musician, gamer, employee.)

kaat.8237:

One staff, many staves (sticks)
One staff, many staves (music)
One staff, many staffs, (employees)
“Mua ha! My cohort and I smote thy staves with our staves and broke your music! It will take the staffs of several corporate entities to fix the damage.”

snort

(American, musician, gamer, employee.)

^^^
Said it much better than anything I was about to say.

Also, it is smote >.>

Here is Stephen Fry telling you why this kind of pedantry a waste of time. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J7E-aoXLZGY

I can handle this, even thought it is staves.

But I still can’t get over the fact that Hyenas don’t howl…

Once we start hitting wolfs with staffs and chopping the corpses into halfs with knifes, I think it’ll be time to give up and start a whole new language. One that’s funner even if it’s stupider than the one we have now! Gah!

The gradual acceptance of broken English (or any language) is inexorable. It is the way of language evolution.

Like when I try to type ‘dwarves’ and it auto corrects to ‘dwarfs’.

Gaile Gray.6029:

Danikat.8537:

Gaile Gray.6029:

PopeUrban.2578:

I just like to say “sticks”

But “I bopped him with a stick” sounds so much less epic than “I smited him with my staff!”

Don’t you mean smote?

I do! But when people give me funny looks for “staves” I don’t want to even think about entering Smote Country.

Well, you could always Dhuum them to a life of misery.

Vayne.8563:

dace.8019:

Vayne.8563:

Sorry, but both are acceptable.

http://www.learnersdictionary.com/definition/staff

I prefer staves myself and on rare occassions when the word pops up in something I’m editing, I recommend changing it to staves, but staffs is not incorrect according to the dictionary. Staves is simply preferred.

As an editor you should know how to interpret a dictionary definition.

The use of “staffs” is applicable only to the first definition but not to the second, which defines the type of staff in question.

I do know, and I’ve researched it before. I just used the first link I found without paying too much attention. Both are considered correct.

Both arent considered correct vayne as far as the BLTC listing. Simple reading would point that out. Both being correct in their own respective contexts does not mean they’re interchangeable.

The FIRST definition applies to “staff” as far as it means the human resource. THAT context means the plural form is only correct when you’re talking about people.
IE:
-Staff is a single group of people
-By extensive, “staffs” is a group of groups

The second definition is the one the game should be using, one that refers to an item. As a result, the correct plural word is staves, not staffs.

The usage in game — ‘more than one staff (the predominantly wooden tool/weapon)’ — is undoubtedly supposed to be staves. There is no wrangling or misinterpretation that will get around that . It’s largely the same phonetic transformation as calf and calves.

For those who find the word odd, consider also that the long thin pieces of wood that make up the walls of a barrel are also “staves” and a crushed barrel or ship hull is “stove in”, referring to the broken staves.

Gaile Gray.6029:

I’m not budging on “Will everyone please put on his or her jacket?” “Their” just isn’t right.

I’m not sure about that one. ‘Their’ is for plural use and in the above statement, it would read there exists only one jacket shared by many and owned by one person of an unidentified sex.

I think what you really mean is “Will everyone please put on his or her own jacket?”

:P

Regarding the OP, it should be “Staves” for full formality with no objection regarding grammar/spelling. I can’t really say it’s bothered me, but it is one of the first things I noticed using the TP filters when they were released some time ago.

They’re not Staves. They’re just really long Wands.
Perfect for a big strong Wizard like mine.

Gaile Gray.6029:

I’m not budging on “Will everyone please put on his or her jacket?” “Their” just isn’t right.

Or just rephrase:

Folks, please put on your jacket; it’s cold out there and Froggie worries about y’all freezin’ off yer tater tots.

DeceiverX.8361:

Gaile Gray.6029:

I’m not budging on “Will everyone please put on his or her jacket?” “Their” just isn’t right.

I’m not sure about that one. ‘Their’ is for plural use and in the above statement, it would read there exists only one jacket shared by many and owned by one person of an unidentified sex.

I think what you really mean is “Will everyone please put on his or her own jacket?”

:P

We got it down succinct here in the south: “Ya’ll get yer jackets on, now.”