leaves
The plural of "leaf" is leaves.
Some nouns that end in f change the f to v and add -es: leaf becomes leaves.
Meaning: a flat green part of a plant that grows from a stem (noun)
How does it change in a sentence?
Use a plural verb with leaves: the leaves are. The possessive plural adds only an apostrophe: leaves'.
How do you pronounce it?
leaf is pronounced /liːf/. The plural ending sounds like /vz/.
What mistakes should you avoid?
The plural leaves is spelled like the verb leaves, as in she leaves at six.
Did you know?
- The v in plurals like wolves and leaves goes back to Old English, where an f between two vowels was pronounced like v.
Examples in context
- The leaves turn red in autumn.Singular: The leaf turns red in autumn.
- We raked up the leaves in the garden.Singular: We raked up a leaf in the garden.
