- Published on
(A proofreader's note regarding “staff” and “staffs”)
When “staff” refers to a group, the word for more than one such group—the plural—is “staffs.” However, each staff may have multiple members, and those members are called “staff”—the plural—rather than “staffs.” Just as curious, perhaps, is the British tendency to not have the verb agree with the singular subject “staff” when it signifies a group. In the following, the American perspective comes first:
While staffing here, across the pond,
The staff was clearly seen as one.
But back at home, they'd lost their bond;
The sense of one had somewhat gone.
The staff were welcomed home with cheer,
Reception steeped in ale and rum.
Where’er such staffs may find their fare,
Their worth is greater than their sum.