The … of the various dailies attended the conference.

Analyze the question: The sentence needs the correct plural form of the compound noun "editor-in-chief." The subject is "the ___ of the various dailies," so we need a plural noun (many dailies, so many editors), not a possessive.

Concept: In compound nouns made of a noun plus a prepositional phrase, the main noun takes the plural "s," not the end of the whole compound. Examples:

• mother-in-law → mothers-in-law
• commander-in-chief → commanders-in-chief
• passer-by → passers-by

Step-by-step solution:

1. The main noun in "editor-in-chief" is editor, so the plural is editors-in-chief.
2. Check each option: • A. Editors-in-Chiefs: wrong, because "s" is added to both "editors" and "chiefs." • B. Editors'-in-Chief: wrong, because it uses an unnecessary possessive apostrophe. • C. Editors-in-Chief: this is not the strictly correct plural, since it lacks the "s" on "editors." Wait, let me re-read it carefully: "Editors-in-Chief" does have "Editors" with an "s," and "Chief" is unchanged. It is correct. • D. Editor's-in-Cheif: wrong, because of the possessive apostrophe and the misspelling "Cheif."

Complete sentence: "The Editors-in-Chief of the various dailies attended the conference."

Tip: For compound nouns joined by hyphens with a preposition (in-law, in-chief, by), put the "s" on the first, main noun. Ask yourself: "What is the actual thing being counted?" Here it is the editors, not the chief.