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Post by oh oooh on Jul 8, 2022 19:49:37 GMT
it's a Brit/American English thing her family is... her family are.... same idea Not sure about that - I hear both here. "Math" vs. "maths," on the other hand... That's a whole different thing altogether. There's a tendency in US English to regard collective nouns as singular entities: In American English, "family" will almost always be used with a singular verb. In British English, it may be used with a singular or a plural verb depending on whether the speaker feels that "family" is being described as a unit or as a group of individuals. Below are some examples of how "family" is used:
The family was eating dinner.
The Craft family is staying at a hotel.
My family was excited about the vacation.
Her family owns a restaurant.
Chiefly British:
Your family was/were so welcoming to their guests.
His family is/are all doctors.
The family has/have several different breeds of dog.www.britannica.com/dictionary/eb/qa/Family-Singular-or-Plural-collective-nouns-usage-grammarI think the same thing goes for bands that aren't pluralised, i.e. don't end with 's'. I don't know how it works for other languages. |
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Post by oh oooh on Jul 8, 2022 19:50:44 GMT
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Post by Charlie O. on Jul 8, 2022 19:52:30 GMT
Again, I do hear those "British" examples here. Maybe used more in conversation than in writing, though.
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Post by oh oooh on Jul 8, 2022 19:57:47 GMT
What would you say, out of interest (leaving aside the fact that it's not true!):
the Clash are my favourite band
OR
the Clash is my favourite band
?
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Sneelock
god
you're gonna break another heart
Posts: 8,546
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Post by Sneelock on Jul 8, 2022 20:08:46 GMT
it's time for ASK DR.INTERNET!
Answer: I (heart) the Clash 2 the max don't U?
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Post by Charlie O. on Jul 8, 2022 20:14:09 GMT
What would you say, out of interest (leaving aside the fact that it's not true!): the Clash are my favourite band OR the Clash is my favourite band ? The Beatles are my favorite band. But Supergrass is probably my favorite band of the last quarter-century.  |
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Post by Charlie O. on Jul 8, 2022 20:15:04 GMT
Actually, that's not fair, so let's go back to the Clash.
It could go either way with them. Seriously.
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Post by DarknessFish on Jul 8, 2022 20:25:52 GMT
Collective nouns don't work particularly well as a singular though. I went out with Coldplay last night, it got really drunk...
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