We often use plural verbs when we talk about collective nouns that do things similar to those of man, including eating, wanting, and feeling, for example. 5. Does the verb in the following sentence correspond to the subject or not? It is a matter of discretion. Our rule 7 of the subject-verb agreement states: “Use a singular verb with distances, periods, sums of money, etc. if it is considered a unit.” This rule corresponds to the discussion in the first sentence of this article about “Names . act as a unit. We understand why certain words can rub against our nerves or ears when they are different from what we have learned and used over the years. The Chicago Manual of Style advises: “A mass name (sometimes called an uncounted name) is one that designates something uncountable, either because it is abstract {cowardice} {proof} or because it refers to an indefinite aggregation of persons or things {the faculty} {the bourgeoisie}; the latter type is also known as a collective name. As the subject of a sentence, a mass noun usually assumes a singular verb {the legal dispute is diverse}.
But in a collective sense, it can take a singular or plural verbal form {the ruling majority is unlikely to share power} {the majority are non-members}. A singular verb emphasizes the group; a plural verb emphasizes individual members. My goal in the blog “Subject and Verb Agreement with Collective Nouns” is to determine whether a singular or plural verb should be used, depending on whether these nouns function as a unit or with individuality within the unit, regardless of British or American tendencies. The team and staff in your four groups each seem to act as a unit. Therefore, singular verbs meet and works should be used in all cases. The subject is Mr. John, the main verb is to love, and playing is called an infinitive. See Rule 3 of Searching for Nouns, Verbs and Topics on our website GrammarBook.com. The subject-verb and subject-pronoun agreement is where most mistakes are made when collective nouns are used. Collective nouns are treated as singular nouns unless they are pluralized. Singular collective nouns use singular verbs and pronouns, and plural collective nouns use plural verbs and pronouns. A plural collective noun takes a plural verb: families appreciate this restaurant.
Other examples of collective names include: family, team, jury, committee, organization, class, herd, army, board, group, audience, panel, board, herd, staff, choir, orchestra. Although the list above does not include them all, you have the general idea. The sentence could be written without the use of a collective name: students learn different types of names. A large proportion of subjects with this disease have been reported. Now, now. If you were referring to two married people, wouldn`t you say, “There`s a couple”? You wouldn`t say, “There are two.” Do you ever precede a plural noun with the article “a”? Couple can certainly be singular. The use of singular vs. plural verbs with collective nouns is a matter of the author`s intent (see Rule 9 of the subject-verb agreement).
For portion words, we are guided by the noun according to (see Rule 8 of the subject-verb agreement). The use of the plural pronoun in pop quiz question #2 forces the team of collective nouns to be considered plural. However, we believe that this question can be revised in a more instructive way so that our readers can interpret its meaning, which we have done. Thank you for your comment. While it is true that collective nouns are a basic grammatical skill, the Common Core English Language Progressive Skills Chart shows that even basic skills “require sustained attention in the upper classes as they are applied to increasingly demanding writing and speaking.” Select the summary name(s) in the following sentences. Remember, a collective name is a word or phrase that represents a group of people or things, but is treated as a singular entity. Collective nouns, like most common nouns, can be made plural. Collective nouns are singular words that are used instead of plural nouns. Collective nouns can be singular or plural, but plural nouns are always plural. A period of time, when considered a unit, takes on a singular verb: five months are over. You can also write “The five-month waiting period is over” since the name is now period, which is also singular. For the question How many people are there in your family? a typical answer is that My family has five people.
A native speaker intuitively sees this as false, although they may not be able to tell you why. But in this case, My family has five people, would have been the right answer. But why? Families have more than one person, don`t they? Nothing seems to confuse students more than choosing the right singular or plural verb to use collective nouns. .
