On Wed, Sep 10, 2003 at 01:19:13PM -0400, John Freed wrote:
> Ah, the difference between British English and American English.
>
> <lang=en-uk>ManU are crushing Arsenal.</lang>
> <lang=en-us>ManU is crushing Arsenal.</lang>
>
> UK English insists on plural verbs for collective nouns (family, team,
> list, etc.), while US English generally uses singular verbs. (An exception
> is "couple" referring to a romantic pair -- "The couple are going to the
> store" would be acceptable on both sides of the Atlantic, although many
> Americans would say "is" even here.)
I think it depends on whether you are referring to the collective noun
itself or the individuals that make up the collection (and possibly
whether it is a mass noun).
I'm English and definitely want to say:
- the list is up to date
- the lists are correct
- in the list below are ...
- England are batting
- Arsenal are winning
David
--
David Laight: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
