THE ENGLISH-SPEAKING WORLD

I doubt the point about collection nouns. I learned, and have always used, the third personal plural for collective nouns, as in "the staff were all present" and "the government are responsible." Otherwise . . . ho-hum . .

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Setanta wrote:

I doubt the point about collection nouns. I learned, and have always used, the third personal plural for collective nouns, as in "the staff were all present" and "the government are responsible." Otherwise . . . ho-hum . .

Well, Set, I can tell you that if you did that on an American high school essay test, most teachers would take off points for incorrect subject-verb agreement. That's how it's taught in American schools -- 'staff' and 'government' are both singular nouns and should take a singular verb.

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Don't make me come over there with this yard stick, MA . . .

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Setanta wrote:

Don't make me come over there with this yard stick, MA . . .

Hey, I didn't make the rules. Have mercy, massa...er...boss.

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But he's totally correct.

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Walter Hinteler wrote:

But he's totally correct.

Yes, totally correct, but this "rule" is broken all the time.

No-one would say "The police is looking into this matter"

But you might say "The audience is getting restless"
Although most would use "are" there too, I think.

Funny intit. Horses for courses.

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551 for "The police is looking" in 0.08 seconds,
56,700 for "The police are looking" in 0.16 seconds.

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There are always exceptions to rules. for example, one may not say "an euphemism" although "an" is supposed to be used before words beginning with vowels. Often, it is the sound that makes it right.

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McTag wrote:

No-one would say "The police is looking into this matter"

That's a very good point--i'd never have thought of that myself.

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What matter is they looking into, anyway?

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I think it was a suspicious hole in a doughnut they is looking into.

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But only those, who aren't waiting for Godot.

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That was; "Down in the hole, lingeringly, the grave-digger puts on the forceps. We have time to grow old. The air is full of our cries. [He listens.] But habit is a great deadener."

But then they were French Laughing

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Samuel Beckett, Walter?

http://www.samuel-beckett.net/Breath.gif

A German and an Irishman and a Frenchman. Wonder what all this has to do with English?

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snood wrote:

What matter is they looking into, anyway?

'S'amatter, Snood? Is you is or is you ain't an Anglophone?

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McTag wrote:

No-one would say "The police is looking into this matter"

Not unless you want people to think you're German.

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Germans speak more correcter English than the Brits, zweifellos.

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THE ENGLISH-SPEAKING WORLD

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