And the answer is? I usually treat them as collective nouns, but when I use a pronoun instead, I treat them as plurals. When the group is acting as a unit — doing the same thing at the same time — the noun is singular and the pronouns that refer to it are also singular. You can say Ringo was a Beatle, but you can't say Cobain is a Nirvana, but that doesn't seem to bother anyone. Team = plural; shower, change, head = plural verbs; their = plural pronoun. “Majority” is one of a few nouns in English that can be used either with a singular or a plural verb. The word "team" defines a single group of people. The singular subject jury requires the singular verb returns; the members of the jury are working together as one unit. Collective nouns that are less number-oriented can be equally troublesome. Team is plural because separate presentations were given. We know that nouns and verbs have to agree in number. Here are some examples of words and expressions that can be considered singular or plural: choir, class, club, committee, company, family, government, jury, school, staff, team, union, the BBC, board of directors, the Conservative Party, Manchester United, the Ministry of … The Rule The collective noun takes a singular verb when you use it to refer to the group of people or things acting collectively as a Most team names are plural, such as the Lakers and the Timberwolves, and both the Associated Press and the Chicago Manual of Style recommend treating all team names as plural even when they sound singular. After the three-hour practice under the brutal sun, the team shower, change into their street clothes, and head to their air-conditioned homes. According to the CP Stylebook, team names, even singular ones, require plural verbs. This conforms to the general practice in the two dialects for collective nouns. A set is a single thing, and so should be treated as a singular noun. The singular subject cast takes the singular verb is. It means collective noun is a single noun that is made up of more than one thing or person or etc. Sometimes singular, sometimes plural. Plural collective nouns There are times when we use collective nouns that would normally require a singular verb, but because of the context in which they are used, a plural verb fits better. In the United States, we treat most collective nouns as singular nouns. Nobody complains about singular band names. In British English, team is construed as plural, emphasizing the members. (2019) means “the 2012 paper authored by May and others”, May et al.takes a singular verb. Collective nouns ( committee, team, squad, army, class, and the like) refer to groups. a group) of people or things. In US English it is construed as singular, emphasizing the group. A team name that contemplates the members of the set is more akin to a similar contemplation, such as "men," "kids" and "blondes." Collective nouns — singular nouns that refer to more than one being or thing — aren't consistently treated as either singular or plural in Spanish. In the photo, the team ishol… Collective nouns—like staff, group, or team—consist of individual members that make up a single collective unit. The audience is or are ? So, an editor may replace the verb shows with show if they treat Ma… Singular and plural forms are often mixed as are the pronouns that refer back to … So if you’re following AP or Chicago style, you’d write that “the Jazz are in the playoffs” and “the Thunder are in the playoffs.”. These nouns are called collective nouns because they describe a collective (i.e. Rick on July 21, 2014 10:48 am. If you use Author et al. Most writers (especially in the US) treat collective nouns (e.g., team, group, company) as singular, and unless you have a good reason not to, you should treat your collective noun as singular too. But how, then, does one refer to a singular player on the Red Sox or White Sox? 1. Singular names are fine in theory. Here, usage authorities take slightly different positions depending on which side of the Atlantic they call home. The noun teamwork is uncountable. If not, construe it as singular: the Jazz beats and is. The question inevitably arises: Does the collective noun group, team, or majority take a singular or plural verb? Example (correct) The team is playing tonight. A plural name for a team causes the name to be more of a contemplation of the members of the set. If you consider a team, band, company, or whatever a single, independent entity, you’d use singular; if you think of them as being made up of individuals working under a common title, then you’d use plural forms. Group, team, committee, staff and so on—are they singular or plural? So, when May et al. (2019) shows, it’s not clear whether you mean the paper or its authors. The team is or are? In informal usage, it can negate both things together and then take a plural verb (“neither are”). BizWritingTip response: When referring to a collective noun, such as a team, use a singular verb. These include words such as audience, committee, crew, family, government, group, team, and many others.So, both these sentences are correct: If the team name ends with s, use a plural verb: the Bulls beat and are. The team members are separate units from the team, itself. For example: family, group, herd, team. If you're talking about the team as a whole, it's singular. Some singular nouns can be used with either a singular or plural verb. Singular nouns treated as plural nouns. However, a collective noun can be considered as either singular or plural depending on the sense of the sentence. For the most part, Americans treat collective nouns as … For example, we know it’s wrong to say “he are” because “he” is a singular pronoun and “are” is a plural verb. In the U.K.these nouns are usually treated as plural. Grammar Rules for Using Collective Nouns There is one grammar rule, however, that is clear: When the collective noun is followed immediately by a verb, the noun is treated as singular. British English handles these words differently. If you need an excuse, call it an idiom. The team hope to win next time. Whether a Collective Noun is used with Singular or Plural Verb? In North America they’re usually treated as singular, except when the members of the collective are acting independently, in which case the nouns are considered plural. How do you choose a pronoun to refer to that committee, squad, or team? It is therefore grammatically treated as singular (“neither is”). The issue with most singular names, like the Wild, is that they're bad names, but it's not because of the tense. However, the rules are different when referring to the names of sports teams. In standard team names, it’s easy to form a singular from the plural: you can talk about a player’s first game as a Viking or one scoring their first goal as a Penguin. The word population is a collective noun that can take either a singular or plural verb, depending on the intention of the author. If you write May et al. Nearly 25% of the population is Muslim. A collective noun is a word that describes a number of objects or people — examples include staff, group, band, and team. The commonest of these are the collective nouns which stand for a group or collection of people or things. A collective noun takes either a singular or a plural verb, depending on whether you’re talking about the group as a unit (singular) or the individuals (plural). The plural form of teamwork is also teamwork. Also, when the plural their is used, the implication is that the collective noun is being used as a plural. If you're talking about multiple teams, now you're plural. The jury returns a unanimous verdict. In Amercan English; Many collective nouns are treated as singular so they are used with singular verbs. Subject -Verb Agreement. “Neither,” which means “not either of two things,” negates each of the two individually. “Team” is a collective noun: a singular noun that stands for a number of people or things that form a group. The members of the cast are functioning as a single unit. The answer, no doubt, will surprise many. Just as a sack of potatoes is a single sack, though it might contain several potatoes. We can use singular or plural verbs with many collective nouns, Pamela, and government is one of these. to refer to the cited work, rather than its authors, put a singular verb after et al. (The teammates are dressing in their individual outfits and leaving in different directions for their individual homes.) To make this clear, consider writing May et al.’s (2019) papershows, May et al.’s (2019) studyshows, or May et al.’s (2019) book shows. 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