Learn English – Collective nouns with plural verbs: the ‘American practice/s’ versus the ‘British practice/s’

collective-nounsdialects

"The group are all here."

The British seem more inclined to use a plural verb ("are") in sentences like this than Americans are.

At some time in the past it struck me that there are some singular collective nouns with which Americans do normally use a plural verb, so maybe the list of verbs with which Americans do that is simply smaller than the corresponding British list. But I find I can't remember what examples I had in mind. Has anyone compiled those lists?

Best Answer

Catherine Soanes, an ex-lexicographer and EFL teacher, writing as a guest blogger at Oxford Dictionaries' OxfordWords blog, says that it is meaningful to distinguish the most normal practices in the UK and the US:

The British view…

[T]he verb form used [after a collective noun] can depend on the emphasis of the sentence, and accepted regional usage, so no wonder many people are confused. In British English it’s absolutely fine to treat most collective nouns as either singular or plural – you can say my husband’s family is very religious or my husband’s family are very religious.

…and from across the Atlantic

American English takes a slightly different approach to the agreement of verbs with collective nouns. There is a very strong preference for the use of singular verbs with such nouns, so in American English you are much more likely to see, for example:

His company’s legal team is investigating the matter.

rather than:

His company’s legal team are investigating the matter.

However, using a plural is acceptable in American English if the writer or speaker wants to emphasize the individuals in a group rather than regarding the group as a single entity:

The NY audience were their usual reserved selves.

I'd add that logical agreement is the norm in the UK. To tweak Ms Soanes' caveat, 'Using a plural is usual in British English if the writer or speaker wants to emphasize the individuals in a group rather than regarding the group as a single entity, but not otherwise.' Thus 'The team was founded in 1878' but 'The team were arguing among themselves.'

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