Learn English – Is it couple or couples

word-choice

In a sentence like the one in the example, do you say both couple or both couples if you are referring to two people in a relationship separately?

Ex: Both couple work at the same bank or Both couples work at the
same bank

Best Answer

Couple is a collective noun. It takes a singular form and refers to two people.

So, one couple comprises two people and two couples comprise four people.

In a sentence, the subject-verb agreement follows the singularity or plurality of the word couple itself—not the people who compose it.

So, there are two ways of expressing your example sentence:

  1. Both couples work at the same bank.
  2. Each couple works at the same bank.

Update: Based on a comment, the sentence may also be talking about one of the individuals within a couple.

Let's say that Bob and Mary form a couple, and Emma and Mike form another couple. Bob and Emma both work at the same bank.

If we know their names:

Bob and Emma work at the same bank.

Otherwise, we could say:

  1. Each couple has a member who works at the same bank.
  2. Both couples have a member who works at the same bank.
  3. From among each couple, there is an individual who works at the bank.

If you are talking about families in which couples work:

  1. In our family, both of us work.
  2. Between us, we both work.
  3. All of these families have fully working couples.
  4. Within these family-based couples, both members have a job.

With a single couple, you can't refer to both couples working because there is only one couple. You have to refer to individuals or members, or use some other term that singles out one of the people in the couple from the other. (If you know the couple, use a name.)

  1. Bob and Mary both work at the same bank.
  2. Both members of this couple work at the same bank.

Of course, if you are actually referring to a single couple as a collective whole, then the other answer gave a common way of doing so (although there may be a difference between common US and UK English when it comes to subject-verb agreement with collective nouns):

That couple works at the bank.

There is no need to say at the same bank because the couple as a whole is treated as a single unit; each member does the same thing when referenced in this way.

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