The government IS wrong? The government ARE wrong? Both could be right. In British English, collective nouns (like government, team, committee, class, army, etc) can take either singular or plural verb forms, according to whether the emphasis is on the body as a whole or on the individual members respectively. The term the Government always takes a plural verb in British civil service convention, perhaps to emphasise the principle of cabinet collective responsibility. In American English, collective nouns are almost ALWAYS singular in construction: 1. The committee was unable to agree. However, when a speaker wishes to emphasize that the individuals are acting separately, a plural pronoun may be employed with a singular or plural verb: 2. The team takes their seats (rather than the team takes its seats). However, such a sentence would most likely be recast as 3. The team members take their seats. Source: Practical English Usage by Michael Swan.
Posted on: Sat, 20 Sep 2014 00:33:46 +0000
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