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> ----------
> From: rkennet -at- IBM -dot- NET[SMTP:rkennet -at- IBM -dot- NET]
> Sent: Wednesday, June 18, 1997 4:47 PM
> To: TECHWR-L -at- LISTSERV -dot- OKSTATE -dot- EDU
> Subject: Re: Collective nouns revisited
>
> ** Reply to note from "A. J. Fite" <ajfite -at- MAIL -dot- TELIS -dot- ORG>
> Wed, 18 Jun 1997 08:23:33 -0700
> > This discussion dealt with the emerging trend for speakers of
> > American English to pair collective nouns with singular verbs ("the
> staff
> > is"), while speakers of British English combined collective nouns
> with
> > plural verbs ("the staff are").
> >
>
> Most British speakers follow the advice in Fowlers Modern English
> Usage:
> "Such words as army, fleet, Government, company, pack may stand either
> for a single entity
> or for the individuals who compose it, and are called nouns of
> multitude. They are treated as
> singular or plural at discretion - and sometimes naturally without
> discretion."
>
>
> > My question: is a company name a collective noun? In other words,
> would it
> > be appropriate for speakers of British English to say "IBM are" or
> > "Microsoft were?"
>
> Microsoft were? Do you know something we don't? Should we panic?
>
"Microsoft were where IBM are wanting to go today."
> Rod Kennett
> rkennet -at- ibm -dot- net
>
> ~~
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