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Subject:Re: "a" versus "an" with an acronym From:Joe Miller <joemiller -at- CANBERRA -dot- COM> Date:Wed, 19 Nov 1997 09:01:59 -0500
Iain,
>I get to differ. Some Brits say "Parliament are". The same Brits
>probably say "less people" as well. They are entirely incorrect!
If you consider Parliament as a group of people, then "Parliament
are" is correct. If you consider Parliament as an institution,
then "Parliament is" is correct. The speaker's point of view is
what needs to be taken into consideration when using the
marvellous, highly flexible, and sometimes maddening,
English language.
As an aside, I once taught English to non-native speakers in
London. Since most of the students were from Europe, they
would often ask, "What's the rule for that in English?" My
stock answer was "There are no rules in English, only
probabilities." <GGGG>
