Is 'type' considered singular or plural in this case? Should I use 'do' or 'does' The spell check take either.
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1It could be either one, depending on what the actual nouns are. I.e, "this type" of what? You're almost always safe with singular, though.– John LawlerCommented Sep 26, 2014 at 16:16
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3 Answers
In British English (but not American English), collective nouns like team, government and even bank can take a singular or a plural verb, depending on whether the sense is about the individuals that make up the collective or the collective as a whole.
While type isn't obviously a collective like that, to my ears it seems to work the same way, and I would find nothing odd in
That type always do.
meaning
People of that type always do.
answered Sep 26, 2014 at 16:21
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+1 To be clear, to the average American audience, the "do" version would sound like a mistake. Commented Sep 26, 2014 at 19:58
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To be more clear, the form of agreement Colin mentions is often called 'notional' or 'logical' agreement, and whilst the US / UK 'divide' has some relevance, there are people on both sides of the Atlantic who prefer to use it. It cannot be labelled 'incorrect' (and 'British English' is a misnomer). Commented Sep 27, 2014 at 19:48
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@EdwinAshworth: your "there are people ... who prefer" sounds like a grudging "OK, I suppose it's all right then". I can't speak of the status of the form in North America, except for the disapproval I've read, but I assure you that in British English (I don't know why you refer to that as a 'misnomer') it is normal and doesn't raise an eyebrow. Commented Sep 27, 2014 at 23:56
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I am British. I always use notional concord; I find it sounds more natural most of the time. 'British English' is ill-defined (check the 'definitions' on offer: eg Wikipedia hedges with 'British English and American English, which, for the purposes of these articles, are defined as follows:') and certainly suggests a universality that is not warranted in at least some areas (eg punctuation around quotes). Commented Sep 28, 2014 at 13:56
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Wikipedia also has, as regards agreement following collective nouns: '[O]ther sources, such as BBC Online and The Times style guides, recommend a strict noun-verb agreement with the collective noun always governing the verb conjugated in the singular. BBC radio news, however, insists on the plural verb.' Commented Sep 28, 2014 at 13:57
I would expect the singular to apply i.e. 'That type always does.'
The alternative sounds as wrong as 'the spell check take either' - but I'm just being a bit naughty, I'm sure it was a typo!
The crew is preparing to dock the ship.
This sentence is referring to the individual efforts of each crew member.
The usage of do/does would depend on what "type" of "type" you are referring to.
Type 1 - i.e., an Unit/individual, singular
Type 2 - all units/group, plural
Refer to: "Do" vs. "does" with multiple singular subjects
The Gregg Reference Manual provides excellent explanations of subject-verb agreement (section 10: 1001).
