Linked Questions
11 questions linked to/from Should you use “it” or “they” when referencing a group of people?
93
votes
12answers
164k views
Are collective nouns always plural, or are certain ones singular?
I'd say Microsoft have a way of bending the rules and I know that McLaren have won the championship. While this sounds strange, I believe it is correct English (sorry, I'm not native).
But when it's ...
16
votes
1answer
227k views
Is “group” singular or plural? [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
Is a company always plural, or are small companies singular?
When I'm referring to a group of multiple things, should it be considered singular or plural for the purposes of ...
15
votes
7answers
50k views
“A variety of X is” vs. “a variety of X are”
Which of the following sentences is correct?
A variety of dishes are being prepared.
A variety of dishes is being prepared.
I believe that both can be used, though I'd stick with the ...
12
votes
6answers
6k views
A battery of tests is/are
This is from a recent article:
He was rushed to the hospital immediately and a battery of tests was
conducted.
Now shouldn't it be
He was rushed to the hospital immediately and a battery of ...
6
votes
7answers
4k views
Subject–verb agreement — two schools of thought?
I wrote a sentence for our web site that was submitted for proofreading. The proofreader "corrected" my sentence. I asked how sure he was that he was correct and that I was incorrect. He ...
5
votes
4answers
14k views
A pack of wolves run through the woods [duplicate]
Is the correct to say
A pack of wolves run through the woods
or is the correct English
A pack of wolves runs through the woods
The former sounds right. However, I think the subject is a pack ...
4
votes
1answer
26k views
Organisation - singular or plural? [duplicate]
In formal (not colloquial) English, is an organisation such as a sports club singular, plural, or is it discretionary? E.g. is it preferable to write "The X club WAS formed" or "The X club WERE ...
2
votes
3answers
5k views
A combination of government initiatives (plural or singular)?
Does the subject a combination of government initiatives take singular or plural agreement?
A combination of government initiatives has resulted in positive changes?
or
A combination of ...
1
vote
1answer
1k views
Mass of people its/his/their
In a phrase where the subject is "mass of people", should I use "its"?
e.g.
A mass of people and its flag.
Mass is an abstract word, so it sounds strange to me to use their; but I'm not sure.
...
0
votes
1answer
1k views
has vs have on a singular noun that represents a plural idea [duplicate]
In the sentence:
I suspect 99% of the world’s population has never even heard of the term ‘Deep Learning’.
is the 'has' correct, or should it be 'have'?
-4
votes
1answer
308 views
A younger generation of men follow or follows? [closed]
Could you explain to me which is correct?
A younger generation of men follow . . .
A younger generation of men follows . . .
Could you also explain why?
I was thinking that the bit that cannot be ...