Wordplay©
Grammar clinic
Common mistakes in English grammar,
and the simple rules that will keep you on track.
Common mistakes in English grammar,
and the simple rules that will keep you on track.
Collective singular nouns describe a group. Remember at school?
A flock of birds, an army of caterpillars, a school of dolphins, etc.
The crucial thing with this is to remember that although there may be many birds in the flock, there’s only one flock, so the verb that goes with it is also singular.
The flock fly here every winter.
The flock flies here every winter.
Similarly, companies and organisations may comprise many individuals, but there’s only one company. So:
Tesco are publishing their annual report.
Tesco is publishing its annual report. Is right – because there’s only one Tesco.
You could have;
Tesco stores up and down the country are stocking Christmas puddings. That’s because we’re talking about stores plural.
NB: Know your latin plurals (see below). The word ‘media’ is the plural of ‘medium’.
The media was responsible for the death of the prominent scientist.
The media were held responsible for the death of the prominent scientist.
