[PRCo] Two great nations, separated by a common language, Was: English

[robert netzlof]

There does seem to be a distinct difference in what my 8th grade
English teacher called "collective nouns".

For example:

U. S.: The streetcar company is bankrupt.
U. K.: The tram company are bankrupt.

U. S.: The jury is deliberating.
U. K.: The jury are deliberating.

The U. K. view seems to be that the members of "company" or "jury"
retain their individuality and thus are spoken of in the plural. The
U. S. treats "company" or "jury" as a single entity, which is spoken
of as singular.

I don't know of any instances in which the U. K. treats as singular
something which the U. S. treats as plural, but I suppose there could
be such.


=====
Bob Netzlof a/k/a Sweet Old Bob


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