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Old 12-Feb-2004, 18:01
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Default Re: My family are (or is)

Quote:
Originally Posted by bmo
I am confused:

My family is from Italy.
My family are very close.
My family is poor.
My family are poor.
My family is very grateful.

Are these all correct? When do you use "are" or "is?"
In American English, collective nouns are almost always treated as singular. In British English, it often depends on whether the speaker/writer sees the noun as a unit or as individuals. That seems to defeat the purpose of collective nouns, but that is how it is. 8)
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