 singular or plural?
Can you help to solve a disagreement over the use of plural and singular?
In most modern newspapers, teams are referred to in the plural sense. For example: "England are beating Germany 1-0" or "Ford are to axe 1000 jobs" or "Arsenal are third in the league" "The museum team have finished restoration work."
I had previously understood that terms like "Arsenal" or "the team" - whilst referring to many - is singular and therefore should take "is". However, it appears that in journalism, these terms usually take the plural "are, have..."
Which is right?
Many thanks for your help. |