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  #1 (permalink)  
Old 22-Sep-2005, 16:31
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Default USA is/are

I have got a very simple question:

Do you say "the USA is...." or "the USA are..." ?

Thanks for your answers (if anyone answers... )
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Old 22-Sep-2005, 20:23
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Default Re: USA is/are

You can use either depending on the context of your sentence.
USA = U.S.A. = United States of America.

1. The USA( as a country) is a prominent member of the UN.
2. The USA (as various states) are determined to do their utmost to eradicate drug abuse.
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Old 22-Sep-2005, 20:59
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Default Re: USA is/are

generally we say( U.S.A is )
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Old 23-Sep-2005, 04:59
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Default Re: USA is/are

In British English both singular and plural can be used. Indeed, with most collective nouns, the plural is widely used in BrE, where AE seems to favour the singular.
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Old 23-Sep-2005, 18:30
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Default Re: USA is/are

Thanks...
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Old 20-Mar-2007, 15:46
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Default Re: USA is/are

Quote:
Originally Posted by Tdol View Post
In British English both singular and plural can be used. Indeed, with most collective nouns, the plural is widely used in BrE, where AE seems to favour the singular.
Can the plural form be used irrespective of context?
Is it OK if I say The USA are larger than the UK?

Mia
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Old 20-Mar-2007, 15:49
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Default Re: USA is/are

No, you can't.
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Old 20-Mar-2007, 15:54
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Default Re: USA is/are

It's always singular:

The United States is...
The USA is...
The US is...

It is one nation, comprised of 50 states, so it is singular.


Question for the Left Ponders: Is the UK ever plural in BrE? Would you say the "United Kingdom are.." ?
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Old 20-Mar-2007, 17:13
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Default Re: USA is/are

But I'm still wondering what would the British say...
Is it acceptable or not?
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Old 20-Mar-2007, 19:33
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Default Re: USA is/are

Because I found it difficult to believe that even the Brits would actually use a plural verb when the USA or the United States or the US is the subject of a sentence, I did a quick search on the BNC (British National Corpus).
.
- A search for "the USA are" got no results whatsoever for that usage.
.
- A search for "the US are" also had no no results.
.
- A search for "the United States are" got one single result for that usage.
.
Therefore, I must assume that it is actually quite rare for even the Brits to use a plural verb when referring to the US.
I would never even consider doing it. It sounds absolutely AWFUL!
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