[Grammar] "The couple hope that" or "The couple hopes that"??

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pinbong

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Hi, dear teachers:

One of my English textbook I'm currently working on is written by British teachers. And one of the sentences in it says:

The couple hope that all people love life.

But after I transcribed this passage into Win Word and used WORD's spellcheck, which was set to American grammar, I was suggested to revise the "hope" to "hopes"

The couple hopes that all people love life.

Is this just another example of the differences between BrE and AmE?? Or one of them is not correct?
 

5jj

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Yes, this is a difference between British English and American English that comes up quite often. Wikipedia has a brief discussion of this issue.

Remember also that the spelling and grammar check is a very useful initial facility, but it is mindless. It picks up obvious misspellings and concord bloopers, but can also pick up things that are totally correct. You (with the help of reliable authorities) are the final judge.

Passive forms used by me are often picked up by my grammar check. Active forms are clearly preferred by the programmer, but passive forms are perfectly acceptable, so I sail on regardless.
 

Munch

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Agreed, fivejedjon.

Like you, I leave it on because it helps to pick up my silly mistakes, but like you said, you can't let it tell you what to do! Students of English as a second language should not trust it either.

I think the "passive voice is evil" idea comes from "Strunk and White's vile little compendium of tripe about style." It has really stuck around.
 
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