Are you happy to live in a family who have pets?

[pinkmast3ritza]

Hey there teachers."Are you happy to live in a family who have pets?"
Is the former statement correct? I came across it in a apllication form.
Shouldn't be"Are you happy to live in a family who has pets?" Or the term "family" is consider a plural because of the memberS it reprsents? Thank you very much!

 

[bhaisahab]

Hey there teachers."Are you happy to live in a family who have pets?"
Is the former statement correct? I came across it in a apllication form.
Shouldn't be"Are you happy to live in a family who has pets?" Or the term "family" is consider a plural because of the memberS it reprsents? Thank you very much!

I would write it as:
"Are you happy to live with a family who have pets?"
or
"Are you happy to live in a family with pets?"

 

[pinkmast3ritza]

I would write it as:
"Are you happy to live with a family who have pets?"
or
"Are you happy to live in a family with pets?"

So HAVE is the correct form not HAS? And why? You do not consider the noun FAMILY as singular? As I recall from my english classes the 3rd person singular of the verb TO HAVE is HAS. Thank you!

 

[riquecohen]

I agree with bhaisahab´s response, yet in the U.S., family is frequently accompanied by a singular verb form. I prefer with a family rather than in a family.

 

[bhaisahab]

So HAVE is the correct form not HAS? And why? You do not consider the noun FAMILY as singular? As I recall from my english classes the 3rd person singular of the verb TO HAVE is HAS. Thank you!

In BrE it's perfectly correct to treat it as plural. The family can be seen as a group of people. The family = they = third person plural.

 

[SoothingDave]

Americans tend to view collective nouns (family, team, committee, Congress) as singular. Britons as plural.

We say the team is having a good season. The committee is putting out its report.

 

[pinkmast3ritza]

Very very useful! Many many thx!

 

[susiedqq]

Is the question:

Would you be happy living with a family that has pets?

 

[pinkmast3ritza]

Is the question:

Would you be happy living with a family that has pets?

No. It was written exactly as shown in the topic.