Collective Nouns
When this headline appeared (Straits Times, 2 August 2012), quite a few people apparently wrote to the folks at the Speak Good English Movement to ask if the singular verb win was a mistake.
It is not: in British English, collective nouns are often treated as plural, particularly sports teams � hence, Manchester United are the champions, and Singapore win individual Olympic medal.
While British English makes a distinction between collective nouns functioning as a single unit (= singular verb) or as individuals who happen to belong in the same group (= plural), American English and Singapore English almost always treat collective nouns as singular.
The exception in Singapore English, however, is sports reporting, which consistently follows British practice, as the headline shows.
Categories:
Grammar
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