Joe_Fox
Well-Known Member
Is it just me or is the use of was/has to describe a collective (e.g. a team, a band) becoming more and more commonplace in the English (British English) speaking media. (On an aside, British English to me sounds stupid - just call it English and all other derivations what they are e.g. American English.)
It appears that in the USA (especially) and here in Australia, when describing something about a collective, was/has is used instead of were/have, which I think is still the more commonly used option in England.
To me, saying Leicester City has beaten Spurs just sounds plain weird! Leicester City have beaten Spurs, because Leicester City is a team which is a collective noun. Apparently it's all to do with singular and plural verbs but there is definitely grey areas in that and I just wonder if it's a region/country thing.
Another example: I heard someone ask another person about a band's performance at a gig. Person A asked "How was Arctic Monkeys?". Naturally, person B told them to a) mind their own ****ing business and b) stop talking like a Yank. Surely it's "How were Arctic Monkeys?"?
I'm curious to hear your thoughts on this. Am I going mad? Does my memory serve me correctly when I recall hearing Des Lynam saying "Arsenal have won the Premier League", or John Peel explaining to his audience that The Fall were formed in 1976 in Prestwich, Greater Manchester?
It appears that in the USA (especially) and here in Australia, when describing something about a collective, was/has is used instead of were/have, which I think is still the more commonly used option in England.
To me, saying Leicester City has beaten Spurs just sounds plain weird! Leicester City have beaten Spurs, because Leicester City is a team which is a collective noun. Apparently it's all to do with singular and plural verbs but there is definitely grey areas in that and I just wonder if it's a region/country thing.
Another example: I heard someone ask another person about a band's performance at a gig. Person A asked "How was Arctic Monkeys?". Naturally, person B told them to a) mind their own ****ing business and b) stop talking like a Yank. Surely it's "How were Arctic Monkeys?"?
I'm curious to hear your thoughts on this. Am I going mad? Does my memory serve me correctly when I recall hearing Des Lynam saying "Arsenal have won the Premier League", or John Peel explaining to his audience that The Fall were formed in 1976 in Prestwich, Greater Manchester?