Calling Collect

Collective nouns - words that refer to a group of things, such as total, majority, minority, and number - sometimes mean the group as a single entity and sometimes the individual members of that group. So far so good, if not a little confusing (or is it just me?). But how about when you add a verb - what then? Well, you actually have to think about it for a second or two because, depending on their meaning at the moment, collective nouns can take either a singular verb or a plural verb.  To figure out which verb form a given word takes, ask yourself whether you’re thinking of the whole or of the parts. If it’s the whole, use a singular verb, as in, “The minority is in charge.” If the parts (the individual members making up the group), use a plural verb, as in “A majority of voters are not happy.” "The" before the word (the total, the majority) is usually a clue that it takes a singular verb, whereas "a" (a total, a majority), especially when "of" comes after, usually indicates that a plural verb will follow: A majority of the voters are not happy." Here’s where people mess up the most, though: by treating a collective noun as both singular and plural in the same sentence. They write, “The majority of voters is finally making their opinions known.” Since the majority “is,” the majority is a single unit and, therefore, should later be referred to as “its.” “The majority of voters is finally making its opinions known.”

Comments

[JP]

"Group" can be a tough one that requires careful judgment:

A group of us are going to talk it over.

But. . .

A group of us is advocating for an amendment to the charter.

[Sherrilynne Starkie]

I'm circulating this post to my team as required reading.