The Ispian...Un lugar en común - N° 3 - Junio 2014 | Page 20

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“Attention students: Homemade baked goods are no longer allowed in Brooklyn Tech,” the announcement said.

A curious phenomenon occurs during every economic crisis – the rich whine that they are the ones who are suffering most.

4. Collective nouns

Collective nouns place emphasis on the group of people, objects, animals or ideas rather than a single person, object or animal. These nouns, however, differ from other nouns in that they can take a singular or plural verb; the choice of one verb form over the other depends on whether the noun is seen as a unit or as a single entity within the group. For example:

CULT 80s show: The A-Team is to be made into a film. (it emphasizes the team as a unit)

Boss Ally McCoist says: “the team are trying to remain positive and will fight on despite their problems.” (it emphasizes each member of the team)

Despite the choice between singular and plural verb form, when it comes to choosing a pronoun, the third person plural form is preferred no matter if the verb is singular or plural.

Boss Ally McCoist says: “the team are trying to remain positive and will fight on despite their problems.”