4 ms·

Title should be "Github _is_ under DDoS and having connectivity problems" edit: TIL my English wasn't as good as I thought.

paublyrne 11y ago
That's subjective. In America companies tend to be referred to as singular entities, but in the UK they would be referred to as plural. Neither is wrong, just different idioms.
- muchcomment 11y ago
  TIL
- webmonkeyuk 11y ago
  As you say - In English they would be referred to as plural. I'm English.
- OJFord 11y ago
  No, 'are' is, I believe, also incorrect in BrE. It's commonplace here, but not correct. (Or so I was taught!)
  - DanBC 11y ago
    http://blog.oxforddictionaries.com/2011/09/agreement-over-collective-nouns/ http://blog.oxforddictionaries.com/2011/09/agreement-over-co... > In British English it’s absolutely fine to treat most collective nouns as either singular or plural – you can say my husband’s family is very religious or my husband’s family are very religious. http://itre.cis.upenn.edu/~myl/languagelog/archives/001874.html http://itre.cis.upenn.edu/~myl/languagelog/archives/001874.h... etc. With something like collective nouns it's probably wrong to make blanket statements about correct and incorrect, even if you're a prescriptivist not descriptivist. EDIT: And while I love (but am hopeless with) English usage this is the least interesting bit of the submitted article.
    - OJFord 11y ago
      Ah but that's different. "Company nouns" are not used as collective, they refer to a singular entity - the registered company, not it as a body of people.
      - Squarel 11y ago
        But they are. https://dictionary.cambridge.org/grammar/british-grammar/nouns-singular-and-plural https://dictionary.cambridge.org/grammar/british-grammar/nou...
        OJFord 11y ago
        http://www.economist.com/style-guide/singular-or-plural http://www.economist.com/style-guide/singular-or-plural Note while 'just' a style guide, The Economist - like me - seems (note not 'seem' ;)) not to consider "Tesco" _et al_ to be collective nouns _per se_. > A government, a party, a company (whether Tesco or Marks > and Spencer) and a partnership (Skidmore, Owings & > Merrill) are all **it** and take a singular verb.
      - deleted 11y ago
        [deleted]

paublyrne 11y ago

That's subjective. In America companies tend to be referred to as singular entities, but in the UK they would be referred to as plural. Neither is wrong, just different idioms.

muchcomment 11y ago
TIL
webmonkeyuk 11y ago
As you say - In English they would be referred to as plural. I'm English.
OJFord 11y ago
No, 'are' is, I believe, also incorrect in BrE. It's commonplace here, but not correct. (Or so I was taught!)
- DanBC 11y ago
  http://blog.oxforddictionaries.com/2011/09/agreement-over-collective-nouns/ http://blog.oxforddictionaries.com/2011/09/agreement-over-co... > In British English it’s absolutely fine to treat most collective nouns as either singular or plural – you can say my husband’s family is very religious or my husband’s family are very religious. http://itre.cis.upenn.edu/~myl/languagelog/archives/001874.html http://itre.cis.upenn.edu/~myl/languagelog/archives/001874.h... etc. With something like collective nouns it's probably wrong to make blanket statements about correct and incorrect, even if you're a prescriptivist not descriptivist. EDIT: And while I love (but am hopeless with) English usage this is the least interesting bit of the submitted article.
  - OJFord 11y ago
    Ah but that's different. "Company nouns" are not used as collective, they refer to a singular entity - the registered company, not it as a body of people.
    - Squarel 11y ago
      But they are. https://dictionary.cambridge.org/grammar/british-grammar/nouns-singular-and-plural https://dictionary.cambridge.org/grammar/british-grammar/nou...
      - OJFord 11y ago
        http://www.economist.com/style-guide/singular-or-plural http://www.economist.com/style-guide/singular-or-plural Note while 'just' a style guide, The Economist - like me - seems (note not 'seem' ;)) not to consider "Tesco" _et al_ to be collective nouns _per se_. > A government, a party, a company (whether Tesco or Marks > and Spencer) and a partnership (Skidmore, Owings & > Merrill) are all **it** and take a singular verb.
    - deleted 11y ago
      [deleted]