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They (BMW) are a group of people. They (BMW) are complying. That's the way I've had it explained to me.
by fucking_tragedy 11y ago
They (BMW) are a group of people. They (BMW) are complying.
That's the way I've had it explained to me.
- sk5t 11y agoHow is that an appropriate explanation, when you--presumably--wouldn't say "The group are complying"?
- sjwright 11y agoYou're overthinking it. If a group of people are complying, you say "they are complying". Your example is not a valid parallel.
- fucking_tragedy 11y agoCorporations are viewed as collective nouns to be used with plural verbs, where as "group" is a collective noun that is treated as singular. I can't think of a context in which I'd use a plural verb with it, but I can think of dozens of such nouns that I would. You can say "The group is complying. They have an obligation." without it sounding awkward, however. Something about formal, notional and situational agreement[0]. The "they" explanation just helped bridge the gap in my mind. [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison_of_American_and_British_English#Formal_and_notional_agreement https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison_of_American_and_Bri...
- pbhjpbhj 11y agoI think you would say "the group are complying" when you want to specify that the group as individuals are complying (or when, like me, you don't grammar too well).