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the couple is married

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  • 20-06-2008 12:16am
    #1
    Sir Digby Chicken Caesar
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 23,556 ✭✭✭✭


    is that right? or is it 'the couple are married?'


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    #2
    Sir Digby Chicken Caesar
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 23,556 ✭✭✭✭Sir Digby Chicken Caesar


    you people are useless :(


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    #3
    bringitdown
    Registered Users Posts: 2,002 ✭✭✭bringitdown


    Hmm, not sure, M$ Word IRL / English says its okay both ways.


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    #4
    GhostInTheRuins
    Registered Users Posts: 5,963 ✭✭✭GhostInTheRuins


    I think both are acceptable, but "The couple are married" sounds better.


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    #5
    deman
    Registered Users Posts: 1,672 ✭✭✭deman


    They are both correct.

    The same goes for other collective terms such as family, team, group...etc.

    In British English we tend to use the plural verb, therefore "the couple are" sounds better, whereas in American English, they prefer to use the singular verb, so they would be more comfortable saying "the couple is".


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    #6
    Talliesin
    Closed Accounts Posts: 9,314 ✭✭✭Talliesin


    They're subtly different but ammount to the same thing.

    The couple is married → The [pairing of two people] is [a married couple].

    The couple are married → The [two people who are in the pairing] are married [with the implications that they are married to each other].

    Since these amount to the same thing there's no difference, though the latter allows for jokes like "it was okay, the couple are married - not to each other I grant you, but still".


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    #7
    Hugh_C
    Registered Users Posts: 2,852 ✭✭✭Hugh_C


    Princess Innocent Knickers wrote: »
    you people are useless :(

    I guess it's you that aren't getting married

    :D


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    #8
    FlutterinBantam
    Closed Accounts Posts: 14,575 ✭✭✭✭FlutterinBantam


    I would suggest that the word "they" is understood and omitted in that sentence as in

    The couple(they)are married.

    Technically probably both are correct,I would suggest,but as you are referring to more than one person and not a unit, "they" is probably more correct.

    Note my usage of "are" in the sentence "both are correct.

    You would say of course that the team is winning,as while there is more than one person involved, we are speaking of a unit,not a collection of people.

    Thats my take on it


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    #9
    Talliesin
    Closed Accounts Posts: 9,314 ✭✭✭Talliesin


    FlutterinBantam wrote: »
    I would suggest that the word "they" is understood and omitted in that sentence as in

    The couple(they)are married.

    The original is perfectly good English. What you suggest it means isn't. I suggest your reasoning is flawed.


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    #10
    FlutterinBantam
    Closed Accounts Posts: 14,575 ✭✭✭✭FlutterinBantam


    FB adds "reasoning" to his list of flaws:cool:


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