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Pet hate: plural/collective use of a singular term

  • 28-01-2009 3:52pm
    #1
    A.Partridge
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 680 ✭✭✭


    Please see attached from breakingnews.ie

    http://www.breakingnews.ie/sport/mhsngbgbqley/

    Indonesia is one country. Therefore should it not be referred to in the singular?...i.e. Indonesia joins World Cup race?

    This error happens on a daily basis, and so we get:

    Liverpool are looking good for the Premier League ( 2 mistakes here :D)

    Fianna Fail give in to Green Party demands.


    Liverpool and Fianna Fail are single entities (albeit made up of a collection of mis-fits ;)) so why refer to each entity in the plural?


Comments

  • #2
    partyguinness
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 8,203 ✭✭✭partyguinness


    Mate you need to take up a new hobby..:D

    What wrong with the "Fianna Fail.." statement?:confused:


  • #3
    Permabear
    Closed Accounts Posts: 39,022 ✭✭✭✭Permabear


    This post has been deleted.


  • #4
    Yakuza
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 5,141 ✭✭✭Yakuza


    I think donegalfella has hit the nail on the head.

    In your example, Liverpool (the team) is just a short hand for the members of the team (Rafa, Reina, ...Gerrard, Keane etc.) so the word is referring to a list many individuals, hence the plural.
    Liverpool (the city) is in the Northwest of England.
    The term "Fianna Fáil" in the context you quoted refers to the many individuals in the party, hence using the plural of "give".

    You are dead right, however, in the article you linked. The word should be "joins" and that is an example of slack journalism and the author should be slapped around the head with the Grammar Truncheon. (I think I'm going to copyright that phrase!).

    The latest onslaught to my ears is the ad on the radio for some tile crowd, that "don't sell cheap tiles, but they do sometimes sell tiles cheap". I feel like screaming at the radio "It's cheapLY, you ignorant gobshíte!!!" Sorry for the OT rant there :)


  • #5
    FlutterinBantam
    Closed Accounts Posts: 14,575 ✭✭✭✭FlutterinBantam


    Yakuza wrote: »
    I think donegalfella has hit the nail on the head.

    In your example, Liverpool (the team) is just a short hand for the members of the team (Rafa, Reina, ...Gerrard, Keane etc.) so the word is referring to a list many individuals, hence the plural.
    Liverpool (the city) is in the Northwest of England.
    The term "Fianna Fáil" in the context you quoted refers to the many individuals in the party, hence using the plural of "give".

    You are dead right, however, in the article you linked. The word should be "joins" and that is an example of slack journalism and the author should be slapped around the head with the Grammar Truncheon. (I think I'm going to copyright that phrase!).

    The latest onslaught to my ears is the ad on the radio for some tile crowd, that "don't sell cheap tiles, but they do sometimes sell tiles cheap". I feel like screaming at the radio "It's cheapLY, you ignorant gobshíte!!!" Sorry for the OT rant there :)

    Heheheh heard that one too and did actually scream "CHEAPLY!!! you cnunt " at the radio.
    How things are done the adverbs tell as slowly quickly idly well....

    Good explanation of the other stuff there.. tks for that.


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