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Getbig Main Boards => General Topics => Topic started by: raisydaisy on May 23, 2007, 07:18:53 AM
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Hi!
I haven't found a good answer to this problem i have, yet.
Is it correct to say "My family are coming this friday." or "My family is coming this friday." ??
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"is"
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sorry but i should have posted this earlier. i found this on the oxford webpage
"I have invited my family to tea and they are coming on Friday"
it's definitely correct
do only english people say it like that and americans don't?
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sorry but i should have posted this earlier. i found this on the oxford webpage
"I have invited my family to tea and they are coming on Friday"
it's definitely correct
do only english people say it like that and americans don't?
my high school ws english...
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Such nouns are used to refer both to a whole group as a singular entity, and to the members of the group. The context may therefore require flexibility: you might write:
The committee has now come to a decision.
but you could hardly use a singular verb in
The committee have now taken their seats.
(A pedant might insist on writing 'The members of the committee have now taken their seats.')
In some contexts it is natural and idiomatic to use a plural verb with a noun which is singular in form:
I have invited my family to tea and they are coming on Friday
Leeds United are winning: they have just scored.
I never hear any of the americans use plural for collective nouns. Why?
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The correct way should be "My family ARE coming" as you are concerned with the plural . If it is singular then it should be "is" for example "Raisydaisy IS coming to dinner"
I know 'cause Im English, I have the Burberry cap to prove it! ;D
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The correct way should be "My family ARE coming" as you are concerned with the plural .
That wouldn't sound right in America, even if it is. No one considers family plural; it is one collective singular group.
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"I have invited my family to tea and they are coming on Friday"
do only english people say it like that and americans don't?
It sounds a little stilted through the addition of "and". Perfect for the british i suppose. ;)
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That wouldn't sound right in America, even if it is. No one considers family plural; it is one collective singular group.
I'm just saying what is the correct English terminoligy, and as Im English I win by default (Joke!)
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It sounds a little stilted through the addition of "and". Perfect for the british i suppose. ;)
;D
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I also found out that it is correct to say "Every family in the US owns a TV set." It is correct to use the singular in this particular case because we are not referring to the members of but to the family as a whole. I think every time the sentence would have the same meaning whe you add "the members of" before the collective noun, it is correct to use the plural.
Could it be possible that this is only a British English thing? I have never heard an american say "Have your family ever visited?" LOL
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My family is...all the families are
family singular, families plural
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My family is...all the families are
family singular, families plural
no the english guy already said it's correct to say "my family are coming". i just wanted to point out that there can be cases whe it is correct to say that "a family is" doing sth. e.g. the above sentence.
apparently, no one in the US seems to use that. i am wondering if it's just that they don't care about correct grammar or if they have their own version of the english grammar. after all, oxford is the standard reference when it comes to questions concerning the use of english.
see this link fyi: http://www.askoxford.com/asktheexperts/faq/aboutgrammar/pluralverbs?view=uk (http://www.askoxford.com/asktheexperts/faq/aboutgrammar/pluralverbs?view=uk)
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my family...one thing...singular
many families...plural
that's why...it's not bad grammar, it's phonetically pleasing
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my family IS coming
one family is singular you idiots
our families ARE coming....in this case it is more than one family so it is plural
the level of stupidity on this board is frightening...99% say "I have to loose some weight"...for christs sake it is "lose" not "loose"
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after rereading this thread I am really surprised that adults on this site think it is correct to say "my family are coming". what is the average level of (quality) education of people on this board? Not very high apparently
Go in Microsoft Word and type "My family are coming." Then do a grammar check and see that you all are idiots
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after rereading this thread I am really surprised that adults on this site think it is correct to say "my family are coming". what is the average level of (quality) education of people on this board? Not very high apparently
Go in Microsoft Word and type "My family are coming." Then do a grammar check and see that you all are idiots
fair enough. but what is your explanation for the sentence on this site by the grammar gurus:
http://www.askoxford.com/asktheexperts/faq/aboutgrammar/pluralverbs?view=uk (http://www.askoxford.com/asktheexperts/faq/aboutgrammar/pluralverbs?view=uk)
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ok i think i found the answer. saying "my family are" is the way they do it in the UK, e.g. (http://sara.natcorp.ox.ac.uk/cgi-bin/saraWeb?qy=have+your+family (http://sara.natcorp.ox.ac.uk/cgi-bin/saraWeb?qy=have+your+family)).
In the US they don't say it that way. Now I am wondering if the US have their own version of the english grammar. it seems like it. apparently, standard oxford english grammar doesn't apply in the US.
Go in Microsoft Word and type "My family are coming." Then do a grammar check and see that you all are idiots
if you use an en-US dictionary your are right. i don't know about en-GB...
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some contexts it is natural and idiomatic to use a plural verb with a noun which is singular in form:
I have invited my family to tea and they are coming on Friday
Leeds United are winning: they have just scored.
In these two sentences the "and' and the ":" seperate the sentences.
They have just scored. "they" is plural in both cases obviously. They refers to the family members and the players of course. It is a little curious how the noun changes to plural but that really is a whole seperate issue from your original question. What is your native lang?
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german. but i have lived in two english speaking countries. i am used to hearing "my family is" but i became curious about collective nouns when i watched a show on bbc which was in british english obviously. the commentator used the plural in conjunction with collective nouns throughout the whole show. that's what got me started.
still you can find examples where british authors use "family" with "have": http://sara.natcorp.ox.ac.uk/cgi-bin/saraWeb?qy=have+your+family (http://sara.natcorp.ox.ac.uk/cgi-bin/saraWeb?qy=have+your+family)
i wouldn't do it though because in german family is also singular and i would have to be really focused to remember that it's plural :P
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My mama told me i don't need to know none of that there book learnin'.