You should talk to the real grammar pendant.
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[Misc] Question for fellow grammar pedants out there.
- Thread starter ringmerseagulltoo
- Start date
You should talk to the real grammar pendant.
Oddly enough, football clubs are one of the few anomalies to the standard was/were rule.
Even though a club is singular, and should therefore be 'was', that usage never applies.
You'd never say "Brighton was in the cup final in 1983", you'd say "Brighton were in the cup final…".
But outside football, the opposite still applies. "Microsoft was started by Bill Gates", rather than "Microsoft were started by Bill Gates…"
(Not an answer to the original question, just thought I'd go off on a related tangent…)
Not just football. Team sports generally - presumably on the grounds that there are a number of players in the team, so that in terms of I; you; he/she/it; we; you (plural) and they, they come in the 'they' (or maybe for the fans the 'we') category - i.e. Sussex [they;we] weren't able to bat out the whole day; Red Bull were outpaced by Ferrari and Mercedes.
Individual sports are different - i.e. Vettel was in the grand prix until his engine conked out, Ian Botham was a good cricketer, etc, etc.
It is a bit of an anomaly though.
We were shown how to conjugate a verb in Latin. In English, we were shown nothing. That was HGSB in the 70s.
Sum, es, est, summus, estis, sunt.
FFS.
Wrong-Direction
Well-known member
- Mar 10, 2013
- 13,638
But I was there ?
Sent from my SM-A600FN using Tapatalk
Sent from my SM-A600FN using Tapatalk
Was you?
Wrong-Direction
Well-known member
- Mar 10, 2013
- 13,638
- Jan 3, 2012
- 17,355
- Jan 3, 2012
- 17,355
We were shown how to conjugate a verb in Latin. In English, we were shown nothing. That was HGSB in the 70s.
Sum, es, est, summus, estis, sunt.
FFS.
There's only one m in sumus!
Latin Pedantry rules ok!
Latin A-level . Worthing High School 1971!
D
Deleted member 2719
Guest
How on earth can you call Lord sugar a half-wit?
Grammar is not an indicator of intelligence at all.
Referring to the team - they - were ?
Referring to the club - it - was ?
So is the statement referring to the team or the club ?
I dunno..........
Oddly enough, football clubs are one of the few anomalies to the standard was/were rule.
Even though a club is singular, and should therefore be 'was', that usage never applies.
You'd never say "Brighton was in the cup final in 1983", you'd say "Brighton were in the cup final…".
But outside football, the opposite still applies. "Microsoft was started by Bill Gates", rather than "Microsoft were started by Bill Gates…"
(Not an answer to the original question, just thought I'd go off on a related tangent…
My wife always asks 'who is Brighton playing?'. Which just sounds really odd every time I hear it - even though technically correct.
- Jan 3, 2012
- 17,355
Thanks for that. I'd forgotten it. Must watch the film again.
dejavuatbtn
Well-known member
We were shown how to conjugate a verb in Latin. In English, we were shown nothing. That was HGSB in the 70s.
Sum, es, est, summus, estis, sunt.
FFS.
Ah, those halcyon days of Ross clinging to the radiator, eyes closed, reciting “amo, amas, amat ..... .............”
Mr Ross, to you sonny.
To be fair, the best teacher I ever had. 'I'm not here to teach you facts, I'm here to teach you how to think'.
OK, y'*******, I was there 69-76. If you were in my class, and are not [MENTION=37530]monty uk[/MENTION] in disguise . . . .
Knocky's Nose
Mon nez est retiré.
To quote myself... 'Lord' Sugar.... For a clearly intelligent man he speaks like a half-wit.
Reading the post properly is an indicator of intelligence, unless you were taking the mick..
(in which case, my apologies)
Thunder Bolt
Silly old bat
We were shown how to conjugate a verb in Latin. In English, we were shown nothing. That was HGSB in the 70s.
Sum, es, est, summus, estis, sunt.
FFS.
Amo
Amas
Amat
Amamus
Amatis
Amant
I gave up Latin after one year to do German, HGSG in the 60s.