Mar 2, 2012 13:10
12 yrs ago
3 viewers *
English term
[Company name] is/are aware that its/their...?
English
Marketing
Advertising / Public Relations
I have an English grammar question.. Sometimes plural forms are used in combination with a company's name, sometimes singular forms.. Still, I'm in doubt about which one sounds better/is grammatically correct. Thank you for your advise!
"Imolax (=company name) IS aware that social commitment can improve ITS reputation...."
OR
"Imolax (=company name) ARE aware that social commitment can improve THEIR reputation..."
"Imolax (=company name) IS aware that social commitment can improve ITS reputation...."
OR
"Imolax (=company name) ARE aware that social commitment can improve THEIR reputation..."
Responses
+3
1 hr
Selected
Imolax is aware that social commitment can improve its reputation.
"are" is incorrect no matter how you look at it. "The people or employees of [the entity] are..." it's the only way the use off " are" would be appropriate.
The use of " their" reputation can now possibly refer to the community that supports.
I would highly recommend the use of " its" when making a statement about the business entity.
My choice of usage would be "Imolax is aware that social commitment will improve its reputation."
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Note added at 1 hr (2012-03-02 14:20:08 GMT)
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This example of usage is in AE.
The use of " their" reputation can now possibly refer to the community that supports.
I would highly recommend the use of " its" when making a statement about the business entity.
My choice of usage would be "Imolax is aware that social commitment will improve its reputation."
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Note added at 1 hr (2012-03-02 14:20:08 GMT)
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This example of usage is in AE.
Peer comment(s):
agree |
Carol Geraldine Chua Yu
1 hr
|
Thank you, Carol.
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agree |
Charles Davis
: In this case my British ear prefers the singular, though in some cases the plural is normal and natural in BE.
1 hr
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Thank you, Charles.
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agree |
Jenni Lukac (X)
: I think it should be single in any style of English in this case.
1 hr
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Thank you, Jenni.
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agree |
Tina Vonhof (X)
: and with Jenni.
1 hr
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Thank you, Tina.
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disagree |
Cilian O'Tuama
: Disagree with "'are' is incorrect no matter how you look at it". The plural is perfectly acceptable for collective nouns in many cases in BE. And it's not a mere trend or bad habit.
2 hrs
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Thank you, Cilian.I have never read a sentence in a UK newspaper or industry journal with the usage you say is entirely acceptable, but I realize from your comment and the ref, it's true. There should be a choice for AE & BE, but we all learn from this.
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agree |
Lydia De Jorge
8 hrs
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Thank you, Lydia.
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disagree |
juvera
: Agree with Cilian. I;ll quote above what Fowler's Moder English Usage says about it.
9 hrs
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Thanks juvera. I stand by the AE usage as answered. Jan will have to sort out what's best for his needs.
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4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer.
Comment: "thanks!"
Reference comments
39 mins
Reference:
a distinction between American English and British English
30 down vote accepted
These company names are collective nouns. In general, in American English collective nouns almost always trigger singular verb agreement (after all, "Microsoft" is grammatically a singular noun, even if semantically it denotes an entity made up of many people). It is apparently much more common to use plural verb agreement in British English. It doesn't have anything to do with the size of the company
http://english.stackexchange.com/questions/1338/is-a-company...
These company names are collective nouns. In general, in American English collective nouns almost always trigger singular verb agreement (after all, "Microsoft" is grammatically a singular noun, even if semantically it denotes an entity made up of many people). It is apparently much more common to use plural verb agreement in British English. It doesn't have anything to do with the size of the company
http://english.stackexchange.com/questions/1338/is-a-company...
Discussion
These words... such as committee, government, group, which are singular in form but often plural in sense. In BrE, the practice is well established of construing such words either with a singular werb (when unity or collectivity is being emphasized) or with a plural werb (when individuality or corporateness is being emphasized). Examples: (singular) Each succeeding generation of gallery visitors finds it easier to recognise Cubist subject-matter | A group of four young men, in denim overalls, was standing close to him, | (plural) The jury retired at five minutes past five o'clock to consider their verdict | Let us hope that the Ministry of Defence are on your side this time.
It is important to avoid a mixed style, as in: The government has decided to postpone their decision..
Here we are talking about (the) Imolax (Company), so take your pick.
In some other cases, the plural may arguably be allowable in British English, but I don't think you will ever be wrong to use the singular after a company name, so that would seem to be the sensible default option.
Wikipedia is very good on this, I think:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_and_British_English_di...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Collective_noun#Metonymic_mergi...
Let me emphasise that this does not mean company names will always be treated as plural in British English. In Jan's example, my instinctive reaction is to use the singular, because on balance I think it refers to the company as an entity.
Jan
ps: advise->advice :p (weekend is near...)
PS. Could you call me Alison please, Alice brings back too many memories of "wonderland" view my maiden name!!!!