tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6294141728297871688.post3438141847257660145..comments2024-03-26T07:09:21.701+00:00Comments on linguistlaura: Is Coldplay singular or plural?Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15599735346062899537noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6294141728297871688.post-69233532262235714052013-08-19T21:07:11.101+01:002013-08-19T21:07:11.101+01:00They always demands plural agreement, always. No ...<i>They</i> always demands plural agreement, always. No matter how singular the referent, <i>they is</i> is flat ungrammatical in any kind of Standard English, just as <i>you is</i> is, and for the same reason: <i>you</i>, like <i>they</i>, is historically plural.John Cowanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11452247999156925669noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6294141728297871688.post-4588695651852550792012-12-29T13:48:09.477+00:002012-12-29T13:48:09.477+00:00Yeah, I wasn't really commenting on the use of...Yeah, I wasn't really commenting on the use of singular agreement because it's unremarkable. It was more that there is mismatched agreement. But your final point is partly the point of my post - you can refer to a band as plural and it would be fine to say 'Coldplay has' or 'Coldplay have', and it would have been equally fine to say 'Coldplay offend me'. The tweeter has switched from singular to plural reference mid-sentence, possibly because of the potential of 'they' to be either. Laurahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15599735346062899537noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6294141728297871688.post-79119126252240837822012-12-27T23:49:33.287+00:002012-12-27T23:49:33.287+00:00The tweet would be exactly the same in North Ameri...The tweet would be exactly the same in North American English ("offends" agrees with the singular band name, "are" agrees with the plural pronoun). Try it with a plural band name (The Rolling Stones offend me...they are...).<br />Now, in BE would you say Cold Play has... or Cold Play have...?Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14658289115041922636noreply@blogger.com