Okay, so maybe I'm not technically a "wordsmith," but I do favor the appropriate usage of words. The Gregg Reference Manual, a dictionary, and a thesaurus are never far from my desk. Anyway, we've been working on the truck recently (all weekend and this evening after work), and we've been listening to the radio out in the garage most of that time. I'll preface the rest of this blog with an assurance that, though I haven't done any research on this subject yet, I will.
One aside: I'm not a master of verb tenses. Please don't call ever me on it unless you're formally reviewing something I wrote for work. I'm already aware of my flaws in this area.
Is "band" a collective noun? I always thought so, but I'm continually irked by the radio stations out here saying things like:
"The band Silversun Pickups are playing at the Crystal Ballroom next month."
NO! Why isn't it, "The band is playing..."??? I hate this! Would you ever say, "The soccer team are playing a game this weekend." or "The newly married couple are going to Hawaii."? I wouldn't, but maybe I'm just totally in the dark about this. If these aren't collective nouns, what are? Is this some movement to emphasize the individuals in groups and demoralize team spirit? Why, why, why?
Seriously, if you know the answer to this, leave a comment so that I don't have to spend an hour or more researching...
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
2 comments:
"One aside: I'm not a master of verb tenses. Please don't call ever me on it unless your formally reviewing something I wrote for work. I'm already aware of my flaws in this area."
That should be "you're". ;)
Fixed!
Post a Comment