when we say Police, staff, experiences......, what verb form we should use, is or are..
2007-02-14 12:07:43 · 3 answers · asked by Anonymous in Education & Reference ➔ Words & Wordplay
The police are going to raid the cat-house tonight.
The staff are going to get new uniforms.
Experiences are good learning tools.
Plural
2007-02-14 12:12:24 · answer #1 · answered by I See You 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Police ARE surrounding the building. Always plural. Singular would be "A policeman is standing by the door" (meed the word man added to police-)
My staff IS (If there are several people in the group and all are involved in a single enterprise)
You can say "My staff are wonderful about giving gifts to each other. (the people are individually giving each other gifts)
Experiences ARE (always plural)
2007-02-14 20:14:24 · answer #2 · answered by thisbrit 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Well, it depends. You would say:
1. The police are an important asset to the community. (Each individual policeman or policewoman is an important asset.)
OR
The police department is an important asset. (The collective group is important.)
2. The high school staff is very friendly. (Each staff member is friendly.)
OR
The high school staff are performing a play. (As a collective group they are performing.)
3. My experiences are very different from yours. (Many experiences.)
OR
My experience with children is different from yours. (One experience.)
2007-02-14 20:23:10 · answer #3 · answered by bombastic 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋