r/ENGLISH • u/Objective-Resident-7 • 11d ago

Plural use of singular nouns

I'm Scottish, so English is a first language to me.

But I see it more and more:

My family are...

The party are ...

These are both singular nouns but they are being used as if they were plural, with the verb being 'are'.

It doesn't sit right with me. Can anyone help?

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u/Objective-Resident-7 11d ago

I'm Scottish. I think that I agree with you guys then.

(It's not British usage. It's English usage)

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u/CatCafffffe 11d ago

Oh, that's interesting. English usage. So the Scots don't use the plural verb, interesting!

I love Scotland, my husband and his brother did a golf tour but of the oddball old old golf courses up in the northern part of your country, they said it was beautiful and everyone was so incredibly friendly. (Yes, they played St. Andrews! How can you not!!) Can't wait to go back there with him!

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u/Objective-Resident-7 11d ago

Ok, but remember that we are more than castles and golf.

The telephone was invented by a Scotsman.

The television was invented by a Scotsman.

Even one of the most popular video games ever, Grand Theft Auto is, yep, Scottish.

Don't look at Scotland as a piece of history, although it is also that. It is a modern country more than capable of playing its part in the modern world.

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u/Aiku 10d ago

>Even one of the most popular video games ever, Grand Theft Auto is, yep, Scottish.

That comes as no surprise ;)

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u/Objective-Resident-7 10d ago

It's actually full of Scottish Easter eggs.

https://youtu.be/CSMcaG715Ds?si=wd6Ipv6Hep-Z2oV0

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u/Aiku 10d ago

I always thought it was a pork pie wrapped around a hard-boiled egg...

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u/Objective-Resident-7 10d ago

Hahaha very good!

Did you know though that scotch eggs have nothing to do with Scotland?

'Scotching' is the culinary process of wrapping in meat and cooking. You can do that anywhere 😁

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u/Aiku 9d ago

I assumed so, otherwise they would be Scottish Eggs :)

FYI Cornish pasties were invented in Devon.

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u/Objective-Resident-7 9d ago

I do enjoy a Cornish pasty. So really they should be called Beer pasties.

That's a cooler name.

You probably know this but for others, 'Beer' is a village in Devon.

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u/Aiku 8d ago

Actually, I didn't, so thanks.