[Grammar] the audience was/were enjoying

[Oceanlike]

I don’t know if I should use a singular or plural verb for the following question. I want to use plural ‘were’ because of the word ‘many’. However, if instead of ‘many’, it has ‘someone’ in its place, should ‘audience’ then be seen as a collective noun instead of individual members of the audience?

Question: The audience was/were enjoying the hilarious act so much that someone/many nearly fell off their seats.


Thank you! :-D

 

[emsr2d2]

I use "The audience was ..." (BrE).
An the end, you've given two options that have completely different meanings. "Someone" means "one person" which, of course, does not mean the same as "many". Perhaps you meant "some", not "someone".

 

[Oceanlike]

Sorry, I've not written clearly.

Q: The audience (was OR were) enjoying the hilarious act so much that many nearly fell off their seats.

If the answer is 'was', please help me understand why.

Due to 'many. ..fell off', I chose 'were' ie the audience were.....

Thank you!

 

[emsr2d2]

BrE uses singular verbs where AmE uses plural.

The team was on a winning streak/The team were on a winning streak.
The government has passed a new law/The government have passed a new law.
The audience was laughing/The audience were laughing.


The audience was enjoying the act so much that many of them fell off their seats.

 

[Matthew Wai]

Due to 'many. ..fell off', I chose 'were' ie the audience were.....

I think the verb in the first clause need not agree with the subject in the second clause.

 

[Charlie Bernstein]

In American English, we use singular verbs with group nouns:

- the audience was
- the company has
- the army goes
- the band plays

An exception is groups expressed as plurals:

- the Beatles were
- the Himalayas are

When I read books written in British English, groups usually have plural verbs:

- the board were
- the class meet
- Parliament assemble

I've never noticed what they do in British movies. It's time for me to pay attention!

 

[Charlie Bernstein]

I think the verb in the first clause need not agree with the subject in the second clause.

Of course not!

Oceanlike, diagram the sentence and you'll see that Matthew is right.

 

[Charlie Bernstein]

Yup. Ditto.

 

[emsr2d2]

Hmm, I realise now that I use a mixture of the two. I'd say:

The audience is laughing.
The government has passed a law.
Manchester United are losing this match.
Spain are in the lead.

 

[jutfrank]

Whether you use was or were in the first clause should not affect your choice of words in the second.

Regarding the second clause, I think it might sound less conflicting to you if you change many to many people. Does it?

 

[jutfrank]

Hmm, I realise now that I use a mixture of the two. I'd say:

The audience is laughing.
The government has passed a law.
Manchester United are losing this match.
Spain are in the lead.

I'm surprised to learn that there might be a cultural (BrE vs. AmE) factor here. I've always seen this difference simply as different ways of conceiving, or picturing (i.e. as a singularity or a plurality) what is being articulated.

May I ask you, ems, as someone who uses a very similar kind of language to myself, under what circumstances you would use Spain are in the lead? What might you be seeing as you said that? And how about if you were keeping track of the scoreboard during the incoming Eurovision results?

 

[emsr2d2]

When I wrote "Spain are in the lead" I was thinking of an international football match in which, at the time of speaking, the score is something like Spain 3 - Greece 1.

 

[jutfrank]

When I wrote "Spain are in the lead" I was thinking of an international football match in which, at the time of speaking, the score is something like Spain 3 - Greece 1.

Perhaps because, as you watch, you are acutely aware of the eleven men that make up the team. You're focusing on the plurality of the individual players.

 

[emsr2d2]

It's possible but I would use "My team is in the lead"! I really can't come up with a logical explanation for my choice of singular/plural in many contexts.

 

[GoesStation]

Y'all invented the language. You can use it as you like.

 

[Oceanlike]

Thank you, Charlie. How do I 'diagram' the sentence? I don't understand.