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Were or was?

 

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  #1  
Old February 14, 2011, 10:31 AM
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Were or was?

The most important band was/were the Beatles.

Thanks.
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  #2  
Old February 14, 2011, 10:47 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by irmamar View Post
The most important band was/were the Beatles.
Hey - we've had this before with groups. In this case, band is clearly singular and so must the verb be.

On a different level,

The most important band was The Rolling Stones.
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  #3  
Old February 14, 2011, 10:47 AM
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The most important band was The Beatles. ("band" is singular - a collective noun. And yes, I totally agree! )
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  #4  
Old February 14, 2011, 10:50 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by lacasadeannie View Post
The most important band was The Beatles. ("band" is singular - a collective noun. And yes, I totally agree! )
Yes, but collective nouns can be singular or plural in BrE,

The jury retired to consider their/its verdict.
The team was celebrating their/its victory
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  #5  
Old February 14, 2011, 10:51 AM
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No, it was the Beatles.

Thank you.
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  #6  
Old February 14, 2011, 03:56 PM
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I have a question.

Was is for an person.

And the were is utilized for a third person right?

They were the greatest artist of the history.
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  #7  
Old February 14, 2011, 06:31 PM
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Crotalito, as stated above, the word 'band' is singular, so the singular third-person verb is used. This is 'was'.

It was. He was. She was. The apple was. The band was.


They were the greatest artists in history.

Your last sentence, corrected above, uses the third-person plural because the subject 'they' is plural.
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  #8  
Old February 15, 2011, 08:33 AM
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I got it.

Thank you for the explanation.
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  #9  
Old February 15, 2011, 02:50 PM
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Just for clarification, would you write that sentence in Spanish. I know it has something to do with the word "grupo" and the use of a plural verb.... right?
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  #10  
Old February 15, 2011, 04:43 PM
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@Lou Ann: "Grupo", "banda" and similar words are only singular in Spanish. (Same with "policía", "gente", etc.)
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