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Sandip Kumar Posted 6 years ago
Grammar

Collective noun with a singular verb and plural pronoun.

I know that the number (singular/plural) of verb and pronoun should be the same in a sentence. But I've encountered with the following sentence:
"My family is gathering in Kolkata, and I'm preparing a feast for them."
Here, the collective noun is used with a singular verb ('is') & a plural pronoun ('them'). I think the pronoun 'them' should be changed to 'It'.
Could you please clarify it with precise grammatical rule?
  

Top answer

Sandip Kumar Here, the collective noun is used with a singular verb ('is') & a plural pronoun ('them'). I think the pronoun 'them' should be changed to 'It'. "it" does not sound right here (sounds too impersonal/inhuman).

— GPY

  • Sandip Kumar Here, the collective noun is used with a singular verb ('is') & a plural pronoun ('them').
  • I think the pronoun 'them' should be changed to 'It'.
  • "it" does not sound right here (sounds too impersonal/inhuman).
  • The mismatch between "is" and "them" might go unnoticed by many people.
  • In BrE, in everyday English, we often use "logical agreement" of verbs, which means using a plural verb for a noun that is grammatically singular but refers to a plural entity, such as a family.
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2 Answers
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Sandip KumarHere, the collective noun is used with a singular verb ('is') & a plural pronoun ('them'). I think the pronoun 'them' should be changed to 'It'.

"it" does not sound right here (sounds too impersonal/inhuman). The mismatch between "is" and "them" might go unnoticed by many people. In BrE, in everyday English, we often use "logical agreement" of v

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