Collective or not?

Question

Hi,I am one of the men who collects/collect the garbage.I am one of the group that designs/design our booster rockets.I am one of a type which is/are allergic to cats.I am one of a school which rejects/reject violence.Thanks,  - A.

Mister Micawber · Accepted Answer

I guess:

I am one of the men who collect the garbage.

I am one of the group that designs (AmE) /design (BrE) our booster rockets.

I am one of a type which is allergic to cats.

I am one of a school which rejects violence.

Avangi · Answer

Many thanks, MrM.
I've been struggling with the collective noun question. I believe in many cases the number of the verb is optional, but I was wondering if "I am one of" effects the choice, pushing the noun toward the collective.

Best wishes, - A.

Mister Micawber · Answer

I feel your pain.  I think the nature of the noun pushes back: that's why I chose the singular for 'school', which I feel is strongly a singular entity, while 'group' is very pluralish.  'Type', I'm sure, would never draw the plural.

Avangi · Answer

Mister Micawber I think the nature of the noun pushes back:

I take your point. Thanks again.
I think I'm realizing that "I'm one of a type" is not that different from "I'm of a type."

Cool Breeze · Answer

Mister Micawber'Type', I'm sure, would never draw the plural.

The British seem to go for plural verbs after quite a few singular nouns. This 'decadent usage' -- as an American friend of mine calls it -- began in the 19th century. A Google search for "of the type who are" gives 34,000 hits and "the type who are" gives 289,000 hits.

I'm not saying that anything is right or wrong here!

Just presenting some statistics.

CB

Ivanhr · Answer

Hi guys

I read recently that when a collective noun is preceded by a singular determiner such as a/an, every, each, this and that, it is always used with a singular verb.

For that reason you would have

I am one of a group that desings...(in both AmE and BrE)

I am one of a school which + singular verb

Mister Micawber · Answer

I know better than to use the word 'never', too.

Cool Breeze · Answer

IvanhrI read recently that when a collective noun is preceded by a singular determiner such as a/an, every, each, this and that, it is always used with a singular verb.

I run away from grammarians who use the word always.

CB

Mister Micawber · Answer

And 'never'. Yep.

Avangi · Answer

Cool Breeze A Google search for "of the type who are" gives 34,000 hits and "the type who are" gives 289,000 hits.

Hi, CB.
Taking your first red "are" as an "is," this search is a little too "unrestricted" to catch my point. (I haven't rerun your check to see if the "of" is included or makes a difference.)
It may also be that the choice of pronoun influences the results.

Taking into account MrM's sense that "type" is usually singular, and Ivanhr's info that it's the determiner of "type" which selects the verb, I'm off on a different tack.
I'm reminded now of those cases where both a singular and a plural are involved, and proximity determines the choice of verb.

My original focus was a bit different. Learners are often advised on EF that the choice of verb following a collective noun rests with the author. How does he think of it?
My point was, if I say "I am one of a type/school that/which/who," I'm indicating by this language that I consider the noun to be plural. I am one of them.
I'm now persuaded that this argument doesn't hold water.

Thank you all very much for your thoughtful contributions!

Collective or not?

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