0
Qut Posted 20 years ago
Grammar

do/does

The government do/does a lot for us.

The government has.........

So, which one is correct?

Thanks
  

Top answer

Are you asking if "the government" is considered singular or plural? It's singular. " That part doesn't change, but the conjugation of "to have" is what you look for there.

— BarbaraPA

  • Are you asking if "the government" is considered singular or plural?
  • It's singular.
  • " That part doesn't change, but the conjugation of "to have" is what you look for there.
  • I have done, you have done, he has done, etc.
Free · every Monday

Get the Weekly English Kit 📬

New words, one handy idiom, and a 2-minute quiz — delivered to your inbox to keep your streak alive.

5 Answers
0
Are you asking if "the government" is considered singular or plural? It's singular. So then, the answer to you do/does question would be: _____

For the "has ____" you need "done." That part doesn't change, but the conjugation of "to have" is what you look for there. I have done, you have done, he has done, etc.
0
0
Qut
The government do/does a lot for us.

The government has.........

So, which one is correct?

Thanks

It depends very much on how one sees a government. British English allows both singular and plural perceptions, but "is" is more commonly found - even in that variant of the language.

Here are the findings of t
0
0
To validate my own understanding, I went online to find this:

USAGE NOTE In American usage government always takes a singular verb. In British usage government, in the sense of a governing group of officials, takes a plural verb: The government are determined to follow this course. See Us
0
0
Much depends on the nature of the action, in BrE: when "government" is used as the subject of a collective action, the singular is quite likely; but when it simply denotes a loose assemblage of ministers and MPs ("members of the government"), the plural is more likely.

Thus:

1. The government is committed to selling even more peerages for large cash sums over the next five
0
0
QutThe government do/does a lot for us.

The government has.........

So, which one is correct?

Thanks

Adding to what has been said:

If you treat 'government' as singular, it means you're considering the actions of the government as a whole. So 'the government is killing the people' means that the government is, f
0

Related Questions