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Clarence Posted 14 years ago
Grammar
Staff have or staff has?
I understand that 'staff' is a collective noun. Should we use 'have' or 'has' below:
For staff who have left us (eg. John, Cindy and Jane), can we remove their email accounts presently?
For staff who have left us (eg. John, Cindy and Jane), can we remove their email accounts presently?
Top answer
Hi, Use 'have', because you are thinking of them as several people. A small extra comment. In Canada, I hear the word 'staff' used for people in eg stores, hospitals, schools.
- Hi, Use 'have', because you are thinking of them as several people.
- A small extra comment.
- In Canada, I hear the word 'staff' used for people in eg stores, hospitals, schools.
- But in most places I usually hear 'employees'.
- I worked in offices for many years, and the word 'staff' was very rare.
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2 Answers
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Hi,
Use 'have', because you are thinking of them as several people.
A small extra comment.
In Canada, I hear the word 'staff' used for people in eg stores, hospitals, schools. But in most places I usually hear 'employees'.
Use 'have', because you are thinking of them as several people.
A small extra comment.
In Canada, I hear the word 'staff' used for people in eg stores, hospitals, schools. But in most places I usually hear 'employees'.
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Thank you Clive. Your extra comment turns out to be quite useful to me, as I tend to use 'staff' rather than 'employees'. I find that it is better to use 'employees' in the sentence.
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