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Cmoerules Posted 17 years ago
Grammar

Was or were??

Which sentence is grammatically correct and why? "couple" means two people, so the word could require a plural. But in actuality the word is singular isn't it?

The couple were going through the proper steps.

The couple was going through the proper steps.
  

Top answer

The answer to your question is probably not as clearcut as you'd like it to be: Couple can take either the singular or plural verb. It all depends on whether the couple is seen as one social unit ( a married couple) or whether the members are seen individually: There was only one couple left in the psychiatrist's office by the end of the meeting The couple were irratated by what I said. Note: In American English, when we use a pronoun with "couple" we can use "it" or "they", but "they" is a lot more common.

— Grammarwannabe

  • The answer to your question is probably not as clearcut as you'd like it to be: Couple can take either the singular or plural verb.
  • It all depends on whether the couple is seen as one social unit ( a married couple) or whether the members are seen individually: There was only one couple left in the psychiatrist's office by the end of the meeting The couple were irratated by what I said.
  • Note: In American English, when we use a pronoun with "couple" we can use "it" or "they", but "they" is a lot more common.
  • Therefore, the verb would have to match: The couple see their son every couple of weeks
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1 Answers
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The answer to your question is probably not as clearcut as you'd like it to be:

Couple can take either the singular or plural verb. It all depends on whether the couple is seen as one social unit (a married couple) or whether the members are seen individually:

There was only one couple left in the psychiatrist's office by the end of the meeting

The
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