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Minnaloushe Posted 12 years ago
Grammar

Whose "lead"?


If one bank raises interest rates, all the others will follow their lead .
[sing.] an example or action for people to copy
The sentence and definition are from Oxford Dictionary for "lead".

I am confused by the usage of "whose" lead.

#1 If Mary wants to go to the US, I will follow my lead.

#2 If Mary wants to go to the US, I will follow her lead.

What one is correct? #1 or 2 ? Could you elucidate usage of "whose" I should use here?

Many thanks!
  

Top answer

Mary is the leader (doing things before others do them), so she (by setting an example) as leader gives a 'lead' that others then follow. --> #2 If Mary wants to go to the US, I will follow her lead. A lead can also be a clue or piece of information that can be followed, eg a lead followed by a detective or news reporter.

— Meteorquake

  • Mary is the leader (doing things before others do them), so she (by setting an example) as leader gives a 'lead' that others then follow.
  • --> #2 If Mary wants to go to the US, I will follow her lead.
  • A lead can also be a clue or piece of information that can be followed, eg a lead followed by a detective or news reporter.
  • d
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4 Answers
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Mary is the leader (doing things before others do them), so she (by setting an example) as leader gives a 'lead' that others then follow.

--> #2 If Mary wants to go to the US, I will follow her lead.

A lead can also be a clue or piece of information that can be followed, eg a lead followed by a detective or news reporter.

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Thank you for your elucidation. It is easy to understand.

Could you further explain the following sentence which is from the same dictionary to illustrate the usage of "lead" ?


If one bank raises interest rates, all the others will follow their lead .
I wonder why it is not "follow its
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MinnalousheI wonder why it is not "follow its lead" but "follow their lead", as one bank , which is the leader, is singular, and the pronoun should be "its" instead of "theirs".
It is common, at least in BrE, to treat companies, organisations etc. as plural. There is actually another example on the same page: "Manchester lost their early two-goal lead."
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It's common, but bear in mind it's not universal, for example I would say 'its' for something like a bank, especially as it's more like an impersonal machine.
If you want to be safe, I don't think harm would come from using 'its' rather than 'their' in most (probably all) cases.
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