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OP I know in modern Britspeak one would say, e.g., "the government have ordered..." as opposed to the USn "the government has ordered...", but I was recently listening to Ewan MacColl, who was a card carrying Britspeaker, singing the Scottish version of the song The Banks o' the Nile. He sang the line: The government has ordered, the King he doth command....
My question: How old is the Brit construing of such words as government or company as plural, or is the USn (and The Banks o' the Nile) version the later, in which case when did it happen?
Entire Thread Subject Posted By Posted The Government has/have Faldage 09/20/02 03:50 PM Re: The Government has/have FishonaBike 09/20/02 04:04 PM Re: The Government has/have Faldage 09/20/02 04:14 PM Re: The Government has/have Capital Kiwi 09/20/02 07:08 PM Re: The Government has/have Faldage 09/20/02 08:10 PM Re: The Government has/have Capital Kiwi 09/20/02 09:19 PM My point is Faldage 09/20/02 10:15 PM Re: My point is Capital Kiwi 09/21/02 06:52 AM Re: The Government has/have Jackie 09/23/02 02:22 PM Re: The Team has/have Faldage 09/23/02 02:53 PM Re: The family has/have FishonaBike 09/24/02 08:35 PM Re: The family has/have Jackie 09/27/02 04:51 PM
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