Category Archives: A word on Grammar

A Word on Grammar:Collective nouns

A word on Grammar, , ,

Only last week I had to deal with this issue in class when one of my students asked me.
“Does the word “team” take a singular or a plural verb?” and my answer was: “Both”.

There are some singular words in British English that can take both singular or plural verbs and pronouns depending on what you want to say about them.

Singular forms are used when we see the “team” as one thing, as an impersonal unit.

The team is going to lose

Plural forms are used when the group is considered as a collection of people doing personal things like taking decisions, hoping or wanting .

The team are full of enthusiasm (referring to every member of the team)

Group nouns which can be used with both singular and plural are:
party   school    staff    team   government   jury  family
public     club     class     firm     the BBC    comittee

“police”, on the other hand, is normally used with a plural verb

The police were not able to find anything

A Word on Grammar: Cannot or can not?

A word on Grammar, ,

Many students ask me why the negative of “can” is “cannot ” but the negative of “could” is not “*couldnot”.
In British English, the single form “cannot” is used, while in American English, you can use both “cannot” and “can not”, though “cannot” is more common.
The contraction for both “cannot” and “can not” is “can’t”.
In summary, “cannot” is, by far, more usual and it’s the one I’d recommend you use. Having said that, there some cases when it’s necessary to use the form “can not”. When?

♥ When it’s used for emphasis.
No, you can not go out on New Year’s Eve. You’re only fourteen!

♥ When “not” is part of another construction as in, for example, the rather formal structure,” not only…. but (also)”
She can not only play the piano but also the violin

I hope to have answered your questions!