jjjdolfan  +  88951 Mon, 11 Apr 05 05:10 PM I have a question on the use of "have" vs "has" in a sentence. In the sentecne below have appears on the first line "have honored the memory..." Should that be "has" honored the memory..? Since 1985, the Northeast Kitchen & Bath Association have honored the memory of John J. "Jay" Edward's love and devotion to the Kitchen & Bath industry by rewarding students who selflessly perform acts of service for the good of others. jjjdolfan Joined on Mon, Apr 11 2005 New Member 03

	abbie1948  +  88986 Mon, 11 Apr 05 06:36 PM Hi jjj I would agree with you; Association is singular, therefore the verb should be 'has'. However, there is a difference of opinion, and some people say that 'association' implies a plurality of people, and they use "have". abbie1948 Joined on Thu, Mar 24 2005 England Senior Member 2,657 Hope that helps. Abbie Verbs

	hbae787  +  89054 Mon, 11 Apr 05 11:23 PM "Association" belongs to the category of collective nouns. Collective nouns have a dual status: both plural and singular depending on situation. If every single member of the group behaves or acts the same thing or the same way or as ONE SINGLE unit, the collective noun is considered singular. But if the members do different things then it must be plural. ex. 1a. The jury agrees that the state prosecutors did not provide enough evidence, so its verdict is not guilty. (The jury acts in unison => singular) 2a. The baseball team follows its coach to a faraway field to practice. but 1b. The jury seem not to believe the key witness therefore they dismiss any negative notion about the defendant's past. 2b. The basketball team play badly today. Therefore, the verb "have" in the given sentence should be changed to "has" because the Association acts as one single unit. "Since 1985, the Northeast Kitchen & Bath Association has honored the memory of John J. "Jay" Edward's love and devotion to the Kitchen & Bath industry by rewarding students who selflessly perform acts of service for the good of others. " hbae787 Joined on Thu, Oct 28 2004 Houston Junior Member 87 Verbs, Plurals, Nouns, Negatives

	Believer  +  244502 Tue, 11 Jul 06 06:53 AM Thank you. Is it safe to say that all collective nouns have a dual status and must be considered singular if acting as A UNIT, and if individual members do different things, then it must be plural?   Did I form the question correctly? Should it be written differently? Is punctuation correct?   Believer Joined on Mon, Jan 2 2006 Contributing Member 1,969 Plurals, Nouns, Punctuation

	Marius Hancu  +  244571 Tue, 11 Jul 06 12:24 PM  Believer wrote: Did I form the question correctly? Should it be written differently? Is punctuation correct?   I'd suggest identical/parallel constructions for the two alternatives: Is it safe to say that all collective nouns have a dual status and must be considered singular if acting as A UNIT, and plural if the individual members do/perform different things? Marius Hancu Joined on Wed, Apr 26 2006 Veteran Member 11,673 Plurals, Constructions, Nouns, Punctuation