Collective Nouns

Group nouns can take singular or plural verbs.

Examples

• The team is/are winning.

Key rules

• Words like team, family, committee, government can take singular or plural verbs
• British English often uses plural when members act separately
• Use singular for a single unit
• Pronouns should match: it or they

Common mistakes

• The team have won its match → The team has won its match
• The police is here → The police are here