令人困惑的英美语法之辩

第一次来到伦敦的时候，我在皮卡迪利转盘地铁站的墙上看到一句涂鸦“Manchester United rule OK”，我立刻想到，这里的语法错了。但在英国居住了几十年后，我改变了想法。

测试中可能遇到的词汇和知识：

residence['rezɪdəns] 住处, 居住

graffiti[ɡrə'fiːti] 涂鸦

collective[kə'lektɪv] 集体的,共同的

denote[dɪ'nəʊt] 象征,表示

veer[vɪə(r)] 转向, 转变

transcript['trænskrɪpt] 抄本;副本

Which is right: Manchester United rule — or rules?（723 words）

By Michael Skapinker

On my first visit to London 40 years ago, I saw the sentence “Manchester United rule OK” scrawled on a wall of Piccadilly Circus underground station.

You do not even know your own country's language, I silently told the signwriter. It is Manchester United rules — not rule.

After decades of UK residence, I now know that people in Britain often use a plural verb with a singular noun, as that graffiti writer did.

It is English speakers from elsewhere, and particularly the US, who think single nouns with plural verbs — “the government have decided”, for example — are ungrammatical.

These differences in the English-speaking world came up a few weeks ago when I wrote a column about the passive voice and used the sentence “Brazil were beaten by France”. Objecting to my use of Brazil as a plural, one reader commented: “I think we need another grammar lesson here.”

So this is what the grammar books say about collective nouns such as army, cabinet, group or jury, and the verbs that follow them. Fowler's Dictionary of Modern English Usage says that a collective noun — “a noun that is normally singular in form and denotes a collection or a number of individuals” — can, in British English, be followed by either a plural or singular verb.

The jury, in British English, can retire to consider either its or their verdict.

“By contrast, in American English the choice is much more restricted,” Fowler's says. After a collective noun, the verb is usually singular.

That is not always the case. A 2011 Oxford Dictionaries blog pointed out that Americans sometimes use a plural verb after a collective noun if they want to emphasise the individuals rather than the group: “The New York audience were their usual reserved selves.”

But generally, the difference holds. The UK accepts either singular or plural verbs after collective nouns; the US usually insists on the singular.

Australian and New Zealand English are usually somewhere in between. I have not found any studies on South As to veer more towards the American practice than the British when it comes to singular and plural verbs.

But British practice seems to be changing. Marianne Hufrican English, the variety that I arrived in the UK with all those years ago, but it seemndt, professor of English linguistics at Zurich university, cites a study of British MPs that found 67 per cent used the singular “the government continues to drag its feet” rather than the plural “the government continue to drag their feet” when speaking in the House of Commons, although Hansard — the official transcripts of proceedings — insisted on recording their words using plural verbs.

The MPs' speeches seem to show that here, as elsewhere, British English is following American fashion.

Other studies doubt this. They say British practice has been changing all on its own. One study cited by Prof Hundt showed the use of singular verbs had been increasing in the UK since the 1930s, when the influence of American media and global mobility were not nearly as important as they are today.

And British and American practices have not always been that different. Studies of 18th and 19th century texts show singular verbs being used in both Britain and America. The more prevalent use of plural verbs is a relatively recent phenomenon in the UK, Prof Hundt says.

But although UK practice seems to be moving towards the American style, there is one area where the divide still appears to hold: sport.

A search of the news databases shows that when Brazil's football team suffers a defeat, as it did against England last week in the under-17 World Cup, British newspapers almost invariably say “Brazil were beaten” while American ones say “Brazil was beaten”.

Similarly, entering “Manchester United was” into the database brings up a slew of US news outlets, while “Manchester United were” yields a host of British ones.

But for those who are not sport reporters, the lesson appears clear. If you are writing a business missive for an international audience, it is probably best to stick to singular verbs after collective nouns.

It is what Americans, and the millions of English learners worldwide who are influenced by US English, expect. And because, apart from sport, the Brits use both, no one in the UK will be offended by your use of a singular verb after a collective noun.

请根据你所读到的文章内容，完成以下自测题目：

1.Which of the following statements is true according to the article?

A.The author is an American who has lived in London for 40 years.

B.People in Britain often use a plural verb with a singular noun.

C.People in the US think collective nouns with plural verbs are ungrammatical.

D.People in South Africa often use plural verbs after collective nouns.

答案(1)

2.Dictionary of Modern English Usage says that ____.

A.In British English, the verb following a collective noun is usually singular.

B.British English is quite flexible in verbs than other English-speaking countries.

C.People in the UK accept either singular or plural verbs after collective nouns.

D.American English tend to be more restricted in grammar than British English.

答案(2)

3.The study of British MPs' speeches shows ____.

A.British English seems to veer towards the American fashion.

B.Collective nouns can be followed by either plural or singular verbs.

C.British officials insist on recording their words using plural verbs.

D.The prevalent use of plural verbs is a recent phenomenon in the UK.

答案(3)

4.Which of the following sentences is less likely to be seen in the UK?

A. “Manchester United rule OK.”

B.“Brazil was beaten by France”.

C.“The government continues to drag its feet.”

D. “Brazil's football team suffers a defeat”.

答案(4)

* * *

(1)答案：B.People in Britain often use a plural verb with a singular noun.

解释：在英国住了几十年后，现在我知道了英国人经常会在单数名词后面接动词复数形式。

(2)答案：C.People in the UK accept either singular or plural verbs after collective nouns.

解释：福勒在《现代英语用法词典》中写道，在英式英语中，一个集体名词后面可以接动词的单数或复数形式。

(3)答案：A.British English seems to veer towards the American fashion.

解释：关于议员发言的研究似乎证明了英式英语正在跟随美式英语的潮流。

(4)答案：D.“Brazil's football team suffers a defeat”.

解释：尽管英国人在实际运用中像美国人靠拢，但两国的分野在体育领域依然十分明确。当巴西足球队遭遇失利时，英国媒体几乎全部用了“Brazil were beaten”的说法，但美国媒体则说“Brazil was beaten”。