Has or Have

[basil]

Our very capable and precise Company Secretary (she is a MENSA member) and I disagree about the correct word in the under mentioned sentence. Please resolve our difference ASAP. The loser has undertaken to go out into the garden and eat worms! :confused:

"Notably, throughout Ireland's turbulent history, this family HAS or HAVE never been absentee landlords and they still provide diverse employment for a number of local people".

[DanielScocco]

"Throughout Ireland's turbulent history, this family HAS not been
absentee landlords and IT still provideS diverse employment for a number of
local people".

Family is a singular noun, so it "has." Notice that the "they" also needs to be changed to "it", and "provide" to "provides."

[Maeve]

[QUOTE=DanielScocco;1016]"Throughout Ireland's turbulent history, this family HAS not been
absentee landlords and IT still provideS diverse employment for a number of
local people".


Family is one of those words like team, jury and committee that have singular and plural forms (teams, juries, committees) but whose singular form can be used as a collective with a plural verb if the members of the group are thought of as being separate.

The quoted example, however, still needs rewriting.

"this family have not been absentee landlords" could be acceptable as the thought is of several generations of the family.

However, "this family still provides diverse employment" (talking about the present generation) seems to call for the singular sense.

[basil]

Thanks to Daniel and Maeve for their assistance.

If you'd care to contact me I'd be happy to send you the visitor's handout leaflet that I composed when I came to work for Lord Waterford ± 10 years ago.

The problem was eventually solved by my changing was was really an awkward sentence and using 'were never' instead of either, 'has or have never'.

For someone (between 60 and death) who grew up in an Afrikaans home, I sometime still have problems with the correct usage of English grammar.

Kindest regards,

Basil Croeser.

basilc@eircom.net

[DanielScocco]

I see, thanks for the correction Maeve.

[rdwriter]

The correct use is "has".