Language police, please help with travel talk
 

Over on the Airlines forum, I frequently see what I think is incorrect use of the plural form of verbs. I wonder if you could point me to an authoritative explanation of which is correct.

A simple example of what I think is incorrect: "United Airlines fly planes".

As though &quot;United Airlines&quot; is plural. But, United Airlines, United, is an &quot;it&quot;. &quot;It flies planes&quot;. The employes of United Airlines: <i>they</i> fly planes.

The team wins. The players win.

I see a couple of examples that support my belief at www.boeing.com: &quot;Boeing reports ...&quot; and &quot;Boeing closes ...&quot;.

What set me off to post this message was the following, which I think is goofy:
&quot;Skytrax operate the Star Rating system ...&quot;
found at:
http://www.airlinequality.com/StarRanking/ranking.htm

Where I was trying to find out why LH is 4*, the same as NH, when NH is far superior, but that is a different subject.

Now, don't you feel better now that you got that off your chest. ((a))

I believe you are absolutely, gramatically correct!!! ((b))

Yes, I do feel better!, esp. with the quick and positve response.

Are you sure the posters aren;t British - with that sort of plural/singular thing that they use (they do it deliberately - it's not an error there).

Just to echo nytraveler:

In Britain, corporate names and other collective nouns are treated as being plural, whereas in the US they're treated as singular. Logically, they're kind of a hybrid, so neither way is intrinsically more rational.

You said &quot;The team wins.&quot; That's true in Britain, too. But Manchester United win.

Maybe it might be a Brit thing, but I don't think so, especially when saying the same thing three ways might come out as:
NH flies planes.
ANA flies planes.
All Nippon Airways fly planes.
You could see all of those in the same thread.

Team names are a bit different, I guess. You would say: &quot;The New York Muts lost&quot; is like saying the players lost. &quot;The New York Yankees is moving to Chattenooga&quot; would be correct, though you'd say the &quot;Yankees franchise is moving&quot;.

Oo, there is some fun to be had on that Oregon thread.

OK mrwunrfl, let 'er rip. We in the NW eagerly await your critique of our English....Just remember, though, our English is influenced by many, including the Native Americans of the Pacific Northwest, French trappers, the Chinese who built the railroads, and those early English settlers who have yet to learn that still don't know that corporate names are singular!

Oops! That grammatical error in the last sentence was due to lack of self-editing and not the influence of some unnamed immigrant group.

How about the common Fodors spellings: Niagra, San Fransisco - or just Frisco, capital vs capitol, carribbean, etc.

Re sports teams, the 70-80 times a year it happens it's announced different ways that the &quot;NY Mets&quot; win, but &quot;NY&quot; wins. Listen to ESPN sports center sometime &amp; you'll hear it both ways - city + team are plural, city is cingular.

I thinks what if you can understood what the people is trying to say then things is good enough.

It's not like anyone is referring to their Strunk &amp; White while posting. After all, this is a travel forum, not a literary discussion group.

Me thinks mrwunrfl needs a vacation?
:B

Thought I'd add a spelling lesson-it's employeEs not employes. :0)

Yes Bounty, and may I add:

One of the worst (not *worse*) abuses is the incorrect usage of *too* or *to*.

Another frequent mistake is made between the words there, they're and their.

For example:
&quot;Too (not *to*) often, 'there' are too (not *to*) many people unaware 'they're' using words incorrectly, and 'their' oblivious awareness makes reading difficult&quot;.

:D

You're right , Audra, but you get accustomed to these errors in this day and age. I just thought one point might be made since this was a grammar lesson-or so it was thought, lol!

omg, it was a typo! Anyway this is about grammar, not spelling.
Just 15 more days till vacation in Japan.