michael Posted June 8, 2007 Share Posted June 8, 2007 1. IBM is still working to solve the problem 2. IBM are still working to solve the problem Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whitesupraboy2 Posted June 8, 2007 Share Posted June 8, 2007 3. IBM have lied and no intention of working on your problem. If not 3 then number 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Posted June 8, 2007 Share Posted June 8, 2007 What's the fixation with Geese? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Class One Posted June 8, 2007 Share Posted June 8, 2007 Who cares? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michael Posted June 8, 2007 Author Share Posted June 8, 2007 What's the fixation with Geese? *runs* Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colsoop Posted June 8, 2007 Share Posted June 8, 2007 Wouldn't "resolve" be better ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Posted June 8, 2007 Share Posted June 8, 2007 IBM 'is' implies the company are 'as one' IBM 'are' implies they're made up of many people... Probably both right depending on how they 'position' themselves? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jim_supra Posted June 8, 2007 Share Posted June 8, 2007 Sorry I don't know. So I voted for the Chocolate mousse goose. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snooze Posted June 8, 2007 Share Posted June 8, 2007 A government, a party, a company (whether Tesco or Marks and Spencer) and a partnership (Skidmore, Owings & Merrill) are all it and take a singular verb. Soure: Economist Style Guide Online Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michael Posted June 8, 2007 Author Share Posted June 8, 2007 Basically the helpdesk of the company I'm on site at is sending a message out every 15 minutes to update the business on a fault, that's all it says each time and it's annoying me. We've had 32 of them so far. The subject of 'is' vs 'are' came up and we are divided, I thought I'd ask for more input Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Class One Posted June 8, 2007 Share Posted June 8, 2007 It's Friday, and you're bored. Don't worry about it and get into demob happy mode. That's the best thing about Fridays if you're a non shift worker. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete Posted June 8, 2007 Share Posted June 8, 2007 Either way be thankful they don't send you messages with spelling of "softwear" and "hardwear" like a Cisco rep did to me this week. I wasn't impressed and told them as such. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thorin Posted June 8, 2007 Share Posted June 8, 2007 "are" ...I like geese, although the ones my auntie and uncle had used to scare me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hogmaw Posted June 8, 2007 Share Posted June 8, 2007 IBM 'is' the name of a company. It, as a company, is in the IT business. So it IS working to solve the problem. Not 'are'!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michael Posted June 8, 2007 Author Share Posted June 8, 2007 But IBM employees are working to solve the problem not the company as a whole, I think it's this that's causing me the headaches. (like it really matters) IBM is the name of a company but in the context it's being used here it's IBM the team or IBM the outsourced collective of staff members. At the end of the day they aren't doing anything anyway so it's all a big lie. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michael Posted June 8, 2007 Author Share Posted June 8, 2007 Panic over - "A Task Force has been set up" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete Posted June 8, 2007 Share Posted June 8, 2007 There's only one IBM - so it can't be 'are'. It has to be said - you don't seem to be working so hard to solve the problem yourself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snooze Posted June 8, 2007 Share Posted June 8, 2007 Argh. It's definitely singular: "IS". I'll post the whole article this time if you like: COLLECTIVE NOUNS There is no firm rule about the number of a verb governed by a singular collective noun. It is best to go by the sense—that is, whether the collective noun stands for a single entity (The council was elected in March, The me generation has run its course, The staff is loyal) or for its constituents: (The council are at sixes and sevens, The preceding generation are all dead, The staff are at each other's throats). Do not, in any event, slavishly give all singular collective nouns singular verbs: The couple have a baby boy is preferable to The couple has a baby boy.Indeed, in general, treat both a pair and a couple as plural. A rule for majority. When it is used in an abstract sense, it takes the singular; when it is used to denote the elements making up the majority, it should be plural. A two-thirds majority is needed to amend the constitution but A majority of the Senate were opposed. A rule for number. The number is. . ., A number are. . . OTHER NOUNS A government, a party, a company (whether Tesco or Marks and Spencer) and a partnership (Skidmore, Owings & Merrill) are all it and take a singular verb. So does a country, even if its name looks plural. Thus The Philippines has a congressional system, as does the United States; the Netherlands does not. The United Nations is also singular. So are acoustics, ballistics, dynamics, economics, kinetics, mathematics, mechanics, physics, politics and statics when being used generally, without the definite article. Thus Economics is the dismal science, Politics is the art of the possible (Bismarck), Statics is a branch of physics. But such -ics words are plural when preceded by the, or the plus an adjective, or with a possessive. The politics of Afghanistan have a logic all their own, The dynamics of the dynasty were dynamite, The economics of publishing are uncertain. Antics , atmospherics, basics, graphics, histrionics, hysterics, tactics and statistics are all plural. Specifics are discouraged (try details). Demographics should be demography. Brokers are singular too. Legg Mason Wood Walk is preparing a statement. Avoid stockbrokers Furman Selz Mager, bankers Chase Manhattan or accountants Ernst & Young. And remember that Barclays is a British bank, not the British bank, just as Ford is a car company, not the car company, and Luciano Pavarotti is an opera singer, not the opera singer. If it seems absurd to describe someone or something thus—that is, with the indefinite article—you can probably dispense with the description altogether. Propaganda looks plural but is not. Billiards, bowls, darts and fives are also singular. Data and media are plural. So are whereabouts. Teams that take the name of a town, country or university are plural, even when they look singular: England were bowled out for 56. Law and order defies the rules of grammar and is singular. Prefer the singular when referring to chemical (not chemicals) companies, drug (not drugs) traffickers, pension (not pensions) systems and so on. But arms-trader and sales force. Remember that elections are not always plural. The opposition demanded an election is often preferable to The opposition demanded fresh elections. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michael Posted June 8, 2007 Author Share Posted June 8, 2007 I don't need to work hard, I have a new update "Task force enabled" I'm with the other company the client uses for their IT, we are just sat around being smug, all our stuff is working, theirs isn't Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michael Posted June 8, 2007 Author Share Posted June 8, 2007 Argh. It's definitely singular: "IS". I'll post the whole article this time if you like: I read it when you linked to it earlier, it hurt my eyes and brain. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garethr Posted June 8, 2007 Share Posted June 8, 2007 International Business MachineS. so surely it's plural Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pot Posted June 8, 2007 Share Posted June 8, 2007 I've never had a goose for Christmas, it's always been turkey, so I'm voting option 3 to try and raise Goose Awareness... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.