is/are?

[Jah Womble]

Don't start me talking about grammar and linguistics. I could talk all night.

The two lines make perfect sense, because we're looking at two different aspects of Oliver's army.

In the first, it's the institution of the army that's here to stay, in the second it's the soldiers of Oliver's army marching off.

It's a nice nuance that's not possible in many dialects or languages. For example in German, in addition to sports teams and armies and suchlike, die Polizei always takes a singular verb, so you would always say the police is looking into it.

"Data" is the one that does my head in. Loads of style guides insist that (partly because of Latin, I suppose) it's plural, but it just sounds so weird. For me, it's an uncountable thing like sand or salt. Or indeed pease.

Yeah, this.

[Aitch]

And that's the case with "United are playing" and Harlequins is pleased". One is eleven players and a ball the other is an organisation.

[Gerontophile]

Which is correct?

Manchester United are 8th in the league

Manchester United is 8th in the league

There is only one club so why do we use "are"?

Get back to"football".