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Singular- Plural

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Singular- Plural

by venmic » Mon Aug 08, 2011 7:23 pm
The oneida / the french / the british

is this singular or plural


If it is plural then why is THE TRIBE considered singular

I think it is singular because it is preceded by THE

please explain could not find a good explanation for this one
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by Tani » Mon Aug 08, 2011 7:57 pm
The tribe refers to a political entity so it is singular. whereas "the French" or "the Oneida" refers to the people who fit that description. Therefore the tribe is singular and "the British" is plural. Another tricky bit of English! One way to check is to see if the term allows for a plural. In other words, we can say "the tribes are ...", but we can't say "the Britishes are..." Hope this helps.
Tani Wolff
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