proper nouns - Company names, use of "have" and "has"





Are collective nouns always plural, or are certain ones singular?



Should company names be followed by "has" or "have"? It depends on whether a company is treated as a singular proper-noun:



Samsung has gotten itself in a lot of trouble recently.



Or plural proper-noun:



Samsung have stated they don't imitate cooler products.



Are both acceptable?



Answer



A company is a collective entity. When referring to a company by name, it is the overall entity that is being referenced. It is treated as a single thing for the purpose of verb (and pronoun) agreement.


While there are other collectives that may, at times be treated as a plural to reflect the multiplicty of the participants in the activity or characteristic, even when a company is a conglomerate of many smaller companies, the name use is singular.



Time-Warner collects revenue from all of its subsidiaries.



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