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Hyperborea 
Forum Senior Member
Joined: March 06 2007
Status: Offline
Points: 234
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 Topic: Are, or Is?
Posted: August 23 2007 at 20:44 |
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Are is plural, is is single.....how simple can it be.
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Shakespeare
Forum Senior Member
Joined: July 18 2006
Status: Offline
Points: 7744
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Posted: August 23 2007 at 20:27 |
 The Doctor wrote:
purplepiper wrote:
you must use 'is'. The band is referred to as a single entity, a single noun. Although the band consists of several members, there is only one band being refered to. I'm pretty sure that it is grammatically incorrect to use 'are'. I cannot confirm this, but I am an English major. Hopefully, I know what i'm talking about... |
I would agree with you, and almost wrote the same thing, but then, what about a band like The Beatles. Surely you would not say "The Beatles is..." |
I will saying "The beatles is" all a times.
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The Doctor
Special Collaborator
Honorary Collaborator
Joined: June 23 2005
Location: The Tardis
Status: Offline
Points: 8543
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Posted: August 20 2007 at 23:31 |
purplepiper wrote:
you must use 'is'. The band is referred to as a single entity, a single noun. Although the band consists of several members, there is only one band being refered to. I'm pretty sure that it is grammatically incorrect to use 'are'. I cannot confirm this, but I am an English major. Hopefully, I know what i'm talking about... |
I would agree with you, and almost wrote the same thing, but then, what about a band like The Beatles. Surely you would not say "The Beatles is..."
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I can understand your anger at me, but what did the horse I rode in on ever do to you?
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purplepiper
Forum Senior Member
Joined: October 23 2006
Location: United States
Status: Offline
Points: 280
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Posted: August 20 2007 at 23:28 |
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you must use 'is'. The band is referred to as a single entity, a single noun. Although the band consists of several members, there is only one band being refered to. I'm pretty sure that it is grammatically incorrect to use 'are'. I cannot confirm this, but I am an English major. Hopefully, I know what i'm talking about...
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for those about to prog, we salute you.
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cookieacquired
Forum Senior Member
Joined: January 23 2007
Location: United States
Status: Offline
Points: 911
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Posted: August 20 2007 at 17:24 |
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I say is but I think both are correct
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Jim Garten
Special Collaborator
Retired Admin & Razor Guru
Joined: February 02 2004
Location: South England
Status: Offline
Points: 14693
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Posted: August 16 2007 at 03:51 |
I just did, didn't I? 
Sorry.
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Jon Lord 1941 - 2012
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Jim Garten
Special Collaborator
Retired Admin & Razor Guru
Joined: February 02 2004
Location: South England
Status: Offline
Points: 14693
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Posted: August 16 2007 at 03:51 |
I'd make similar comments about James LaBrie's live vocal style too... eg:
Individual members of Dream Theater are great musicians
Dream Theater is a fairly good band
James LaBrie is under the mistaken impression his live vocals don't sound like a small puppy being castrated with a rusty razor whilst being hit repeatedly over the head with a large bratwurst.
That is, I would make such comments, but wouldn't dream of doing so on a public forum 
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Jon Lord 1941 - 2012
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VanderGraafKommandöh
Prog Reviewer
Joined: July 04 2005
Location: Malaria
Status: Offline
Points: 89372
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Posted: August 15 2007 at 12:43 |
It had to be said. 
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Jim Garten
Special Collaborator
Retired Admin & Razor Guru
Joined: February 02 2004
Location: South England
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Posted: August 15 2007 at 12:38 |
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Jon Lord 1941 - 2012
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VanderGraafKommandöh
Prog Reviewer
Joined: July 04 2005
Location: Malaria
Status: Offline
Points: 89372
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Posted: August 15 2007 at 12:35 |
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An excerpt of page 97:
ker.
Edited by Geck0 - August 15 2007 at 12:43
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Jim Garten
Special Collaborator
Retired Admin & Razor Guru
Joined: February 02 2004
Location: South England
Status: Offline
Points: 14693
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Posted: August 15 2007 at 12:32 |
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True - depends on the context:
The members of Genesis are great musicians
Genesis is a great band
Phil Collins is a short fat baldy wan
(cont p97)
Edited by Jim Garten - August 15 2007 at 12:33
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Jon Lord 1941 - 2012
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VanderGraafKommandöh
Prog Reviewer
Joined: July 04 2005
Location: Malaria
Status: Offline
Points: 89372
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Posted: August 15 2007 at 12:20 |
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Yep, that's how I use it as well, Philéas.
As you say, if "band" is mentioned, I would say "King Crimson is a great band", but without the "band" part, it would be "King Crimson are great".
A band is usually a group of people, so "is", is referring to a singular band, in this case, named "King Crimson".
However, "are" is used in the latter sentence, because it is not clear whether we are referring to a band, or an individual. So I would write "are", rather than "is", to clearly show I am referring to a band (a group of individuals, so several "is's"), rather than a single artist named "King Crimson".
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Philéas
Forum Senior Member
Joined: June 14 2006
Status: Offline
Points: 6419
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Posted: August 14 2007 at 22:52 |
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I'd say "Genesis is a great band" but "Genesis are making great music". If the word band is in there somewhere, I tend to use "is", I think. It depends...
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Ely78
Forum Senior Member
Joined: July 20 2007
Location: Italy
Status: Offline
Points: 169
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Posted: August 14 2007 at 10:11 |
In Italian is "Is" because band or group is only singular.
But I prefer the variant that in English group or band is a group of person. For these reason I use are. I don't speak only for me because Mandrakeroot is in my line of thinking.
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When the love becomes poetry, distant from the eyes
(Quando l'Amore Diventa poesia/ Lontano Dagli occhi [Aphrodite's Child)
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1800iareyay
Prog Reviewer
Joined: November 18 2006
Location: United States
Status: Offline
Points: 2492
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Posted: August 14 2007 at 10:05 |
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Are is grammatically correct, even though it sounds bizarre. I still use is because people look at you funny when you say are
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Shakespeare
Forum Senior Member
Joined: July 18 2006
Status: Offline
Points: 7744
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Posted: August 14 2007 at 10:01 |
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The bio in the booklet/poster of the Ultimate Yes: 35th Anniversary Collection begins with the line: "Yes are one of the finest bands to emerge from the golden age of rock."
That sounds a bit strange to me.
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Shakespeare
Forum Senior Member
Joined: July 18 2006
Status: Offline
Points: 7744
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Posted: August 14 2007 at 09:56 |
Sean Trane wrote:
Geck0 wrote:
I always say "are" myself.
When referring to an individual artist, I refer to them as an "is".
A band consists of members, so therefore a band consists of "is's", so therefore a band is referred as an "are".
Actually, both can be used.
VdGG is a great band.
VdGG are great.
Both are correct.
Because I mention the world "band", I can say "is a", rather than "are a".
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I use Word to write my reviews and use the English (UK) dictionary for correction, and it always gives a green underline below are and propopse is. I prefer "are" even if the name of theband propses it as a single unit (threfore "is"), but I can't help but feeling of a group as a collection of individuals which cannot be reduced as a single unit >> therefore I use "are" |
It underlines it because it recognized the word "Genesis" as a singular noun (which it is), but not as a group of five people. Just throwing that out there....
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Dean
Special Collaborator
Retired Admin and Amateur Layabout
Joined: May 13 2007
Location: Europe
Status: Offline
Points: 37575
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Posted: August 14 2007 at 06:52 |
I try and stick to "are" for a band, group or collective and "is for an individual but occasionally lapse if I'm in a hurry and not thinking - as others have pointed out some times it just sounds wrong, but that does not make it wrong.
Band names that are singlular out of context, like Queen, are still a collective and should be plural - "Queen is Freddie Mercury, Brian May, Roger Taylor and John Deacon" sounds even more wrong because it is wrong, whereas "The Queen is Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Windsor" is correct.
Vompatti inadvertantly suggested the test - if you can substitute the name for "it" or "he" or "she" then use "is", but if "they" is the only suitable replacement then it has to be "are" - there are no exceptions - if you substitute "he" for "Mr Bungle" and still think that 'is' is appropriate then it suggests to the reader that you do not know who "they" "are"
Edited by darqdean - August 14 2007 at 06:54
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What?
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Sean Trane
Special Collaborator
Prog Folk
Joined: April 29 2004
Location: Heart of Europe
Status: Offline
Points: 20656
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Posted: August 14 2007 at 05:10 |
Geck0 wrote:
I always say "are" myself.
When referring to an individual artist, I refer to them as an "is".
A band consists of members, so therefore a band consists of "is's", so therefore a band is referred as an "are".
Actually, both can be used.
VdGG is a great band.
VdGG are great.
Both are correct.
Because I mention the world "band", I can say "is a", rather than "are a".
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I use Word to write my reviews and use the English (UK) dictionary for correction, and it always gives a green underline below are and propopse is. I prefer "are" even if the name of theband propses it as a single unit (threfore "is"), but I can't help but feeling of a group as a collection of individuals which cannot be reduced as a single unit >> therefore I use "are"
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let's just stay above the moral melee
prefer the sink to the gutter
keep our sand-castle virtues
content to be a doer
as well as a thinker,
prefer lifting our pen
rather than un-sheath our sword
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laplace
Prog Reviewer
Joined: October 06 2005
Location: popupControl();
Status: Offline
Points: 7606
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Posted: August 14 2007 at 04:00 |
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Mr. Bungle am a great band.
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Are, or Is?
