Noun-verb agreement debate
Posted By Amanda Collins on June 23, 2009
Yesterday I started a fan page on Facebook. My overview on there is similar to the overview on this Web site: “The Grammar Doctors provides strategic marketing copywriting and copyediting to differentiate clients through well-chosen words.” After posting it up, both @failtracker and @mousetrap pointed out the noun and verb don’t agree (okay, they said number agreement, so maybe that’s saying something in itself). I heartily disagree.
Think about grocery stores, which are typically named after the founder’s last name and are almost always plural: Wegmans, Tops, Albertsons, and Walgreens come to mind. When I say there’s a special to be had at Wegmans, I say, “Wegmans has a great deal on bananas!” I would never say, “Wegmans have a great deal on bananas.” That’s just silly. Well, The Grammar Doctors is the name of this company, and while it is comprised of multiple people, the company is just one entity, meaning the title is singular.
So, to those who choose to disagree, please remember that I started the company because of my close attention to detail. I’m not saying I don’t make mistakes (I’ve made some doozies!), but on this one, I beg to differ with the “number agreement” comment.