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Dima
the staff were
Today I've read this sentence "the staff were very helpful with information". I thought that uncountable nouns are always singular. Can anyone explain this?
Apr 16, 2014 9:45 AM
Answers · 4
1
Staff, like the police and people, function as "they". Staff is not an uncountable noun, but instead represents a plural.
April 16, 2014
1
Staff is not an uncountable noun. Its a collective noun. A collective noun can be grammatically plural if you are talking about individuals in that group.
The staff were arguing amongst themselves. (as individuals)
The jury was unanimous. (as a group)
April 16, 2014
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Dima
Language Skills
English, Polish, Russian
Learning Language
English, Polish
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