Collective Confusion

   When in doubt, leave it out.

   If you have to ask, the answer is no.

   Question: Which is correct for a collective noun, a singular or a plural verb?
   Answer: Rewrite the sentence.

   Many an hour has been wasted in pointless debate over superfine points of grammar, especially between those who insist that collective nouns always take a singular verb, a result of what they maintain is an absolute and irrevocable rule that was drummed into them in an American elementary school.
   Never mind that the Brits, who developed the language, use either singular or plural verbs depending on the sense of the sentence, and whether members of the group are acting together as a team, or individually as a motley bunch.
   Consider: /A/ The crew is ready to set sail or /B/ (Members of) the crew are going ashore, and each is likely to get drunk. However, in British usage, especially in sports reports, the team gets a plural verb, as in Manchester United are going to win the championship.
   You want logic in language and grammar? Fuhgeddabowdit!
   As mothers have often said, if you have to ask, the answer is no.

   So the debate continues, as editors and writers argue over which is "correct," and readers stop in mid-sentence and try to puzzle out which is "better," until no one is able to finish reading the relevant passage.
   Point to remember: You write to convey information or a message. When readers are distracted by wondering or debating which usage is grammatically "correct," your message is lost in the confusion.
   The goal of writing is clarity, not confusion. If the reader is distracted because the verb choice "doesn't sound right" -- even though the elementary school grammarian insists it is -- you the writer have failed to reach your communication goal. Your message is buried.
   Or consider this, from an earlier ER posting: A first draft said, "The most important weapon the news media have ... " Or should it be "news media has"? Solution: Rephrase to "news reporters have..."