[Misc] Question for fellow grammar pedants out there.

[Albion my Albion]

You should talk to the real grammar pendant.

 

[GT49er]

Oddly enough, football clubs are one of the few anomalies to the standard was/were rule.

Even though a club is singular, and should therefore be 'was', that usage never applies.

You'd never say "Brighton was in the cup final in 1983", you'd say "Brighton were in the cup final…".

But outside football, the opposite still applies. "Microsoft was started by Bill Gates", rather than "Microsoft were started by Bill Gates…"

(Not an answer to the original question, just thought I'd go off on a related tangent…)

Not just football. Team sports generally - presumably on the grounds that there are a number of players in the team, so that in terms of I; you; he/she/it; we; you (plural) and they, they come in the 'they' (or maybe for the fans the 'we') category - i.e. Sussex [they;we] weren't able to bat out the whole day; Red Bull were outpaced by Ferrari and Mercedes.
Individual sports are different - i.e. Vettel was in the grand prix until his engine conked out, Ian Botham was a good cricketer, etc, etc.

It is a bit of an anomaly though.

 

[Harry Wilson's tackle]

Past tense

I was
You were
He, she, it was
We were
You were
They were.

We were shown how to conjugate a verb in Latin. In English, we were shown nothing. That was HGSB in the 70s.

Sum, es, est, summus, estis, sunt.

FFS.

 

[Wrong-Direction]

But I was there ?

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[Bakero]

But I was there ?

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Was you?

 

[Wrong-Direction]

Was you?

I were, weren't I? You wasn't

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[DavidinSouthampton]

Just watched a tv programme where the questioner asked someone “and you was there?”.

That grated because I instinctively think the correct phrase should have been “you were there”.

However, I now suspect I am wrong if the question is addressed to just one person as in; I was, you was, he was, we were, you were, they were.

Advice please, really petty I know but it is bugging me.

You have nothing to worry about........ you was right. He were wrong

 

[DavidinSouthampton]

We were shown how to conjugate a verb in Latin. In English, we were shown nothing. That was HGSB in the 70s.

Sum, es, est, summus, estis, sunt.

FFS.

There's only one m in sumus!

Latin Pedantry rules ok!
Latin A-level . Worthing High School 1971!

 

[Deleted member 2719]

'Lord' Sugar says that all the time... Makes my shit itch. For a clearly intelligent man he speaks like a half-wit.

It's "you were there" if it's in the past tense referring to someone else.

Referring to yourself you'd say "I was there"

"You was there" is wrong....

How on earth can you call Lord sugar a half-wit?

Grammar is not an indicator of intelligence at all.

 

[dazzer6666]

I like these peculiarities. But you would say "Brighton was the last team to....", wouldn't you? "Brighton were the last team to..." isn't correct. It's the whole collective noun thing isn't it.

Edit:Though, rereading it, both work. Don't they?

Referring to the team - they - were ?
Referring to the club - it - was ?

So is the statement referring to the team or the club ?

I dunno..........

 

[Bodian]

Oddly enough, football clubs are one of the few anomalies to the standard was/were rule.

Even though a club is singular, and should therefore be 'was', that usage never applies.

You'd never say "Brighton was in the cup final in 1983", you'd say "Brighton were in the cup final…".

But outside football, the opposite still applies. "Microsoft was started by Bill Gates", rather than "Microsoft were started by Bill Gates…"

(Not an answer to the original question, just thought I'd go off on a related tangent…)

My wife always asks 'who is Brighton playing?'. Which just sounds really odd every time I hear it - even though technically correct.

 

[Harry Wilson's tackle]

There's only one m in sumus!

Latin Pedantry rules ok!
Latin A-level . Worthing High School 1971!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0lczHvB3Y9s

 

[DavidinSouthampton]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0lczHvB3Y9s

Thanks for that. I'd forgotten it. Must watch the film again.

 

[Harry Wilson's tackle]

Referring to the team - they - were ?
Referring to the club - it - was ?

So is the statement referring to the team or the club ?

I dunno..........

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wguF9N0x9do

 

[dejavuatbtn]

We were shown how to conjugate a verb in Latin. In English, we were shown nothing. That was HGSB in the 70s.

Sum, es, est, summus, estis, sunt.

FFS.

Ah, those halcyon days of Ross clinging to the radiator, eyes closed, reciting “amo, amas, amat ..... .............”

 

[Harry Wilson's tackle]

Was, not was, eh?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vgiDcJi534Y&list=PLNfFAirZhEPt7DBkmcQfte4pFndZVmokl

 

[Harry Wilson's tackle]

Ah, those halcyon days of Ross clinging to the radiator, eyes closed, reciting “amo, amas, amat ..... .............”

Mr Ross, to you sonny.

To be fair, the best teacher I ever had. 'I'm not here to teach you facts, I'm here to teach you how to think'.

OK, y'*******, I was there 69-76. If you were in my class, and are not [MENTION=37530]monty uk[/MENTION] in disguise . . . .

 

[Knocky's Nose]

How on earth can you call Lord sugar a half-wit?

Grammar is not an indicator of intelligence at all.

To quote myself... 'Lord' Sugar.... For a clearly intelligent man he speaks like a half-wit.

Reading the post properly is an indicator of intelligence, unless you were taking the mick.. (in which case, my apologies)

 

[Thunder Bolt]

We were shown how to conjugate a verb in Latin. In English, we were shown nothing. That was HGSB in the 70s.

Sum, es, est, summus, estis, sunt.

FFS.

Amo
Amas
Amat
Amamus
Amatis
Amant

I gave up Latin after one year to do German, HGSG in the 60s.

 

[clif26]

A student said to me 'I wish I was dead.'
I replied 'That's a terrible thing to say. It's I wish I were dead.'