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Re: Soccer terms and lack of subject-verb agreement are the worst that I notice. Stephen Send a noteboard - 24/10/2012 08:22:37 AM
I've noticed more and more of my fellow soccer loving americans calling soccer cleats "boots" and soccer uniforms "kits". They also call the field "the pitch", and fast players have "pace", etc... These are all fine terms... in Britain. Perhaps this wouldn't bother me so much if the people that I notice doing it were not people who, prior to following the EPL (which I love), used the typical American terms for these things.

But none of the above is as grating as hearing Americans copy the brittish penchant for botching subject-verb agreement: "Germany are strong", "San Franciso win the pennant". Germany and San Francisco are singular nouns and the verbs in the above phrases should be conjugated accordingly, at least in the U.S. of A.


But Germany and SF are collectives in this instance and thus can be conjugated as a plural noun. It's the same as with sheep. "The sheep is an animal" and "The sheep are raised on a farm". It's perfectly logically sound.
I understand that our language comes from britain and in some sense "English" is, by definition, whatever the English speak. But we paid a heavy price to win our freedom to say things like cleats, field, uniforms, and to properly conjugate verbs according to their subjects.
"I mean, if everyone had a soul, there would be no contrast by which we could appreciate it. For giving us this perspective, we thank you." - Nate
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Do us Yanks use too many British terms? - 24/10/2012 03:28:53 AM 779 Views
I use "bloody" because I've read WoT for years. - 24/10/2012 04:41:31 AM 555 Views
Gorram Ahm'Merkins *NM* - 26/10/2012 06:56:17 PM 237 Views
Soccer terms and lack of subject-verb agreement are the worst that I notice. - 24/10/2012 05:25:18 AM 611 Views
It' called football. You silly americans and your handegg! *NM* - 24/10/2012 07:32:47 AM 306 Views
There is no disputing that our use of the word football is total nonsense *NM* - 24/10/2012 07:48:46 AM 267 Views
I may be wrong, but I believe it's called a football because it's 12-inches long. - 25/10/2012 07:15:28 PM 610 Views
Using a non-Metric system of measurement is total nonsense. - 25/10/2012 07:51:27 PM 525 Views
How can you say that?! - 25/10/2012 08:40:20 PM 584 Views
I'm an evil European. - 26/10/2012 04:20:57 PM 603 Views
Re: Soccer terms and lack of subject-verb agreement are the worst that I notice. - 24/10/2012 08:22:37 AM 519 Views
Bad example. Sheep is both a singular and plural noun. *NM* - 24/10/2012 02:47:34 PM 223 Views
That may be the problem. - 27/10/2012 12:00:49 AM 519 Views
ever since I was a kid, it was a soccer pitch - 25/10/2012 06:17:38 PM 520 Views
You all need to include some Irish-isms into your daily speech. - 24/10/2012 08:26:30 AM 603 Views
One British term I agree is horrid when said by Americans - 25/10/2012 06:20:54 PM 582 Views
I think it's a minor issue for anyone to get rile3d about... - 26/10/2012 01:10:25 AM 572 Views
Affectation almost inherently reflects trying too hard, and imitation is unoriginal. - 27/10/2012 12:10:52 AM 537 Views
Re: Affectation almost inherently reflects trying too hard, and imitation is unoriginal. - 27/10/2012 04:24:26 AM 614 Views
Try "apt." - 27/10/2012 04:13:18 PM 533 Views
always hated the letters "pt" together in that order - 28/10/2012 04:44:29 AM 504 Views
Can't happen fast enough. - 29/10/2012 09:07:34 PM 531 Views
I picked up a lot of Britishisms from Ian Anderson - 05/11/2012 05:00:50 PM 661 Views

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