Is vs. Are

hat and beard · 08.25.2007, 07:02 AM

Sonic Youth are really rad

or

Sonic Youth is really rad

Is it the singular because Sonic Youth is a single entity, or is it plural because Sonic Youth is made up of multiple members? These things keep me up at night.

Pookie · 08.25.2007, 07:09 AM

Are. But I wouldn't use the word rad ever.

sellouteater · 08.25.2007, 09:41 AM

is fo live motha

evollove · 08.25.2007, 10:57 AM

Pearl Jam is shitty.
The Beatles are legendary.
Talking Heads are really fun.
Sleater-Kinney was a good band.
The Cars were never very good.
Sonic Youth is ____
The Sonic Youths are ____

Sheriff Rhys Chatham · 08.25.2007, 01:29 PM

I'm an is fan.

Dead-Air · 08.25.2007, 01:34 PM

Well, since you are posting in the wrong forum, no need to point out how bad your grammar is.

Everyneurotic · 08.25.2007, 01:49 PM

is fucking rule, i'm doing a split with him.

sellouteater · 08.25.2007, 02:18 PM

techicly you only use "are" for plurls and "is" for singlar

Sonic youth is amzing.
Kim Gordon and Thurston Moore are amzing

Yr mom is sooo hot.
Oprah and her fans are stupid.

pbradley · 08.25.2007, 02:35 PM

I could care less either way. Sorry, hat and bread.

Dead-Air · 08.25.2007, 05:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bytor Peltor

Candy O is one hell of a song!

Consider the source. The Cars are infinitely better than Sleater Kinney.

evollove · 08.26.2007, 05:42 AM

youthoftomorrow · 08.26.2007, 01:47 PM

there was a thread about this on the old board.

i don't think a consensus was achieved.

PAULYBEE2656 · 08.26.2007, 02:24 PM

the sonic youth rad police....
rad! seriously, you could have said seminal.

rickoss · 08.26.2007, 03:56 PM

Are, definitely. Is just sounds stupid.

hat and beard · 08.26.2007, 08:55 PM

Just for the record: The word "rad" is not usually a part of my speaking vocabulary. It was the beer I tell you, it was the beeeer.

Seriously. It was the beer.

Interestingly, some buddies of mine recently discovered a hither to unknown universal law stating that a person can not be held accountable for any statements, actions, or contracts entered into after the consumption of 5 (or more) beers. Therefore I am free of guilt on all charges.

Back to the topic at hand... I think are sounds better, but is is not without its charm (in an "I'm so cute I can't speak right" sort of way).

Glice · 08.27.2007, 09:59 AM

Grammatically correct: is. Because Sonic Youth is a collective noun. As a collective noun, there is only one Sonic Youth entity, thus is. **Edit: now I think about it, I may be looking for a phrase other than collective noun. Liverpool is the best football club. A murder of crows is a worrying thing. No, I might be right. It's something to do with nouns anyway. **

However.

I never, ever abide by this. Because, to my personal epistemoloy/ sense of language, saying 'is' makes you sound like the sort of person who returns e-mails to people because they began a sentence with a proposition. And that sort of pedantry is antithetical to me. Also, saying are asserts that a band is made of individuals, and addresses them as such.

Crumb's Crunchy Delights · 08.27.2007, 10:07 AM

I agree with Glice. Although I'm not sure what he was saying.

He sounds very clever, for sure.

Glice · 08.27.2007, 10:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Crumb's Crunchy Delights

I agree with Glice. Although I'm not sure what he was saying.

He sounds very clever, for sure.

I agree with Crumb's Crunchy Delights. He agrees with me.

He sounds very perceptive, for sure.

Crumb's Crunchy Delights · 08.27.2007, 10:11 AM

Haha. Clever and funny.

schizophrenicroom · 08.27.2007, 07:36 PM

deerhoof ARE awesome
apple o' IS the best thing ever

08.25.2007, 07:02 AM	#1
hat and beard stalker Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan Posts: 457	Sonic Youth are really rad or Sonic Youth is really rad Is it the singular because Sonic Youth is a single entity, or is it plural because Sonic Youth is made up of multiple members? These things keep me up at night. __________________ 言わぬが花
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08.25.2007, 07:09 AM	#2
Pookie invito al cielo Join Date: Jun 2006 Posts: 9,877	Are. But I wouldn't use the word rad ever.
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08.25.2007, 09:41 AM	#3
sellouteater the end of the ugly Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: i am not going to tell you Posts: 962	is fo live motha __________________ S I T M F T J
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08.25.2007, 10:57 AM	#4
evollove invito al cielo Join Date: Aug 2006 Posts: 2,879	Pearl Jam is shitty. The Beatles are legendary. Talking Heads are really fun. Sleater-Kinney was a good band. The Cars were never very good. Sonic Youth is ____ The Sonic Youths are ____
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08.25.2007, 01:29 PM	#5
Sheriff Rhys Chatham invito al cielo Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: New England. Posts: 4,027	I'm an is fan. __________________ My Music(grunge rock) A part of this blue shit since June 24th, 2004
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08.25.2007, 01:34 PM	#6
Dead-Air invito al cielo Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Portland OR Posts: 4,300	Well, since you are posting in the wrong forum, no need to point out how bad your grammar is. __________________ FuckBook; My Band; My Radio Show; My Flickr Page; Science Fiction Message Board
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08.25.2007, 01:49 PM	#7
Everyneurotic invito al cielo Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Mexico Posts: 15,713	is fucking rule, i'm doing a split with him. __________________ Richard Clayderman found alive and still bland! Repo Man has all night! Photographic evidence of Monosodic's existance! New Kiddieriot shit after all! Never too late to share fave rex from the year before! David Keenan is a douchebag! Ron Asheton missed!
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08.25.2007, 02:18 PM	#8
sellouteater the end of the ugly Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: i am not going to tell you Posts: 962	techicly you only use "are" for plurls and "is" for singlar Sonic youth is amzing. Kim Gordon and Thurston Moore are amzing Yr mom is sooo hot. Oprah and her fans are stupid. __________________ S I T M F T J
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08.25.2007, 02:35 PM	#9
pbradley invito al cielo Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: SoKo Posts: 10,621	I could care less either way. Sorry, hat and bread.
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08.26.2007, 05:42 AM	#11
evollove invito al cielo Join Date: Aug 2006 Posts: 2,879	???
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08.26.2007, 01:47 PM	#12
youthoftomorrow expwy. to yr skull Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Idaho. Posts: 1,418	there was a thread about this on the old board. i don't think a consensus was achieved. __________________ avalanche.
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08.26.2007, 02:24 PM	#13
PAULYBEE2656 invito al cielo Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: wexford, rep of ireland Posts: 6,930	the sonic youth rad police.... rad! seriously, you could have said seminal. __________________ myspace facebook *twitter*
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08.26.2007, 03:56 PM	#14
rickoss empty page Join Date: Aug 2007 Posts: 9	Are, definitely. Is just sounds stupid.
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08.26.2007, 08:55 PM	#15
hat and beard stalker Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan Posts: 457	Just for the record: The word "rad" is not usually a part of my speaking vocabulary. It was the beer I tell you, it was the beeeer. Seriously. It was the beer. Interestingly, some buddies of mine recently discovered a hither to unknown universal law stating that a person can not be held accountable for any statements, actions, or contracts entered into after the consumption of 5 (or more) beers. Therefore I am free of guilt on all charges. Back to the topic at hand... I think are sounds better, but is is not without its charm (in an "I'm so cute I can't speak right" sort of way). __________________ 言わぬが花
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08.27.2007, 10:07 AM	#17
Crumb's Crunchy Delights expwy. to yr skull Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: okie's in the pokie Posts: 1,352	I agree with Glice. Although I'm not sure what he was saying. He sounds very clever, for sure.
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08.27.2007, 10:11 AM	#19
Crumb's Crunchy Delights expwy. to yr skull Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: okie's in the pokie Posts: 1,352	Haha. Clever and funny.
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08.27.2007, 07:36 PM	#20
schizophrenicroom invito al cielo Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: behind you Posts: 10,807	deerhoof ARE awesome apple o' IS the best thing ever __________________ fuck i'm frustrated, freaking out something fierce, would you help me? i'm hungry and i stuffer and i startle, i struggle and i stammer til i'm up to my ears in miserable quote unquote "art"
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