Which of these sentences illustrates correct agreement with collective nouns?
a. The class were dismissed when the bell rang.
b. The club are holding an election on Thursday, March 29.
c. The crew sail for months without making port.
d. The choir take their seats beginning around 7 p.m.
The correct sentence that illustrates correct agreement with collective nouns is:
c. The crew sail for months without making port.
To determine the correct agreement with collective nouns, we need to consider whether the noun is being treated as a single unit (singular) or as separate individuals (plural).
In sentence (a), "The class were dismissed when the bell rang," the word "class" should be considered a singular noun, so the verb should be "was" instead of "were." The correct sentence would be "The class was dismissed when the bell rang."
In sentence (b), "The club are holding an election on Thursday, March 29," the word "club" is also being treated as a singular noun. Therefore, the correct verb to use should be "is" instead of "are." The correct sentence would be "The club is holding an election on Thursday, March 29."
In sentence (d), "The choir take their seats beginning around 7 p.m.," the word "choir" is being treated as a plural noun, so the verb "take" is correct.
Therefore, the correct sentence that illustrates correct agreement with collective nouns is c. "The crew sail for months without making port."