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Blimey! Now I'm even more lost but then I can't listen to the sound files at work so it's just tables of squiggles.


I think whether it's "my family is" or "my family are" depends on the context i.e. are you talking about your family as one big mass or a collection of people.

Hmmm sleep deprived and suggestible I'm doubting my dio-sees now. PGC is bound to be more up to date and I also think Ant might be right.


After careful consideration however, I'm standing by my is". I am referring to my family as a unit so it's singular. If I'd said my relatives or the members of my family that would be different.


A local one now, De'Crespigny Park anyone? I'm going for a silent "pig" as it were and d-cres-nee.

The 'family is' 'family are' one really gets my goat, but then again I lsten to R4 too much... it's a side effect. I DO need to get out more.


I DIDN'T do english at uni or anything, but surely it is something to do with subject and object in the sentence? 'My family' is a single object, like 'the government' which similarly contains many people although is referred to singly. It really drives me mental when I hear 'a large flock of pigeons were...', when it ought to be 'a large flock was...'.


Anyway, these days I deliberately refer to 'sliver' when I mean 'slither' and vice versa. Drives the partner mad and can be quite challenging knowing which one you mean. I do this because of the number of numpties who don't know the difference. Ainsley Harriett, stand up!

Warming to the subject now!!


I once read a fantastically pedantic book which contained a list of 20 of the most commonly mispronounced words in common english usage. The list was called Stevenson's Twenty or something and may be somewhat archaic, but some words I remember were 'dirigible', 'maraschino', 'schism', and er... can't remember any more.


Anyway, you get the idea.

Peckhamgatecrasher Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Annaj, I completely agree with you on your use of

> 'is'.

>

> Sticking with local, A-dys Road, not Addies; and

> Ond-een Road, not On-dyne - that simply has to be

> French!


Yes - I think it is ond-een. (Spirit of the water)

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