On Wed, Sep 10, 2003 at 01:19:13PM -0400, John Freed wrote:
Ah, the difference between British English and American English.
<lang=en-uk>ManU are crushing Arsenal.</lang> <lang=en-us>ManU is crushing Arsenal.</lang>
UK English insists on plural verbs for collective nouns (family, team, list, etc.), while US English generally uses singular verbs. (An exception is "couple" referring to a romantic pair -- "The couple are going to the store" would be acceptable on both sides of the Atlantic, although many Americans would say "is" even here.)
I think it depends on whether you are referring to the collective noun itself or the individuals that make up the collection (and possibly whether it is a mass noun).
I'm English and definitely want to say: - the list is up to date - the lists are correct - in the list below are ... - England are batting - Arsenal are winning
David