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Pedants' corner

Help me settle an argument please!!

19 replies

StarryNightSewing29 · 21/10/2021 10:25

Long time user, but I had to make a new account to post at work.

please can you all weigh in and tell us which of these is correct?

  1. Royal Mail have delivered.
  1. Royal Mail has been delivered.

For context - the postman comes and delivers bags of letters and parcels to us daily.

OP posts:
3luckystars · 21/10/2021 10:25

Royal Mail have delivered

3luckystars · 21/10/2021 10:25

100%

SunnyLeaf · 21/10/2021 10:26

Depends if you usually talk about your post as being “Royal” rather than talking about the company! If the company, then the first. The second if you generally refer to your post as your “Royal Mail” which is..odd

dementedpixie · 21/10/2021 10:28

Number 2 reads like the whole of Royal Mail has been delivered to you. Number 2 sounds better but would put has rather than have.

Can you not just say the mail has been delivered?

MedusasBadHairDay · 21/10/2021 10:28

1 clearly.
2 suggests that the company itself has been delivered to you.

I assume the person saying 2 was meant to say "the post has been delivered"?

3luckystars · 21/10/2021 10:29

Royal Mail is the name of the company so if you change the name to another name, then that will answer the question.

Marelle · 21/10/2021 10:30

Royal Mail (the company) has delivered. Same as you would say “Amazon has delivered” or “Pizza Express has delivered”. Royal Mail is singular because it’s the name of a company.

Kiduknot · 21/10/2021 10:31

Mail has been delivered.

X company have delivered.

dementedpixie · 21/10/2021 10:33

@dementedpixie

Number 2 reads like the whole of Royal Mail has been delivered to you. Number 2 sounds better but would put has rather than have.

Can you not just say the mail has been delivered?

That was supposed to say number 1 sounds better but change have to has
SunnySideDownBriefly · 21/10/2021 10:35

It's 'Royal Mail has delivered'. I hate it when organisations use 'have' when they are singular...but some of them like to do it for stylistic reasons. It's really, really, really not 'have'.

UpInTheAttic · 21/10/2021 10:36

I'm assuming it's a typo and you want to say "Royal Mail has delivered".

In which case, both are correct.

Royal Mail is a singular noun so "has" is correct. However, it can also be used as a collective noun like the police, the government, etc, which can precede the third person plural "have".

Clandestin · 21/10/2021 10:39

Royal Mail has delivered.

Or

The postman's been.

Itistimeforquiche · 21/10/2021 10:41

Royal Mail have been delivered of a healthy son......

flowery · 21/10/2021 10:41

The post has come.

AgentProvocateur · 21/10/2021 10:48

Royal Mail (singular) has delivered.

LaetitiaASD · 03/11/2021 18:03
  1. Royal Mail have delivered. (Royal Mail is a company singular, but it is made up of numerous people which is why plural is used)
  1. Our post has been delivered.

The latter is much better.

I expect this post to be controversial

Atalune · 03/11/2021 19:32

1 is correct

Maskless · 04/11/2021 07:32

@LaetitiaASD

1. Royal Mail have delivered. (Royal Mail is a company singular, but it is made up of numerous people which is why plural is used)
  1. Our post has been delivered.

The latter is much better.

I expect this post to be controversial

"Royal Mail is a company singular, but it is made up of numerous people which is why plural is used".

Sorry, you are wrong. People incorrectly use the plural because they think it's correct to do so because it's made up of numerous people. They are wrong.

Think of 'the world is', 'the school is', 'the country is', 'the hospital is', the orchestra is. We would not say 'are'.

'The school are situated at the end of the road.'

3luckystars · 04/11/2021 07:44

Interesting

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