Column of the Day: The Word Guy

The Word Guy
Published Thursday, October 31, 2002

Q. It just amazed me when (a college president) said, "The faculty are very happy." Shouldn't it be "faculty IS"? I would cringe to hear someone say, "The Duke team are losing their final game." -- Marlene Plumb, San Jose, Calif.

A. Funny, but we UConn fans wouldn't cringe at all.

When collective nouns, such as "faculty," "team," "committee," "jury" and "family," are considered as a unit, they take a singular verb: "The team is losing"; "The committee is resolute"; "The faculty is happy." (Most college presidents would say that last statement is NEVER true.)

But, when the members of a group are thought of as individuals, the collective nouns become plural: "The jury are arguing among themselves"; "The audience aren't commenting on their reactions"; "My family aren't sure what they're going to do."

These sentences may sound a bit odd, but how much odder it would sound to say, "The jury is arguing among itself," or "The audience isn't commenting on its reaction," or "My family isn't sure what it's going to do" -- unless your family is a highly organized, highly directed entity; think Sopranos.

Q. The following passage recently appeared in Newsweek magazine: "Reading was one of his only escapes." Shouldn't the statement read either "Reading was one of his few escapes," or "Reading was his only escape"? -- Duane Schrag, Freeman, S.D.

A. Yes. The phrase "one of the only," as in "he's one of our only right-handers," or "she's one of our only sopranos," should be avoided because it's illogical. If "only" means alone in its class or kind, how can it refer to plural nouns such as "right-handers" and "sopranos"?

By similar reasoning, some purists condemn the use of "one of" with superlatives such as "best," "worst" and "finest." If "best" and "finest" mean "the best one" and "the finest one," respectively, how can someone be "one of the best pitchers" or "one of the finest sopranos"? He's either the best pitcher, or he isn't.

But, unlike "one of the only," phrases such as "one of the best" and "one of the finest" make sense because "the best" and "the finest" refer not to one item but to an entire class of items, e.g. "the best pitchers," "the finest sopranos."

Speaking of the Sopranos, I hear they have one of the best shows on TV. It provides my hard-working brother-in-law with one of the only, er ... few escapes he has.

Rob Kyff, a teacher and writer in West Hartford, Conn., invites your language sightings. Send your reports of misuse and abuse, as well as examples of good writing, via e-mail to Wordguy@aol.com or by regular mail to Rob Kyff, Creators Syndicate, 5777 West Century Boulevard, Suite 700, Los Angeles, CA 90045.

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