What kind of new grammar is this?
Written By dreamweaver on Jul. 15, 2008.
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Google were bound to hit a few roadblocks...
Why on earth is "Google" plural in this sentence? "Google" is a company, singular. I could see
- The owners of Google were bound to hit a few roadblocks...
- The creators of Google were bound to hit a few roadblocks...
- The competitors of Google....
You get the idea. "Owners", "creators", "competitors": all plural. "Google": most definitely singular. I've been seeing this same grammatical error all over lately, with Apple, Microsoft, Adobe, etc., and I just don't get it. Am I just missing it because I don't have some sort of business degree? Can anyone explain this weirdness?

Gnorb
Written Jul. 16, 2008 / Report /
I'm with you 100%. I despise that.
RightOn
Written Jul. 16, 2008 / Report /
I hear that a LOT on our local news stations and I ALWAYS yell the correction back to them. I've emailed the management a few times with no luck... people (irritatingly enough) just don't seem to care if they sound ignorant.
I've seen NETWORK news anchors butcher a while broadcast by speaking some grammatically butchered form of something similar to English and just stood there with my mouth agape at the sheer stupidity of the individual regurgitating the "news" on TV.
I wish this trend would reverse itself.
Ozone42
Written Jul. 16, 2008 / Report /
Sadly, I know that my grammar and punctuation have suffered due to all my internet use.
dreamweaver
Written Jul. 16, 2008 / Report /
I'm glad to hear it's not just me. I was beginning to think I was crazy, or that I'd just missed some strange language migration thing.
Ozone42
Written Jul. 16, 2008 / Report /
Well...
That may be the case, really. It's a certainty that our use of technology causes us to not only create new words, but change the meaning of current words as well. It would not be a stretch at all if that trend creeps into our spelling and grammar.
Scrivs
Written Jul. 16, 2008 / Report /
Because Google makes dollars and not cents (sense)?
RightOn
Written Jul. 16, 2008 / Report /
I thought I had landed on Mars the other day when I was at the store and heard kids TALKING in Text Message speak.
"Like OMG Stacey, NFW!!!!"
I wanted to smack them.
Gnorb
Written Jul. 16, 2008 / Report /
@RightOn: ORLY?
RightOn
Written Jul. 16, 2008 / Report /
OMG RLY!
pelf
Written Jul. 22, 2008 / Report /
I am not all that great with my grammar either, but I thought such mistakes were only made by people whose first language isn't English!
RightOn
Written Jul. 22, 2008 / Report /
Sadly... poor grammar and spelling are becoming the norm in our society.
I've had people say to my face "what do I care... you can still get the gist of what I'm saying."
We throw away PILES of resumes at work because of atrocious spelling and grammar.