Xref: utzoo rec.arts.tv.uk:1997 alt.peeves:1225
Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!samsung!think!paperboy!osf.org!dbrooks
From: dbrooks@osf.org (David Brooks)
Newsgroups: rec.arts.tv.uk,alt.peeves
Subject: Re: Correct English (was: Maaahsterpiece Theatere)
Message-ID: <2793@paperboy.OSF.ORG>
Date: 17 Jan 90 23:29:56 GMT
References: <1558@skye.ed.ac.uk>
Sender: news@OSF.ORG
Reply-To: dbrooks@osf.org (David Brooks)
Organization: Open Software Foundation
Lines: 52

In article <1558@skye.ed.ac.uk>, ken@aiai.ed.ac.uk (Ken Johnson) writes:
> In article <2723@paperboy.OSF.ORG> dbrooks@osf.org (David Brooks) writes:
> 
> >	Maaahsterpiece(*) Theatere is made possible by a grant from Mobil
> >	Corporation, which invites you to join with them in supporting...
> >				 ^		    ^^^^
> >
> >Well?  Are they it, or is it them?
> 
> It is correct British English except for the `with', which should have
> been omitted: `join them'. 
> 
> In British English, corporations, governments etc.  usually take a
> plural verb: the government act, the company make a profit, etc. 
  ^^^^^^ ^^^^
> Strictly, this is incorrect, and speakers of American English usually
> get it right: the Governmernt acts, the company makes a profit, et sim. 

Precisely my point.  The above has a *singular* verb, but a plural
pronoun.  I think it's just Mobil being chummy and saying that we're
all really a bunch of perfectly lovable, real, human beans, and not a
faceless corporation like, say E***n.

Also, in alt.peeves, mmeyer@m2.csc.ti.com (Mark Meyer) writes:
>>                                 Why can't Mobil get a simple piece
>>of grammar right (a pronoun should agree with their antecedent)?
>                   ^^^^^^^^^                   ^^^^^
>
>	Sorry, I just couldn't resist pointing this out.  Or is this
>one of those unmarked pieces of sarcasm that have been turning up in
>this group?

Mea culpa.  My reference is a grammar checklist that I remember from
somewhere, in which the errors is illustrated within the rules: "Never
use a preposition to end a sentence with", that sort of thing.

(*)In case the British readers haven't heard, and haven't been
listening to "Letter from America", Masterpiece Theatre (is
it er or re?) is a weekly series on Posh Television, which presents
the best of recent British drama (initially BBC, but now it seems
mainly Granada or Thames).  It's framed by a few brief words from
Alistair Cooke.  Since many good programs are now produced by British
commercial TV (which many Americans doesn't know exists) and have to
fill an hour on American non-commercial TV (which many British don't
know exists) his brief words are sometimes not so brief.  He once
related that, when this phenomenon first occurred, with "Upstairs
Downstairs", many people thought he was an integral part of the show.

Another obscure anecdote from:
-- 
David Brooks				dbrooks@osf.org
Open Software Foundation		uunet!osf.org!dbrooks