Grammar talk

American english or british? Can be confusing at times. In one dept. , a supervisor told his student once that people don't fail their thesis because of grammar. Well, that is not comforting enough to me. I believe it depends on your individual supervisor. After all, they are all human. I am trying to improve my grammar even at this age.

This is an interesting excerpt with regards to collective noun from http://www.learnenglish.org.uk/grammar/archive/collective_nouns.html ,
that shows something different between the two.

" A collective noun is a noun that denotes a collection of persons or things regarded as a unit.
Usage Note: In American usage, a collective noun takes a singular verb when it refers to the collection considered as a whole, as in:

• The family was united on this question.
• The enemy is suing for peace.

It takes a plural verb when it refers to the members of the group considered as individuals, as in:

• My family are always fighting among themselves.
• The enemy were showing up in groups of three or four to turn in their weapons.
• In British usage, however, collective nouns are more often treated as plurals:
• The government have not announced a new policy.
• The team are playing in the test matches next week.

A collective noun should not be treated as both singular and plural in the same construction; thus:

• The family is determined to press its (not their) claim.

Among the common collective nouns are:

• committee
• clergy
• company
• enemy
• group
• family
• flock
• public ....."