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When you are editing and come across a collective noun, ask: Does it refer to the whole or the parts? Are you talking about the forest or the trees?). When in doubt, try substituting a pronoun ("it" or "they") for the collective noun. For collective nouns like "number," sometimes you can check the correct verb form by looking at the article that comes before the noun. When "number" refers to a group acting as a unit, it takes the article "the" ("the number") and a single verb form: " The number of students accepting job offers is high." On the other hand, when "number" refers to a group whose members act individually, it takes the article "a" ("a number") and a plural verb form: " A high number of students are accepting job offers." For more practice with collective nouns, take the following quiz.
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