Valve [have]?

[bth]

Why do a lot of the stories begin or state somewhere "Valve _have_ released an update..." Shouldn't it be "Valve _has_ ..." ?

It's nitpicky, but I was just wondering if there was some specific reasoning in this context I wasn't aware of.

bth

 

[KagePrototype]

When I type these up, I refer to "Valve" as the group of people that make up the company, rather than just the company itself; hence the word usage. It might be grammatically wrong, but it's simply habit for me.

 

[Narcolepsy]

It's not grammatically wrong at all, it's just a preference.

 

[bth]

Thanks KagePrototype (and especially for not being uber-defensive about it)! I've seen it enough that I really wondererd if I was missing something...

Narcolepsy -- just a correction -- technically Valve is a company so it would be grammatically wrong, unless it were phrased as something like, "The boys at Valve have released..." but it's a minor point

 

[Narcolepsy]

Thanks KagePrototype (and especially for not being uber-defensive about it)! I've seen it enough that I really wondererd if I was missing something...

Narcolepsy -- just a correction -- technically Valve is a company so it would be grammatically wrong, unless it were phrased as something like, "The boys at Valve have released..." but it's a minor point

Hmmm, maybe you're right. Valve would be a collective noun, which means that it would use the singular tense. I guess it's like saying "Everyone has fun" not "Everyone have fun".

 

[Ennui]

I usually say "Valve has" but there are exceptions.

 

[Steve]

Hmmm, maybe you're right. Valve would be a collective noun, which means that it would use the singular tense. I guess it's like saying "Everyone has fun" not "Everyone have fun".

Unless you're issuing a command. Then you would say, "Everyone have fun, damn it!"

 

[Danimal]

Since we are talking about this.

Why does it say "VAVLe is:" in the credits?

 

[Narcolepsy]

Since we are talking about this.

Why does it say "VAVLe is:" in the credits?

The same reason it should be "Valve has"!

is:has::are:have

 

[Vegeta897]

"Valve have" is gramatically incorrect. You are refering to one thing. Valve.

If you were to say "the people of valve have" or "we at valve have" then that would be fine.

It's not preference. I have no idea where you got that from.

 

[ray_MAN]

Well, I think of Valve as one whole big family. So, I say, "Valve has".

 

[StardogChampion]

They both sound good to me. Who cares about rules?

 

[Narcolepsy]

It's not preference. I have no idea where you got that from.

Here's the rule.
It's a British/American thing. Most Americans say "Valve has" while Brits can say whatever the heck they want.

Owned.

 

[Laivasse]

Owned.

Well and truly. It is a preference. Unless you American grammar-heathens insist on sticking to your arbitrary rules :smoking:

I encounter the same thing quite often in discussions about music and bands. Quite often I'll hear someone say "*random bandname* sucks!" or "*bandname* is terrible", and it gets my back up because I'm more used to using *bandname* as a plural, ie. "*bandname* are awful!"/"*bandname* suck."