Grammar check on Word should recognise "staff" as a plural.

[Jeremy Beal]

When you type a sentence in Word, eg "The staff have entered something
incorrectly on their system", the grammar check questions "staff have" and
want to change it to "staff has" or "staffs have". Please change this someone!

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http://www.microsoft.com/office/com...7&dg=microsoft.public.word.application.errors

 

[Suzanne S. Barnhill]

It is a mystery to me why otherwise intelligent adults, who presumably do
not take unsolicited advice from strangers in other aspects of their lives,
are so cowed by Word's useless grammar checker that they keep posting
suggestions for its improvement!

When you type a sentence in Word, eg "The staff have entered something
incorrectly on their system", the grammar check questions "staff have" and
want to change it to "staff has" or "staffs have". Please change this someone!

----------------
This post is a suggestion for Microsoft, and Microsoft responds to the
suggestions with the most votes. To vote for this suggestion, click the "I
Agree" button in the message pane. If you do not see the button, follow this
link to open the suggestion in the Microsoft Web-based Newsreader and then
click "I Agree" in the message pane.

http://www.microsoft.com/office/com...7&dg=microsoft.public.word.application.errors

 

[Guest]

Hi Jeremy

That's a tricky question. Like you, I have always considered 'staff' as
plural. However, a search on Google finds some sites stating that 'staff' is
singular and other sites stating that it can be either depending on context.
Giving this some further thought, I think they are correct - possibly. Staff
isn't a plural noun such as children is the plural of child: it is a
collective name - so maybe either is correct.

I shall continue to consider it plural though!