In this sentence, which verb is correct?
(Is/Are) staff given discounts on supplies?
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1"Are" with "staff" sounds right, to me. – Greg Lee Oct 31 '15 at 19:52
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"staff" as a group of people is plural, so it's "are staff given given discounts on supplies?" – Ben Oct 31 '15 at 20:38
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Either can be used depending on where the speaker is from and how they view "staff." Most of the textbooks I use are published in Britain and talk about companies and staff using "have" as in "Staff at [X] have been reduced due to lay offs." Because I am American, I prefer to say "Staff has been reduced." Extending this, I would say "Is staff responsible..." I have actually had to use this expression before but when I spoke it I said "Are staff members responsible for classroom supplies?"
michael_timofeev
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