A couple is/are walking in the park

English as a Second Language English Vocabulary, Grammar and Idioms
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A couple is/are walking in the park.

Which is the correct verb?

Thanks.

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Normally it’s used singularly. But there are exceptions when the two people are thought of individually. In your example it would be singular.

A couple is walking in the park.

Example of an exception:
The couple are getting married next week.

The pronouns for collective nouns are always plural.

The couple is walking in the park. They do this every day on their lunch break.

The couple are getting married. They will have a reception afterwards.

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To me, the verb ‘are walking’ sounds to be more appropriate.

The context where it may be used in singular may be as in 'The couple has given birth to three children.

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I wonder if we are dealing with differences between AmE and BrE similar to the differences in how we treat corporations.
In America: Microsoft is…
In the U.K. (As I understand it): Microsoft are…

I would definitely say “The couple is walking in the park.”
But since I believe you are in Singapore, you should follow @Anglophile’s example and say “The couple are walking in the park.”

However, if you visit Chicago and say “The couple are walking in the park”, no one would think less of you.

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Collective nouns like family, team, jury, etc. may be used with singular or plural verbs according to the context.

If the constituents of the collective nouns are construed as one single block (entity), it is SINGULAR. If the constituents are construed as individual ones, the noun becomes PLURAL.

Some common examples are as follows:

  1. The jury was unanimous in judging the case.
  2. The jury were divided in judging the case.
  • John’s family is living in this flat.
  • Alan’s family are living in different apartments.

The logical question here is ‘Can a couple walk as a single person or can we think of them as walking like one single unit?’ :thinking:

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