Which sentence uses the correct verb form with the collective noun 'faculty'?

Which sentence uses the correct verb form with the collective noun 'faculty'?

• A. The college faculty emphasizes writing instruction.
• B. The college faculty emphasize writing instruction.
• C. The college faculties emphasizes writing instruction.
• D. The college faculties emphasize writing instruction.

Answer: (A)

When a collective noun like faculty is treated as a single unit, the verb should agree in the singular. The phrase The college faculty refers to the group as one body working together, so the verb stays singular: emphasizes. If you were talking about the individuals within the group acting separately, you’d use a plural verb, as in emphasize, but that would change the meaning to focus on members rather than the whole faculty. Using faculties would turn the subject into a plural noun referring to separate groups and would also call for a plural verb, such as emphasize. So the sentence with emphasizes correctly matches the idea of the faculty acting as a unified unit.

When a collective noun like faculty is treated as a single unit, the verb should agree in the singular. The phrase The college faculty refers to the group as one body working together, so the verb stays singular: emphasizes. If you were talking about the individuals within the group acting separately, you’d use a plural verb, as in emphasize, but that would change the meaning to focus on members rather than the whole faculty. Using faculties would turn the subject into a plural noun referring to separate groups and would also call for a plural verb, such as emphasize. So the sentence with emphasizes correctly matches the idea of the faculty acting as a unified unit.