Most of us get confused with subject verb agreement especially when the subject is a collective noun. One of my friends once asked me whether to write ‘Staff is’ or ‘Staff are’ so I replied that it depends on the context of usage.
As we know that staff is a collective noun that describes a group of people who work in a particular organisation. So, it can be confusing because they can be both singular and plural, all depending on the context of usage.
So, today I will explain to you the difference between ‘Staff is’ or ‘Staff are’ and help you understand its usage.
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Use of Staff is
‘Staff is’ is best used when ‘staff’ is indicating a singular unit. In a situation where ‘staff’ is referring to an individual then ‘staff is’ is the correct way to write.
Examples
One of my staff is taking leave on that day so you should come to help.
The only staff that is allowed to come to my office is Mr. Walker.
I was telling him that one of my staff is ill today.
That member of the staff is an honest man.
These four examples best refer to an individual and work as a singular verb so here ‘staff is’ should be appropriate.
Use of Staff are
‘Staff are’ is best used when ‘staff’ is indicating a plural unit. In a situation where ‘staff’ is referring to a group of people then ‘staff are’ is the correct way to write.
Examples
My staff are waiting for me outside.
The entire staff are ready to go for the vacation trip to Lakshadweep.
As all the members of the staff are present here, I wanted to announce a new project.
I think my staff are trustworthy.
As these four examples refer to whole group members and work as a plural unit so here ‘staff are’ is the appropriate way to use.
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The Final Words
Usage of the verb according to the subject can be confusing but you only need to focus on whether the subject refers to a singular unit or plural unit then depending on that you can easily add verb to it accordingly. Further, the same rule is applied for the usage of ‘is or are’ with the word ‘staff’ as it totally depends on the context of usage.
So I hope this article was helpful and you have understood it properly.
