Verb Noun Agreement

What is with people recently in that they can't get the verb-noun agreement correct anymore? What sort of thing am I talking about?

OK, the thing that annoys me is when people write the name of a company, or a plural but singular noun, and then use the wrong number verb with it.

For example, I saw in the paper the phrase "The media get blamed...." GET, not GETS, but the incorrect GET. The MEDIA GETS BLAMED. Blamed for what? That's not important here. MEDIA is a singular plural, therefore it gets the singular verb. If you can replace your noun with "IT" and then read the sentence, does it sound awkward? It does. and if you can't see that, then I need to boot you in the head.

Another example - using a company name with a plural verb. "Company XYZ have licensed..." Umm, how about wrong? The company is a singular entity. IT HAS LICENSED,  THEY HAVE LICENSED, but we're not talking about a bunch of people, we're talking about 1 singular company. And it HAS licensed. Company XYZ HAS licensed. Corporations are taxed as a singular entity, and are singular nouns. Just because there's a bunch of people working there doesn't mean the company name is a plural entity.

I have you have it has - Singular
We have you have they have. - Plural
 
Get it? A company has licensed, it has licensed. They have licensed. The people behind the company have licensed. "People" is a plural noun and plural in every way. "Person" is a singular noun. People have,  a Person has. Try the replacement, which sounds correct? It have, or it has? You see what I mean, Vern?

The media gets blamed, they get blamed, it gets blamed.

IN SHORT: STOP USING PLURAL VERBS FOR SINGULAR NOUNS SUCH AS COMPANY NAMES OR PLURAL NOUNS THAT ARE SINGULAR IN NATURE.

 

Sorta good news?

News on my car: My mechanic located a used Kia 98 Sephia transmission with 80K miles on it for about $600. Thing is the place he's getting it from won't be able to remove it until Monday and it won't get to him until Thursday.

So it's easier to deal with a used transmission rather than a rebuilt. And probably faster than getting an overhaul kit which I guess in my case wouldn't do enough. I don't know if he knows about transmission overhaul kits.

He found a used one with a better price and better mileage than anything I found online.

Well.... sh__.

It's 2 and half weeks into March 2012, and I've driven my car for only 3.5 days of it. Half a day today because it basically leaked transmission fluid all the way to where I ended up today. The first 2 weeks were spent at my mechanic, working on the starter that died the last Monday of February. Today wasn't great. The guy who towed it seems to think it might be a broken axle, because when he got it down off his hauler, it sat in Park. Well, it was sitting in park when he picked it up. Either way, the transmission could be toasted. I did find out that I have options - a used one, a rebuilt one, or an overhaul kit. As my options go, and I hope my mechanic knows about it, would be the overhaul kit.

However, if it's a broken axle, that's like a $150 part.

The starter work he did was beautiful. It didn't sound like my car. I did mention the extra loud exhaust sound that it has now.

As an interesting aside, the tow truck driver has his own Mater, aka Tomater, sitting in his yard, and lets people take pictures with it.


I worry how much _THIS_ repair will be. I wish for help paying for it... I hope nothing else happens because I can't take my car breaking down again.

Car

Might have seen evidence of the leak my mechanic mentioned. Thought smoke coming from car was steam but smell says possibly oil. So that's the leak? anxiety Over this car will be the death of me.