Dear Legal Writer: Please stop referring to the “company” as “they”

Please stop referring to the “company” as “they.”

The “company” is an “it,” not a “they.”

If you have doubts, below is a short explanation, along with a query for international peeps:

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In U.S. English:

🔷 “Company” is a “collective noun.”

A collective noun takes a singular pronoun and a singular verb.

👉 This collective-noun designation does not disappear, either, just because you are talking about one particular collective noun.

Thus,

✅ ABC Co. is an “it” that “is.”

📍 ABC Co. is not a “they” that “are.”

✅ The Tax Department is an “it” that “is.”

📍 The Tax Department is not a “they” that “are.”

The same is true when you include a plural noun to describe “company.”

✅ “A company of 100 employees IS still singular.”

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🔷 Other collective nouns that commonly appear in legal writing include:

department
institution
entity
team
group
Congress
organization

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⭐️ Non-native English speakers:

Is the above true in your first language?

{—I understand that in the UK, the word “team” should be referred to as a “they” that “are.” I am unaware, however, whether the difference for team also alters the treatment of other collective nouns in the UK, or how these types of nouns are treated in other languages.}

Please pipe in!

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Thank you.

Fondly,
💌 Amanda

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