This sentence is referred from a newspaper:
“If the government cannot do anything, it should just stop the bombardment and let the Taliban rule,” she said.
In this sentence, is the word 'it' used correctly? I think it should be 'they'. It does not make sense when replacing 'government' by 'it' because 'it' is usually used for an object or an event.
Usage of pronoun
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Re: Usage of pronoun
'it' and 'they' are both correct here. The choice depends on whether the speaker or writer is thinking of the government as an impersonal unit (it) or as a collection of individuals (they).
Words like this are called collective nouns. Other examples are: team, club, committee, company, etc.
The team is/are playing in Manchester tomorrow.
The team are all very excited.
Words like this are called collective nouns. Other examples are: team, club, committee, company, etc.
The team is/are playing in Manchester tomorrow.
The team are all very excited.