Usage of pronoun

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CaptainCuong
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Usage of pronoun

Post by CaptainCuong »

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.
darcy
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Re: Usage of pronoun

Post by darcy »

'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.
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