Inanimate objections: The ‘it’ not ‘they’ battle

Have you got an irrational hatred? Mine is inanimate objects. Specifically the increasing tendency to plurality. So company A’s new widget is ‘their product’ and analysts are said to predict great things for ‘them’. As if they were humans.

Few things bug me more – and I know it’s irrational – than a company or organisation which should be referred to correctly as ‘it’ being referred to as ‘them’.

It’s bad enough in press releases and case studies when something like this happens:

International bakery and patisserie firm Self-Raisin’ Inc have deployed Widgetco’s XP4900RX super-whisk. Their cakes now benefit from being made with extra-fluffy egg whites.

Self-Raisin’ Inc is a company and therefore has and it are correct.

Worse still, the practice has proliferated. Football teams are being referred to as ‘them’, most notably by the BBC and the national press which should definitely know better.

Here’s an example from the Daily Mirror:

“Liverpool have beaten Europe’s top clubs...” should read: “Liverpool has beaten...”

Then again, maybe I’m being picky. The Leveson Inquiry has revealed that the Daily Star somehow gets by with a team of three reporters on shift so they probably don’t have time for these niceties.

Even so, I don’t see why this can’t be done properly. Liverpool is a city, Liverpool is also a football club – both are objects. Still, saying “They are top of the league” is wrong. Saying “It is top of the league,” is right. Although unlikely.

What IS the problem with being accurate? There’s no such thing as American English, only right English and wrong English.

As I’m sure they’d agree. No...hang on…