marty147

lonexpat, on 2012-02-07 14:00:39, said:

A good grammar book would be invaluable in this instance to avoid championing rules based on personal experience.

A great book that I always refer to is "Practical English Usage" by Michael Swan.  He is widely acknowledged as one of the great grammar gurus.  

This is his opinion:  In British English, singular words like family, team, government, which refer to groups of people, can have either singular or plural verbs and pronouns.  The team is/are going to lose.

Nothing to do with British versus American usage.

Both uses are correct depending upon your intention.

The difference is whether you are referring to the individual menbers of a group or the group as a whole.

Eg:

The team was tired after the game.  (the whole team as a single group)
The team were tired after the game.  (each individual member of the team)

I suspect this is what the OP is referring to:


Teach English in THAILAND –May 2012 –No Teaching Experience Required – Accepting Applications Now!
Posted By: Greenheart Travel

At Greenheart Travel we are passionate about helping people reach their full potential.

Contract Length: 5 Months or 10 Months
Start Date: May 18, 2012

Benefits:
• One week orientation in Bangkok, Thailand with TEFL workshops, teaching tips, sightseeing and cross-cultural training
• Airport pickup
• Monthly salary of 16,000 - 20,000 Baht ($500-650 USD)
• Legal documentation including a work permit (paid for by school)
• Free accommodation (or a monthly accommodation stipend)
• School coordinator for support and guidance
• In-country support for duration of the program
• Travel insurance included
• Reimbursement for plane ticket home (10 month contracts only)
• Participants receive a guidebook to Thailand Customs and Culture before departure
• Be close to all that gorgeous Southeast Asia has to offer!

Requirements
• Native English speaker
• BA/BS degree in any field
• Minimum age is 20
• Citizen of US, CA, UK, Ireland, AU, NZ, or S. Africa
• Teaching experience is highly preferred, but not required

Program Costs*
5 month program: $1,900
10 month program: $2,370
*Program costs do not include the airfare to Thailand

Personally, I find it insulting that they expect you to pay for a job.  It's somewhat disconcerting that there must be individuals who consider this an opportunity to experience teaching in an exotic country.  Moreover, what does this do to the reputation of foreign teachers in Thailand when newbies without experience are abeing actively encouraged to apply.  It seems that everyone loses except the agency (schools, students, parents, teachers).

Hi Scott

I agree that your exam question should be reworded using 'have'.

However, to answer your question with regards to subject-verb agreement in the present simple tense, my opinion is as follows.

Any 'part' be it a fraction, decimal or percentage is singular when the subject is uncountable and plural when the subject is countable.

Let's agree that apples are countable and rice is uncountable therefore -

"7% of the apples are red and half are green"

"7% of the rice is brown and half is white"

Please excuse my ignorance but what is an 'invention' letter?

btw - A basic disclosure takes about 10 days, which should be sufficient for your needs.  

A UK-based teaching position would require an enhanced disclosure which can take a month or longer.