| Kenneth G. Wilson (1923–). The Columbia Guide to Standard American English. 1993. |
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| United States (n.) |
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| Usually our country’s name takes a singular verb: The United States is in a bad recession, and agreement requires as well a singular pronoun when the country is dealt with as a nation: It’s a great country. Occasionally we’ll hear or read about these United States, with plural verb and subsequent pronouns, but this is a conscious stylistic shift designed perhaps to stress the diversity of the country’s makeup, but more probably to embellish a flowery discourse. In all other circumstances, the United States [of America] is usually singular. | 1 |
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| | | The Columbia Guide to Standard American English. Copyright © 1993 Columbia University Press. |
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