There is or there are family ?
I am confused, because the family consists of several people in it.
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In what context do you need to use the phrase? We say "There is a family called Smith living next door", but you can also use family as an implied plural to mean 'members of my family' - "I am going to visit family in London."– Kate BuntingCommented May 14, 2021 at 9:59
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2I downvoted because you haven't provided any research or any context.– AndrewCommented May 14, 2021 at 10:31
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2Does this answer your question? Should I use is or are after the word family? Also Family do or does? AND Does it make sense to say “My family is vegetarian” or “My family are vegetarians”? AND My family ( is / are ) all doctors AND “Are” vs. “is” after “parents and the family”...– FumbleFingersCommented May 14, 2021 at 10:56
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(There will also be dozens more questions asking essentially the same thing, but focusing on words like company, police, government,...)– FumbleFingersCommented May 14, 2021 at 11:02
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1 Answer
The link ColleenV provided in the comments is relevant, but it is not the whole story. I see three separate issues.
First, there is the use of singular or plural verbs for collective nouns like family, and as the linked question discusses, both are used, but American English prefers singular, where British English uses either, often with a slight nuance of meaning.
Secondly, there is the article: in the question Colleen linked, the collective noun was India, which is a name, so does not take an article. But family is a common noun. So in that light, it must be either There are family (plural, semantic agreement, less favoured in AmE) or There is a family (singular, syntactic agreement).
But thirdly, in colloquial British English (I think American too but I'm not sure) people often use There's as an invariant presentational, irrespective of number. So in that context There's family (plural with invariant "there's") would be natural, but only in informal contexts.
answered May 14, 2021 at 10:59
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1The flexibility of "there's" is covered pretty well in an answer to There's vs There are.– ColleenVCommented May 14, 2021 at 12:15