Quote Originally Posted by scotcher
Quote Originally Posted by doninphxaz
Britain: The Parliament are in session.
I won't argue with the rest of your general assertions, but this example is incorrect. The word "parliament" is very definitely singular, unless you are talking about a true plural.

Parliament is in session.

but

Both Houses of Parliament are in session.

Yes. Parliament doesn't refer people. It's a noun derived from the French word "parler", "to talk", it basically means "a talk / discussion", therefore it is singular.

The reason why family, team etc., can take a plural is because they are collective nouns referring specifically to a group of people. If you specifically want to refer to the people in parliament, you can use a plural, I think, but it still sounds a bit strange.