Quote Originally Posted by chaika
Anybody reading this thread? I mean, the correct response has already been given and, it appears, totally ignored, viz. and to wit: BrE uses plurals where AmE uses singulars.
The United States are sending more troops
The United States is sending more troops

The government are/is

Microsoft are/is or even have/has

singular and plural on different sides of the ocean!!
But you forgot my personal favorite:
"Chaika, are you good at maths?" vs. "Chaika, are you good at math?"
Maths just sounds bizarre, like saying "the media are" -- actually, though, you know what? I always thought it was "standard" (as in 95% of the population of the US) English vs. "highly-educated" English. Both are correct, but one seems to have a high-brow connotation behind it -- I never attributed it to an Atlantic divide. Then again, maybe it just goes back to the general American impression of the British accent (and the vocabulary/ grammar that goes along with it) being a prestige accent...