Articles with group nouns

Question

In the example given in Band Name Grammar, does it interfere if the use of the article is indefinite or definite?  For example, "a band are playing" has the same grammar rule as "the band are playing "?

In my point of view, the group noun is what allows you to choose either singular or plural, depending on the interpretation of the same noun. But does it also have anything to do with the article?

LawrenceC · Answer

Band is singular (you would say "A band is playing.")

Bands is plural (you would say "Bands are playing.")

Articles are determiners.  What determiners do is answer the question "which X are we talking about?"

So with plural nouns, since you are not talking about 1 item, the question of "which" might not matter, unless you mean an entire group as 1 item ("which set of X's?")

Articles with group nouns

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