personnel were vs personnel was

Both 'personnel were' and 'personnel was' can be correct depending on the context. 'Personnel were' is used when referring to a group of people working in an organization, while 'personnel was' is used when referring to the concept of personnel as a singular entity.

Last updated: March 22, 2024 • 7574 views

personnel were

This phrase is correct when referring to a group of people working in an organization.

Use 'personnel were' when talking about a group of employees or staff members in an organization.

Examples:

The personnel were informed about the new policy.
The personnel were busy preparing for the event.

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Each Member State shall waive all its claims against any other Member State for injury or death suffered by any of its military or civilian personnel while such personnel were engaged in the performance of their official duties, except in cases of gross negligence or wilful misconduct.
injury or death suffered by any personnel from a Member State while such personnel were engaged in the performance of their official duties,
I believe families and essential personnel were the priority.
Sufficient technical expertise and personnel were available to deal with the outbreak.
The leak was detected minutes before the explosion and all personnel were safely evacuated.
I wanted to know what other American personnel were involved.
Not unless U.S. personnel were under direct attack.
And I love it that the enlisted personnel were included.
Over a thousand Danish civilian personnel were employed to provide maintenance and other non-military services at the air base.
Excess personnel were placed into service projects.
Furthermore, the sales personnel were informed about the details of the undertaking.
In spring 1943 the BRUSA-SIGINT Agreement was signed, and personnel were exchanged.
The convoy suffered two fatalities, but all non-military personnel were taken out of Afghanistan, including several entertainers who were there to perform for the troops.
Courthouse security personnel were so used to seeing cops come and go, nobody gave 'em a second look.
Sudan's President Omar al-Bashir claims that his forces acted after 22 of the northern government's personnel were killed in an ambush by southern armed groups last week.
The head of the Sanctuary, plus other key personnel were targeted in the Tokyo attack.
Some airport personnel were not so lucky... like the ticket agent and security guard Richards shot at point-blank range... when he arrived at the airport.
Finally, commuting costs during two years (i.e., up until 1 January 2005) for key personnel were also a result of the activities in the Production Department to discourage such personnel from leaving Mesta AS.
For instance, the costs of personnel were expected to amount to [...] per turnaround (and [...] when calculated on the basis of daily aircraft turnaround).
Sources say marine and Secret Service personnel were on they were killed in the crash.

Alternatives:

The staff were
The employees were
The team members were
The workers were
The crew were

personnel was

This phrase is correct when referring to the concept of personnel as a singular entity.

Use 'personnel was' when referring to personnel as a singular entity or as a collective noun.