Today's Andy Capp Strip

[The Peepmaster]

For goodness sake, don't let Mince have sight of the grammar in today's strip.

[The Peepmaster]

Although I may be wrong...

Flo and Andy are at a wedding, and Flo says "Where are the happy couple?". I immediately thought, hang on, 'couple' is a singular term, and therefore maybe it should be "Where is the happy couple?".

Now I'm thinking the individual components of "the happy couple" could be in two different parts of the room, and so "where are" might be okay...

I need a beer.

[Mince]

Couple is a collective noun and can be singular or plural.

[Roger Kettle]

You have to remember that Flo is from the North East of England and when people from that area talk about---about---LOOK WHAT MINCE HAS DONE TO US!!!!!

[Mince]

My students use multiple exclamation marks as well. I tell them that their life is not that dramatic.

[Roger Kettle]

Really!!!!!

[Mince]

I also tell them that one-word sentence fragments demonstrate an inability to string together an intelligent and coherent response.

[Mince]

Mind you, I get ignored a lot.

[Mince]

Sometimes I find myself in a topic all by myself.

[Roger Kettle]

Really!!!!

[Mince]

But then they come back and start repeating themselves, clear proof that they have run out of anything worthwhile to say.

[Tarquin Thunderthighs lll]

O, that this too, too solid flesh would melt
Thaw and resolve itself into a dew!!!!
Or that the Everlasting had not fix'd
His canon 'gainst self-slaughter!!!!!!

[Mince]

Shakespeare contented himself with just a single exclamation mark in each case.

[Tarquin Thunderthighs lll]

You had to check though, didn't you? 

[The Peepmaster]

Blimey! I've been out with a bird tonight, having posted my message, and come back to this. I'm really grateful for Mince saying about collective nouns being "singular or plural". It answers the question.