A question about singular vs. plural in Spanish

Question

Is it correct to say:

La audiencia es las personas que...

or

La audiencia son las personas que...

I know "la audiencia" is singular, but I vaguely remember being corrected in the past when I have conjugated the verb for a singular noun that refers to more than one person, etc.

By the way, what do you call nouns like "audience" or "group" that are singular but that are made up of more than one thing?

Thanks

They are called "collective" nouns. :) - ian-hill, May 2, 2013

Thanks :) - arh1, May 2, 2013

Answer 1

When the collective noun (a noun that refers to more than one thing or person) is followed immediately by a verb, the noun typically is treated as singular.

Ex: La gente cree que las cosas están mal. (People believe things are bad).

La muchedumbre fue manipulada. (The crowd was manipulated.)

More info: http://spanish.about.com/cs/grammar/f/collectivef.htm