I really love the rich, ringing harmonies we have at one of the folk clubs I attend and the way an end note sustains while the person singing the verse jumps in...love it. That collective singing of the chorus means I have become familiar with many songs; not by just listening but by being part of something and I'm comparatively new to the folk scene compared to others on here...and I still have a lot of new songs to learn!
Singing along to the verse? I wouldn't presume..not only does it seem presumptuous and discourteous to the singer, but it destroys the interplay of a single voice and multi-layered chorus. Doesn't have to sound like a choir..I rather like the more drunken raucous renditions at the end of a night.