Subject Verb Agreement
16.17
Sentence
: Subject + Verb
Example :
Example :
a. I
+ work = I work
b. The
car in the garage + is mine = The car in the garage is mine
c. The
man with the black jacket + is my father = The man with the black jacket is my
father
d. The
man who is standing before the door + is my father = The man who is standing before
the door is my father
Basic
Rule / Principle :
Singular subject need singular verbs; plural subject need plural verbs.
Singular subject need singular verbs; plural subject need plural verbs.
Example :
a. My
brother is a nutritionist
b. My
sisiter are mathematicians
Note
: The trick is in knowing whether the subject is singular or plural. The next
trick is recognizing singular or plural verb.
What is the subject? (is the subject singular?/Is the subject plural?
What is the verb?
Do the subject and the verb agree?
What is the subject? (is the subject singular?/Is the subject plural?
What is the verb?
Do the subject and the verb agree?
Rule
1. Indefinite Pronouns
The indefinite pronouns anyone, everyone, someone,
no one, nobody are always singular and therefore, require singular verbs.
-
Everyone has done his or her homework
-
Someone has left her purse
-
Nobody is in the room
Exceptions
1 : all & some
Some indefinite pronouns such as all, some are
singular or plural depending on what they are refering to. (Is the thing
referred to countable or not?) Be careful when choosing a verb to accompany
such pronouns.
-
Some of the books are missing
-
Some of the water is gone
Exception
2 : None
None can be singular or plural depending on the noun
that follows.
-
None of the students are in the class
-
None of the food is fresh
Special
Case : Each
Each is always singular. Don’t be confused/ddistracted
with the plural nouns following it.
-
Each of the students is responsible for
his/her homework
-
Each of the cars has different color
Rule
2 : Together with, as well as, and along with
Phrases such as together with, as well as, and along
with are not same as and. They don’t add or compound the subject.
-
The mayor, as well as his brothers, is
going to prison
-
The mayor and his brothers are going to
jail
-
My friends, together with Rani, are at
school
Additional
explanation
Sometimes the subject is separated from the verb by word such as along with, as well as, besides, or not. Ignore these expressions when detel mining whether to use a singular or plural verb.
Sometimes the subject is separated from the verb by word such as along with, as well as, besides, or not. Ignore these expressions when detel mining whether to use a singular or plural verb.
Examples :
-
The politican, along with the newsmen,
is expected shortly
-
Excitement, as well as nervousness, is
the cause of her shaking.
Rule
3 :Subject separated from the verb/appositives
Sometimes modifiers will get between a subject and
its verb, but these modifiers must not confused the agreement between the
subject and its verb.
-
The mayor, who has been convicted along
with his four counts of various crimes but who also seems, like a cat, to have
several political lives, is finally going to jail.
Rule
4 : The pronouns of Adjective Clause
Sometimes the pronouns who, that, or which is the
subject of a verb in the middle of the sentence. The pronouns who, that and
which become singular or plural according to the noun directly in front of
them. So, if taht noun is singular, use a singular verb. If it is plural, use a
plural verb.
-
Salma is the scientist who writes the
reports.
The
word in front of who is scientist, which is singular. Therefore, use the
singular verb writes.
-
He is one of the men who does work
The
word in front of who is men, which is plural. Therefore, use the plural verb
do.
Rule
5 : Either + Or and
Neither + Or
Or does not conjoin (as and does) : when nor oror is
used the subject closer to the verb determines the number of the verb. Whether
the subject comes before or after the verb doesn’t matter :
-
Either my father or my brothers are
going to sell the house
-
Neither my brothers nor my father is
going to sell the house
-
Are either my brothers or my father
responsible?
-
Is either my father or my brothers
responsible?
Pronouns
: Either and Neither
The pronouns neither and either are singular and
require singular verbs even though they seem to be referring, in a sense, to
two things.
-
Neither of the two traffic lights is
working.
Either
of us is capable of doing the job
-
Which shirt do you want for Christmas?
Either
is fine with me
Be careful!
In informal writing, neither and either sometimes
take a plural verb when these pronouns are followed by a prepositional phrase
beginning with of. This particularly true of interrogative contructions :
“Have either of you two clowns read the assignment?”
“Are either of you taking this seriously?
Rule
6 : Pseudo Subject There and Here
The word there and here are never subjects. The real
subject come after the verbs.
-
There are two reasons (plural subject)
for this
-
There is no reason for this
-
Here are two apples
-
Here is the key
Rule
7 : Third Party Singular He, She, It,
Personal name
Verbs in the present tense for third-person,
singular subject (he, she, it and anything those words can stand for : Rani,
Dani, The cat, The table) have s-endings. Other verbs do not add s-endings.
Have -> Has
Example :
-
She teaches English
-
Rani teaches English
-
The cat eats fish
-
It eats fish
-
He has good pesonality
-
It has beutifull fur
Remember!
Add –s / es only to present verb, not to past or
past participle verbs. The past form of singular “be” is “was”.
Singular Present : -
She takes the offer (v)
-
She is here - She tooks the offer (x)
Singular past : -
She took the offer (v)
-
She was here
Rule
8 : Words end in –s
Singular : Some words end in –s and appear to be
plural but are really singular and require singular verbs.
-
The news from the front is bad
-
Measles is a dangerous disease for
pregnant women
Plural : But, some words end in –s and appear to be
plural and require plural verbs.
-
My assets were wiped out in the
depression
-
The average worker’s earnings have gone
up dramatically
-
Our thanks go to workers supported the
union
List of singular words end in –s :
-
Diseases : Measles, rabies. Fileds of
study and
-
Occupation : Economics, ethics,
lingustics, politics, physics, gymnastics.
-
Games : Dominoes, darts, cards.
Example
: Mathematics is my favorite lesson
List of plural words end in –s (only with certain
meanings)
-
Customs (at the airport, not practices)
-
Guts (courage, not intestines)
-
Quarters (lodgings, not 1/4s)
-
Clothes (garments, not fabrics)
-
Gods (merchandise, not the opposite of
bad)
-
Arms (weapons, not limb)
Example
: The goods are the warehouse.
Nouns that are always plural :
Pants Tweezers Tongs
Clothes Pajamas Shorts
Binoculars Police Goggles
Jeans Shorts Tweezers
Forceps Glasses Example : The scissors are on the table
Trousers Scissors The pair of the jeans needs to be washed
Clothes Pajamas Shorts
Binoculars Police Goggles
Jeans Shorts Tweezers
Forceps Glasses Example : The scissors are on the table
Trousers Scissors The pair of the jeans needs to be washed
Rile
9 : Fractional Expressions Half of, a
part of, a percentage of, and so forth
With words that indicate portions-percent, fraction,
part, majority, some, all, none, remainder, and so forth – look at the noun in
your of phrase (pbject of the preposition) to determine whether to use a
singular or plural verb. If the object of the preposition is singular, use a
singular verb. If the object of the preposition is plural, use a plural verb.
Examples :
-
Fifty percent of the pie has disappeared
-
Pie is the object of the preposition of
-
Fifty percent of the pies have
disappeared
-
Pies is the object of the preposition
-
One-third of the city is unemployed
-
One-third of the people are uneployed
Rule
10 : Negative & Postive Subjects
If your sentence compounds a positive and a negative
subject and one is plural, the other singular, the verb should agree with the
positive subject.
-
The department members but not the chair
have decided not to teach on Valentine’s day
-
It is not faculty members but the
president who decides this issue
-
It was the speaker, not his ideas, that
has provoked the students to riot.
Rule
11 : Sum of money or periods
Use a singular verb with sums of money or periods of
time
Examples :
-
Ten dollars is a high price to pay
-
Five years is the the maximum sentence
for that offense
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