SUBJECT
VERB AGREEMENT
A. Subject
Subject is the person/people/thing(s) that
do the activity. I, you, they, we, she, he, it.
B. Verb
Verb is a word used to describe an action, state, or
occurrence, and forming the main part of the predicate of a sentence.
Kind of verbs:
1.
Action
Verb
• Also known as “Main Verb”.
•
Action
verbs are words that express action (give, eat, walk, etc.) or possession
(have, own, etc.).
•
Action
verbs can be either transitive (with object) or intransitive (without object).
Example:
-
Laurissa raises
her hand.
(kkt)
-
Laurissa
rises slowly from her seat. (kki)
2. Linking Verbs
A linking verb connects the subject
of a sentence to a noun or adjective that renames or describes the subject.
To Be: is,
am, are, was, were
Example: Lisa is in love with
Jason.
Verb:
seem, appear, become, grow, remain, get, prove, turn, look, sound, smell,
taste, feel.
Example: She looks pale.
3. Helping
Verbs
Helping verbs are used before action
or linking verbs to convey additional information regarding aspects of
possibility (can, could, etc.) or time (was, did, has, etc.)
MODALS always function as Helping
Verbs.
MODALS: can, could, may, might,
shall, will, ought to, should, would.
Example : Tejo is (helping
verb) going (main verb) to Florida.
Main Rule of
Subject Verb Agreement
1. Subjects and verbs must agree in
number. This is the cornerstone rule that forms the background of the concept.
Example
:
-
The
dog growls when it is angry.
-
The
dogs growl when they are angry
2.
Don’t get confused by the words that come between the
subject and verb; they do not affect agreement.
Examples: The dog, who is chewing on my jeans, is
usually very good.
3. Prepositional phrases between the
subject and verb usually do not affect agreement.
Examples: The colors of the rainbow are
beautiful.
4. When sentences start with “there” or
“here,” the subject will always be placed after the verb, so care needs to be
taken to identify it correctly.
Example
: There is a problem with the balance sheet. Here are the
papers you requested.
5. If two subjects are joined by and,
they typically require a plural verb form.
Example : The cow and the pig are
jumping over the moon.
6. The verb is singular if the two
subjects separated by and refer to the same person or thing.
Example: Red beans and rice is my mom's
favorite dish.
7. If one of the words each, every,
or no comes before the subject, the verb is singular.
Example: No smoking or drinking is allowed.
8. If the subjects are both singular
and are connected by the words or, nor, neither/nor, either/or, and not
only/but also the verb
is singular.
Example: Jessica or
Christian is to blame for the accident.
9. The only time when the object of the
preposition decides plural or singular verb forms is when noun and pronoun
subjects like some, half, none, more, all, etc. are followed by a
prepositional phrase. In these sentences, the object of the preposition
determines the form of the verb.
Example:
-
All of the
chicken is gone.
-
All
of the chickens are gone.
10. The singular verb form is usually
used for units of measurement or time.
Example: Four quarts of
oil was required to get the car running.
11. If the subjects are both plural and
are connected by the words or, nor, neither/nor, either/or, and not only/but
also, the verb is plural.
Example: Dogs and cats are both available at
the pound.
12. If one subject is singular and one plural and the words are
connected by the words or, nor, neither/nor, either/or, and not only/but
also, you use the verb form of the subject that is nearest the verb.
Example:
-
Either the
bears or the lion has escaped from the zoo.
-
Neither
the lion nor the bears have escaped from the zoo.
13. Indefinite pronouns (everything,
anything, everyone, someone, somebody, nothing, etc) typically take
singular verbs.
Example:
-
Everybody
wants to be loved.
-
Everything
is gonna be alright.
14. Except for the pronouns (few, many,
several, both, all, some) that always take the plural form.
Example: Few were left alive after the flood.
15. If two infinitives are separated by and
they take the plural form of the verb.
Example: To walk and to chew gum require
great skill.
16. When gerunds are used as the subject
of a sentence, they take the singular verb form of the verb; but, when they are
linked by and, they take the plural form.
Example: Standing in the water was a bad idea.
17. Collective nouns like family,
committee, herd, senate, class, crowd, etc. usually take a singular verb form.
Example: The herd is stampeding.
18. Titles of books, movies, novels,
etc. are treated as singular and take a singular verb.
Exercise :
Subject and Verb Agreement
Exercise
Choose the correct form of the verb that agrees with
the subject.
1.
Annie and her brothers ( are) at school.
2.
Either my mother or my father (are) coming to the meeting.
3.
The dog or the cats (are) outside.
4.
Either my shoes or your coat (are) always on the floor.
5.
George and Tamara (don't) want to see that movie.
6.
Benito (doesn't) know the answer.
7.
One of my sisters (is) going on a trip to France.
8.
The man with all the birds (live) on my street.
9.
The movie, including all the previews, (takes) about two hours to watch.
10.
The players, as well as the captain, (want) to win.
11.
Either answer (are) acceptable.
12.
Every one of those books (are) fiction.
13.
Nobody (know) the trouble I've seen.
14.
(Are) the news on at five or six?
15.
Mathematics (are) John's favorite subject, while Civics (are) Andrea's
favorite subject.
16.
Eight dollars (are) the price of a movie these days.
17.
(is) the tweezers in this drawer?
18.
Your pants (are) at the cleaner's.
19.
There (were) fifteen candies in that bag. Now there (is) only one left!
20.
The committee (debate) these questions carefully.
21.
The committee lead) very different lives in private.
22.
The Prime Minister, together with his wife, (greets) the press cordially.
23.
All of the CDs, even the scratched one, (is) in this case.
Thank you.
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