Subject-Verb Agreement

By Siyang & Suphaveer 8D

The Simple Principle

Singular subjects---singular verbs Plural subjects---plural verbs

Ex. My brother is a nutritionist. My sisters are mathematicians.

Indefinite Pronouns
Singular indefinite pronouns---singular verbs Plural indefinite pronouns---plural verbs Indefinite pronouns: all, any, most, some, none---can use either singular or plural verbs depending whether the thing referred is countable or not

Ex. Everyone is listening attentively to the presentation. Ex. Many projects are given in a quarter.

Ex. All students love Maam Sharon. All loves Maam Sharon.

Compound Subjects
Compound subjects joined by the conjunction and---plural verb Compound subjects joined by the conjunction or or nor--- the verb should agree with the subject closest to it P.S. Its better to put the plural subject closer to the verb whenever its possible.

Ex. Seyun and Seungbum are Koreans. Ex. Either the students or Maam Sharon is the culprit. Either Maam Sharon or the students are the culprits.

Other Phrases
Phrases such as together with, as well as, and along with are not the same as and. These phrases modify the earlier word, but they do not compound the subjects Ex. The mayor as well as his brothers is going to prison. The mayor and his brothers are going to jail.

Neither and Either

The pronouns neither and either are singular and require singular verbs even though they seem to be referring 2 things Ex. Neither of the students is good at studying. Ex. Either is fine with me.

Here and There

The words here and there are never subjects. With these constructions, the subject follows the verb but still determines the number of the verb Ex. There are two reasons [plural subjects] for this. Ex. There is no reason for this.

Prepositional Phrases and Modifiers

Dont be fooled with prepositional phrases and modifiers that come in between the subject and the verb.

Ex. Some postulates in the Geometry textbook are complex. Ex. The mayor, who has been convicted along with his four brothers on four counts of various crimes but who also seems, like a cat, to have several political lives, is finally going to jail.

Weird Forms of Nouns

Words such as glasses, pants, pliers, and scissors are regarded as plural (and require plural verbs) unless theyre preceded by the phrase pair of (in which case the word pair becomes the subject) Ex. My glasses were broken. A pair of dirty socks is on the room floor.

Special Subjects
Words originally ending in s takes a singular verb Ex. The news informs us of several earthquakes. Some words ending in s refer to a single thing but are plural and require a plural verb Ex. Our thanks go to the workers who build Building 3. The names of sports teams that do not end in s take a plural verb Ex. Manchester United is coming to Thailand.

 Collective nouns take singular or plural verbs depending on how they are used Ex. The class performs skits each year in the chapel. The class come from many countries. Titles of works of music, literature, and art are singular and take singular verbs Ex. Secrets is a popular song of One Republic.

 Words and phrases that express weights, measures, numbers, and lengths of time are singular and take singular verbs Ex. Ten minutes seems like one hour in Geometry class. Fractional expressions are sometimes singular and sometimes plural, depending on the meaning. Ex. Forty percent of the students are in favor of changing the policy. Forty percent of the student body is in favor of changing the policy.

End of Session!
Time for a quiz!