Hallo guys, Today we will enter the material about “SUBJECT VERB AGREEMENT”.
what is subject? Subject is the person/people/thing(s)
that do the activity.
User subject is I, you, they, we,
she, he, it, my dad and my mom, Linda, Sussi, Linda and Sussi, the bank, the
flight schedule, etc.
What is verb? Verb is a word used to
describe an action, state, or occurrence, and forming the main part of the
predicate of a sentence.
Kinds of verb
1.
Action verbs
·
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).
For example:
1.
Laurissa
raises her hand. (kkt)
2.
Abdus gave Becky the pencil. (kkt)
3.
Laurissa rises slowly from her seat. (kki)
4.
He was pontificating about art and history. (kki)
2.
Lingking verbs
A linking verb connects the subject of a
sentence to a noun or adjective that renames or describes the subject.
User to be: is, am, are, was, were
For example:
Lisa is in love with Jason.
We were there!
I am happy
User verb: seem, appear, become, grow, remain,
get, prove, turn, look, sound, smell, taste, feel.
For example:
She looks pale.
I feels happy
That sounds great!
Your cook smells good.
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.
For examples:
1.
Tejo is (helping verb) going (main
verb) to Florida.
2.
The trip might (helping verb) be (main
verb) dangerous.
3.
Tanya could learn to fly helicopters. (Could helps the main verb, learn.)
4.
Janine will drive to Idaho tomorrow. (Will helps the main verb, drive.)
Main rule of “Subject Verb Agreement”. Just remember the
subject affects the verb!
RULE 1
Subjects and verbs must agree in
number. This is the cornerstone rule that forms the background of the concept.
For examples:
The dog growls when it is angry.
The dogs growl when they
are angry.
RULE 2
Don’t get confused by the words
that come between the subject and verb; they
do not
affect agreement.
For example:
The dog, who is
chewing on my jeans, is usually very good.
RULE 3
Prepositional phrases between the
subject and verb usually do not affect
agreement.
For example:
The colors of the
rainbow are beautiful.
RULE 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.
For example:
There is a problem with
the balance sheet. Here are the papers you requested.
RULE 5
If two subjects are joined by and, they typically require a plural verb
form.
For example:
The cow and the pig are jumping over the moon.
RULE 6
The verb is singular if the two
subjects separated by and refer to the same
person
or thing.
Examples:
Red beans and rice is my mom's
favorite dish.
RULE 7
If one of the words each, every,
or no comes before the subject, the verb is
singular.
Examples:
No smoking or drinking is allowed.
Every man and woman is required to
check in.
RULE 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.
Examples:
Jessica or Christian is to blame
for the accident.
RULE 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.
Examples:
All of the chicken is gone.
All of the chickens are gone.
RULE 10
The singular verb form is usually
used for units of measurement or time.
Examples:
Four quarts of oil was
required to get the car running.
RULE 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.
Examples:
Dogs and cats are both available at
the pound.
RULE 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.
Examples:
1.
Either the bears or the lion has escaped from the
zoo.
2.
Neither the lion nor the bears
have escaped from the zoo.
RULE 13
Indefinite pronouns (everything,
anything, everyone, someone, somebody, nothing, etc) typically take
singular verbs.
Examples:
Everybody wants to be loved.
Everything is gonna be alright.
RULE 14
Except for the pronouns (few, many,
several, both, all, some) that always take the plural form.
Examples:
Few were left alive after the
flood.
Several students understand the
material.
RULE 15
If two infinitives are separated by
and they take the plural form of the verb.
Examples:
To walk
and to chew gum require great skill.
RULE 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.
Examples:
1.
Standing in the water was a bad idea.
2.
Swimming in the ocean and playing drums are my hobbies.
RULE 17
Collective nouns like family,
committee, herd, senate, class, crowd, etc. usually take a singular verb form.
Examples:
1.
The herd is
stampeding.
2.
Cooper family always attends the annual party.
RULE 18
Titles of books, movies, novels,
etc. are treated as singular and take a singular
verb.
For examples:
1.
The Burbs is a movie starring Tom Hanks.
2.
Harry Potter has reached Top 3 Best Seller
books.
Exercise : Subject and Verb
Agreement Exercise
Choose the correct form of the verb that agrees with
the subject.
1. Annie and her
brothers (is, are) at school.
2. Either my mother
or my father (is, are) coming to the meeting.
3. The dog or the
cats (is, are) outside.
4. Either my shoes
or your coat (is, are) always on the floor.
5. George and
Tamara (doesn't, don't) want to see that movie.
6. Benito (doesn't,
don't) know the answer.
7. One of my
sisters (is, are) going on a trip to France.
8. The man with all
the birds (live, lives) on my street.
9. The movie,
including all the previews, (take, takes) about two hours to watch.
10. The players, as well as the captain, (want, wants) to
win.
11. Either answer (is, are) acceptable.
12. Every one of those books (is, are) fiction.
13. Nobody (know, knows) the trouble I've seen.
14. (Is, Are) the news on at five or six?
15. Mathematics (is, are) John's favorite subject, while
Civics (is, are) Andrea's favorite subject.
16. Eight dollars (is, are) the price of a movie these
days.
17. (Is, Are) the tweezers in this drawer?
18. Your pants (is, are) at the cleaner's.
19. There (was, were) fifteen candies in that bag. Now
there (is, are) only one left!
20. The committee (debates, debate) these questions
carefully.
21. The committee (leads, lead) very different lives in
private.
22. The Prime Minister, together with his wife, (greets, greet)
the press cordially.
23. All of the CDs, even the scratched one, (is, are) in
this case.
ANSWER:
1. Annie and her
brothers are at school.
2. Either my mother
or my father is coming to the meeting.
3. The dog or the
cats are outside.
4. Either my shoes or
your coat is 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 lives 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 is acceptable.
12. Every one of
those books is fiction.
13. Nobody knows the trouble I've seen.
14. Is the news on at five or six?
15. Mathematics is John's favorite subject, while Civics is Andrea's favorite subject.
16. Eight dollars is the price of a movie these days.
17. Are 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 debates 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, are in this case.
