Subject/Verb Agreement Rules

1. Subject/Verb Agreement Rules 1.) Singular Collective Nouns- a group that acts as one unit and is not divided into action use a singular verb. Ex. The band plays popular songs.

2. 2.) Plural Collective Nouns- when the individuals that make up the group act separately uses a plural verb. Ex. The band were arguing over uniforms.

3. Common Collective Nouns • Class • Family • Team • Audience • Crew • Faculty • crowd

4. More Rules… 3.) Nouns Singular in Meaning but Plural in Form- only a few nouns are plural, news, series, mumps, measles. These nouns use a singular verb. Ex. The news is on TV at six o’clock.

5. 4.) Plural –ics nouns- most nouns that end in –ics are plural, especially if it is preceded by the, a, an, or a possessive noun or pronoun. These nouns agree with a plural verb. Ex. His politics are conservative. The ethics of the group were commendable.

6. Rules Continued… 5.) Singular –ics nouns: singular when –ics nouns are used as one thought or one school subject and will NOT have a modifier in front. These nouns agree with a singular verb. Ex. Politics is everyone’s business.

7. Let’s practice! 1.) Politics (is, are) an interesting career opportunity. 2.) His politics (is, are) known throughout the world. 3.)Mumps (is, are) usually a childhood disease.

8. 4.) The pit crew ( keep, keeps) the race car in good condition. 5.) The crowd (cheer, cheers) for their team at every football game. 6.) The crowd (scatter, scatters) in different directions during the explosion.