Subject-Verb Agreement

1. Subject-Verb Agreement Professor Jean Garrett Mt. San Antonio College Walnut, California

2. Subject-Verb Agreement The basic principle of subject-verb agreement is: • if the subject of a sentence is singular, the verb should be singular. • The boywalks to school every day. • if the subject is plural, the verb should be plural. • The boyswalk to school every day.

3. Ten Guidelines for Subject-Verb Agreement • Do not let words that come between the subject and verb confuse agreement. Prepositional phrases • Numerous stylesof clothingwere purchased for the new store. • The printingon those posters for the events is too small. • The teacher, as well as her students, was enjoying the fieldtrip. Relative clauses • Jessica, who is the class’s best writer, is entering the contest. Negative phrase follows a positive subject • Ignacio, not the other students, is the one with the correct answer.

4. Ten Guidelines for Subject-Verb Agreement • Do not let reverse order sentences (verb before subject, not the normal order) confuse subject-verb agreement. Put the sentence in its normal order to find the subject and verb. Questions • AreEduardoandAnnacoming with us? [question form] • EduardoandAnnaare coming with us.[normal order] Sentences beginning with “Here” or “There” • There are over fifty new members in the club. [sentence filler] • Over fifty new membersare in the club. [normal order] Sentences beginning with prepositional phrases • Over the fence and into the sky flew the frightened bird. [reverse order] • The frightened birdflew over the fence and into the sky. [normal order]

5. Ten Guidelines for Subject-Verb Agreement • A singular verb agrees with a singular indefinite pronoun that is the subject of a sentence. Most indefinite pronouns are singular. • Eachof the membersis doing the job which was assigned. • Neither of the children is willing to admit his or her guilt. • One of the men was late for inspection. The indefinite pronouns all, any, none, and some do not clearly express either a singular or plural number. Agreement, therefore, depends on the meaning of the sentence. • Allof the piewastasty. • Allof the pieswereready to be eaten. • Noneof the cakewasmoist. • Noneof the cakesaredecorated.

6. Ten Guidelines for Subject-Verb Agreement • Two or more subjects joined by andusually take a plural verb. • The mother and her daughterswere glad to be on vacation. • The dogs and catsneed to be fed. If the parts of a compound subject mean one and the same person or thing, the verb is singular; if the parts mean more than one, the verb is plural. • The secretary and treasureris not present. [one] • The secretary and the treasurerare not present. [more than one]. When “each” or “every” modifies singular subjects joined by “and,” the verb is singular. • Eachboy and each girlchooses a topic for the report. • Everystudent and teacherhas wondered about the dean’s motives.

7. Ten Guidelines for Subject-Verb Agreement • Alternative subjects - that is, subjects joined by or, nor, either/or, neither/nor, not only/but also - should be handled in the following manner: If the subjects are both singular, the verb is singular. • TomasorMaryis picking you up at the airport. If the subjects are plural, the verb is plural. • Neither the studentsnor the teacherswere impressed by his comments. However, if one of the subjects is singular and the other subject is plural, the verb agrees with the nearer subject. • Either her sons or their motherfeeds the dog each day. • Either their motheror her sonsfeed the dog each day.

8. Ten Guidelines for Subject-Verb Agreement • Collective nouns - team, family, group, crew, gang, class, faculty, and the like - take a singular verb if the noun is considered a unit, but they take a plural verb if the group is considered as a number of individuals. • The teamis playing well tonight. • The teamare getting dressed. [In this sentence, the individuals are acting not as a unit but separately.] If you don't like the way the sentence sounds, rewrite it. • The members of the team are getting dressed.

9. Ten Guidelines for Subject-Verb Agreement • Titles of books, essays, short stories, and plays; a word spoken of as a word; and the names of businesses take a singular verb. • The Canterbury Taleswas written by Geoffrey Chaucer. • Jamesis my best friend. • Stapleshas a sale this week.

10. Ten Guidelines for Subject-Verb Agreement • Sums of money, distances, and measurements are followed by a singular verb when a unit is meant. They are followed by a plural verb when the individual elements are considered separately. • Three dollarswas the price. [unit] • Three dollarswere lying there. [individual] • Five yearsis a long time. [unit] • The first five yearswere difficult ones. [individual].

11. Ten Guidelines for Subject-Verb Agreement • Be careful of agreement with nouns ending in -s. Several nouns ending in -s take a singular verb - for example, aeronautics, civics, economics, ethics, measles, mumps. • Mumpsis an unpleasant disease. • Economicsis my major field of study. • Mathematicshas always been my least favorite class.

12. Ten Guidelines for Subject-Verb Agreement • Some nouns have only a plural form and so take only a plural verb - for example, clothes, fireworks, scissors, trousers. • His trousersare badly wrinkled. • Marv's clotheswere stylish and expensive.