Subject Verb Agreement
SENTENCE
Subject + Verb
Example :
I work
She works
The car in the garage is mine
The man with the black jacket is my
father
The man who is standing before the door is my
father
BASIC RULE / PRINCIPLE
Singular subject need singular
verb
Plural subject need plural
verb
Example :
My brother is a
nutritionist.
My sister are mathematicians.
Tips and Tricks
NOTE :
The tricks is in knowing whether
the subject is singular or plural.
The next tricks is recognize a singular or plural verb.
RULE 1 – Indefinite Pronouns
The indefinite pronouns anyone, everyone, someone, no one,
nobody are always singular and,
therefore, require singular
verbs.
Everyone has done his
or her homework.
Somebody has left her
purse.
Nobody is in the room.
Exception 1 : all &
some
Some indefinite pronouns such
as all, some
are singular or plural depending on what
they are referring to. ( Is the thing referred to countable or not? ) Be
careful when choosing a verb to accompany such pronouns.
Some of
the books are missing.
Some of
the water is gone.
Exception 2 : None
None can be singular or plural depending on the noun that
follows.
None of
the students are in the class
None of
the food is fresh
Special case : Each
Each of students is responsible for his/her homework
Each of
the cars has different color
RULE 2 : Together with, as well as, and along with
Prashes such as together with, as well as, and along
with are not the same as and. They
don’t add or compound the subject.
Example :
The mayor, as well as his brothers, is going to prison.
The mayor and his
brother are going to Bali.
My friends, together with Rani, are at school.
Auditional explanation
Sometimes the subject is
separated from the verb by words such as along with, as well as, besides, or not. Ignore these expressions when determining whether to
use a singular or plural verb.
Example :
The politician,along with the newsmen, is expected shortly.
Excitement, as well as nervouseness, is the cause of her shaking.
RULE 3 : Subject separated
from the verb / appositive
Sometimes modifiers will get
between a subject and its verb, but these modifiers must not confuse the
agreement between the subject and its verb.
Example :
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.
RULE 4 : The pronouns of
Adjective clause
Sometimes the pronouns the
pronoun who, that, or which is the subject of a verb in the middle of the
sentence. The pronouns who, that, and which become singular or plural according
to the noun directly in front of them. So, if that noun is singular, use a
singular verb. If it is plural, use a plural verb.
Example :
Salma is
the scientist who writes
the reports.
The word in front of who is
scientist, which is singular. Therefore, use the singular verb writes.
He is one of the men who does the work.
The word in front of who is
men, whih is plural. Herefore, use the plural verb do.
RULE 5 : Either + Or and Neither + Nor
Or does not conjoin (as and does): when nor or
or is used the subject closer to the verb determines the
number of the verb. Wheter the subject comes before or after the verb doesn’t
matter :
Either my
father or my brother are going to sell the house.
Neither my brother nor my father is going to sell the house.
Are either my
brothers or my father responsible ?
Is either my
father or my brothers responsible ?
Pronouns : Either and Neither
The pronouns neither and
either are singular and require singular verbs even though
they seem to be referring, in a sense, to two things.
Example :
Neither of
the two traffic lights is working.
Either of us is capable of doing the job.
Which shirt do you want for
christmas ?
Either is fine with
me.
Be Careful !
In informal writing, neither and
either sometimes take a plural verb when these pronouns are
followed by a prepositional phrase beginning with of. This particulary true of
interrogative constructions.
Example :
“ Have either of you two clowns read the assigment ? “
“ Are either of you taking this seriously ? “
RULE 6: Pseudo Subject – There and Here
The words there and
here are never subjects. The real subjects come after the
verbs.
Example :
There are
two reasons (plural subject) for
this.
There is
no reason for this.
Here are two apples.
Here is the key.
RULE 7: Third Party Singular
– He, She, it, personal name
Verbs in the present tense for
third-person, singular subjects (he, she, it, and anything those words can
stand for: Rani, Dani, the cat, the table) have sending. Other verbs do not add
sendings.
Example:
She teaches Engish
Rani teaches English
The cat eats fish
It eats fish
Have has
He has good personality
It has beautiful fur
Remember !
Add – s / es only to present
verbs, not to past or past participle verbs. The past form of singular “be” is
“was”.
Example :
Singular Present :
She is there
Singular Past :
She was here
She takes the offer (v)
She tooks the offer (x)
She took the offer (v)
RULE 8: Words end in –s
Singular
Some words end in –s and
appear to be plural but are really singular and require singular verbs.
Example :
The news from
the front is bad.
Measles is a
dangerous disease for pregnant women.
Plural
But, some words end in –s and
appear to be plural and require plural verbs.
Example :
My assets were wiped out in the
depression.
The average worker”s earnings have gone up
dramatically.
Our thanks go to the workers who
supported the union.
List of Singular words end in –s
Diseases :
Measles, rabies, fields of
study and
Occuopation :
Economics, ethics, linguistics,
politics, phisics, gymnastics.
Games :
Dominoes, darts, cards.
Example :
Mathematics is my
favorite lesson.
List of Plural words end in –s (only
with certain meanings).
Customs (at the airport, not practices)
Guts (courage,
not intestine)
Quarters (lodgings, not 1/4s)
Clothes (garmets, not fabrics)
Goods (merchandise, not the opposite of bad)
Arms (weapons,
not limb)
Example :
The goods are in the
warehouse.
Nouns that are always plural
:
Pants
Clothes
Binoculars
Jeans
Forceps
Trousers
Tongs
Shorts
Tweezers
Pajamas
Police
Shorts
Glasses
Scissors
Goggles
Examples :
The scissors are on the
table.
The pair of the jeans needs to be washed.
RULE 9: Fractional
Expressions (Half
of, a part of, a precentage of, and so forth)
With words that indicate
portions – percent, fraction, part, majority, some, all, none, remainder, and
so forth – look at the noun in your of phrase (object of the preposition) to
determine whether to use a singular or plural verb. If the object of the
preposition is singular, use a singular verb. If the object of the preposition
is plural, use a plural verb.
Example :
Fifty percent of the pie has disappeared.
Pie is the object of the
preposition of.
Fifty percent of the pies have disappeared.
Pies is the object of the
preposition
One – third of the city is uneployed.
One – third of the people are
uneployed
RULE 10: Negative and Positive Subjects
If your sentence compound a
positive and negative subject and one is plural, the other singular, the verb
should agree with the positive subject.
Example :
The department members but not the chair have decide
not to teach on Valentine’s Day.
It is not the faculty members but the
president who decide this issue.
It was the speaker, not
his ideas, that has provoked the
students to riot.
RULE 11: Sum of money or periods
Use singular verb with sums of
money or periods of time.
Example :
Ten dollars is a high price to pay.
Five years is the maximum sentence for that.
