subjectverb agreement

Two or more singular subjects joined by and usually take a plural verb; if two singular nouns refer to the same person or thing, the verb must be singular.. SUBJECT – VERB AGREEMENT The

SUBJECT-VERB AGREEMENT

UNIT 3

1 Two or more singular subjects joined by and usually take a plural verb; if two singular nouns refer to the same person or thing, the verb must be singular.

Ex: - Fire and water do not agree.

- Whiskey and soda are sold here.

- Whiskey and soda is in this glass.

SUBJECT – VERB AGREEMENT

The subject and verb in a sentence must agree in person an

number.

2 If the singular subjects are preceded by EACH, EVERY, the verb is usually

singular.

Ex: - Every boy and girl in this class has to bring his own textbook.

- Each day and each hour brings its duty.

- Everybody in this cooking class has to bring her own flour.

3 The verb agrees with its real subject not its modifiers.

Ex: - Each one of our houses is to let.

- One of my friends has come for a rescue.

- The complaint of the students was too many required subjects.

- The burden of taxes has made her broken down.

- The fear of rape and robbery has caused many people to flee the cities.

- The boys in the room are studying.

4 The subjects followed by: WITH, TOGETHER WITH, ALONG WITH, AS WELL AS, INCLUDED WITH, accompanied by has no effect on the verb.

Ex: - Marry with her sister is strolling in the park.

- Susan together with her classmate has just missed the train.

- The actress, along with her manager and some friends, is going t o the

party tonight.

5.

Singular NOUN

ANYONE | ANYBODY | ANYTHING ANY + SOMEONE | SOMEBODY | SOMETHING

EVERYONE | EVERYBODY | EVERYTHING

NO ONE | NOBODY | NOTHING

EITHER | NEITHER

Must be followed by singular verbs and singular pronouns

Ex: - Anybody who has lost his ticket should report to the desk.

- Nobody works harder than John does.

6 No/None of the + non-count noun + singular verb

No/None of the + plural count noun + plural verb

Ex: - None of the counterfeit money has been found

- None of the students have finished the exam yet.

- No example is relevant to this case.

- No examples are relevant to this case.

7 Subjects joined by Neither … nor, Either … or, … or …, whether … or …, not only … but (also) … the verb agrees with the nearest subject

Ex: - Neither the players nor thereferee was wrong.

- Either John or Bill is going to the beach today.

- Not only you but also he is wrong.

8 Gerunds as subject require singular verb.

Ex: Dieting is very popular nowadays.

9 The number of + plural noun requires singular or plural verb according to the MEANING OF THE SENTENCE, but A number of +

plural noun ALWAYS requires plural verb

Ex: - The number of the students in this class is small (= the

number is small)

- The numeber of the students in this class are small (=

students are small)

- A number of the cows are grazing in the village common.

- A number of boys were caught due to copying.

10 Some nouns which are plural in form, BUT singular in meaning, take

singular verb (politics, news, mathematics, platics, means)

Ex: - No news is good news.

- Mathematics is a branch of study in every school.

- Politics was with him the business of his life

11 Some nouns which are singular in form, BUT plural in

meaning, take plural verb (people, police, public, cattle,

poultry, clergy, ect…)

Ex: - The Police are willing to research the criminals.

- People are happy when news is good.

12 Collecting nouns (congress, family, group, committee, class,

organization, team, army, club, crowd, government, jury, majority, minority,

public) take singular verb when referred AS A UNIT and plural verb when referred AS THE MEMBERS OF THE UNIT.

Ex: - My family is poor My family are early rises.

- The class has nominated its monitor.

- The class take prompt seats.

- The crowd was wild with excitement.

13 When subjects is a fraction, the verb agrees with the

noun in of phrase.

Ex: - Two-thirds of the students were absent yesterday.

- One-third of the money belongs to her. 

14 Majority + singular verb

Majority of + plural noun + plural verb

Ex: - The majority believes that we are in no danger.

- The majority of the Parliament members believe him to be innocent.

15.

A Couple + singular verb

The Couple + plural verb

Ex: - A couple is walking on the path.

- The couple are racing their horses through the meadow.

16. Nouns of the groups of certain animals or things take the 

singular verb: Flock of birds, swarm of ants, school of fish,

herd of cattle, pride of lions, pack of dogs, crowd of students,

fleet of ship, troop of soldiers …

Ex: - The flock of birds is circling overhead.

       - A school of fish is being attacked  by sharks.

17 The plural nouns denoting A PERIOD OF TIME, A SUM OF MONEY, A

DISTANCE AND MEASUREMENTS take the singular verb

Ex: - Thirty dollars is too much to pay for that shirt.

- Fifteen minutes isn’t enough tome to finish this test.

- Two hundred kilometers is a long way for the refugees to run on foot.

- Four times six is twenty four.

18 Nouns that are always plural take the plural verb, if you

want to speak of them as singular, one must say “a pair of …”

Ex: - The pants  are in the drawer.

- A pair of pants is in the drawer.

- These scissors are dull. 

Scissors, shorts ,pants ,jeans ,tongs , trousers ,glasses,pliers,

tweezers ,compasses 

19 The + Adjectives = collective nouns take plural verbs.

Ex: - The wounded were left behind.

- The rich aren’t always happy

20 When the subject of the verb is a plural noun denoting the name of a book, a magazine, a film …, the verb is in singular

Ex: - “The Arabian Nights” is delighted many generations.

- Twelve Bandits is a detective novel.

1 …cats as faithful as dogs?

A Be

B Is

C Am

D Are

2 .  Mathematics… the study of numbers, 

quantities, or shapes

E Be

F Is

G Are

H Was

3.   Each book…unique illustrations

I Have

J Has

K Having

L Haves

4 The people…lining up to get on the train

A Is

B Gets

C Are

D Is being

5.   The captain, together with his crew  members,…struggling to control the ship

E Was

F Were

G Has

H Becomes

6.   Each of our products…guaranteed for  sixty days

I Will

J To be

K Is

L Are

to attend the conference

A Be

B Is

C Are

D Become

8.  Two thirds of the land…already 

been sold

E Is

F Are

G Has

H Have

9.   Not only the teacher but the 

students…opposed to the new uniforms

I Is

J Are

K Will

L Is being

10.   Three hours…too short a time for 

us to talk about this matter

M Is

N Are

O Takes

P take

11.   Could you…me a big favor?

A Offer

B Make

C Work

D Do

12.   He must have missed the train; otherwise, he 

… arrived by now

E Has

F Have

G Had

H Would have

13.  There were plenty of people who…black

I Was wear

J Was wearing

K Wearing

L Were wearing

14.   He is earning ten dollars an hour, which… not a small amount of money

M Be

N To be

O Is

P Are

15.  His daughter is married…a doctor

Q With

R By

S For

T To

1

A Has

B Have

C Is

D Are

2

E He

F They

G It

H We

3

I Are

J Is

K Were

L Have

4

M Is

N Are

O Had

P was

5

A Sees

B Seem

C See

D Says 6

E Sell

F Sells

G Did sell

H Has to sell

Part 7

1.How quickly must customers

bring products back to the

store?

A Within thirty days

B In perfect condition

C Without a receipt

D Thirty days before

2.What kinds of returns are

not accepted?

E Products damaged by the

customer

F Camera products

G Items without an

accompanying receipt

H Unused items

3.What’s the relationship between Mr.Barlow and Mr.Mascis?

A They are family

B They’re good friends

C They work in different companies

D They work in the same company 4.How much is the company currently spending on color toner cartrdges?

E $15

F $1.50

G $25

H $2.50 5.Who can supply the company with inexpensive supplies?

I The manufacturer

J An internet store

K A friend of Mr.Mascis

L A local store

6.How much experience

should preferred

candidates have?

A Less than two years

B More than three

years

C Two or more years

D At least three years

7.Where must qualified

candidates have a

degree from?

E An American

university

F An accredited

university

G A technical college

H Any engineering

school

8.What’s the maximum

salary possible?

I $30000

J $45000

K $75000

L $80000

9.How often is the Golden Oaks Times published?

A Daily

B Once a week

C Once a month

D Annually 10.Which of the following is not true?

E Mr Fenwood has four years experience

F Mr Fenwood’s employer knows he is looking for a new job

G Mr Fenwood has a bad relationship with his current employer

H Mr Fenwood attended a university in California