Day5 Subject Verb Agreement

Subject-Verb Agreement
1. If the subject is singular, the verb must be singular too.

Ex: She writes every day.
2. If the subject is plural, the verb must also be plural.

Ex: They write every day.
>Sometimes we use a plural noun for one thing that has two parts.
Example, “trousers”, “pyjamas”, “glasses”, “binoculars”, “scissors”…
3. When the subject of the sentence is composed of two or

more nouns or pronouns connected by “and”, use a plural
verb.
Ex: The doctoral student and the committee members write every day.
The percentage of employees who called in sick and the number of employees
who left their jobs within 2 years are reflective of the level of job satisfaction.
4. When there is one subject and more than one verb, the
verbs throughout the sentence must agree with the
subject.
Ex: Interviews are one way to collect data and allow researchers to gain an in-depth
understanding of participants.
An assumption is something that is generally accepted as true and is an important
consideration when conducting a doctoral study.
5. When a phrase comes between the subject and the verb,

remember that the verb still agrees with the subject, not
the noun or pronoun in the phrase following the subject of
the sentence.
Ex: The student, as well as the committee members, is excited.
The student with all the master’s degrees is very motivated.
Strategies that the teacher uses to encourage classroom participation include
using small groups and clarifying expectations.
The focus of the interviews was nine purposively selected participants.
6. When we think of a sum of money, a period of time, a

distance etc. as one thing. So we use a singular verb.
Ex: Fifty thousand pounds (= it) was stolen in the robbery. (not were stolen)
Three years (= it) is a long time to be without a job. (not Three years are)
Two miles isn't very far to walk.
7. When a compound subject contains both a singular and

a plural noun or pronoun joined by "or" or "nor," the verb
should agree with the part of the subject that is closest to
the verb. This is also called the rule of proximity.
Ex: The student or the committee members write every day.
The committee members or the student writes every day.
8. The words and phrases "each", "each one", "either",

"neither", "everyone", "everybody", "anyone", "anybody",
"nobody", "somebody", "someone" and "no one" are
singular and require a singular verb.
Ex: Each of the participants was willing to be recorded.
Neither alternative hypothesis was accepted.
I will offer a $5 gift card to everybody who participates in the study.
No one was available to meet with me at the preferred times.
9. Noncount nouns take a singular verb. (Subjects,

diseases, sports…)
>Some examples are: athletics; economics; gymnastics; maths (=mathematics);
The United States; Rabies; The Sun; Pacific Ocean…
Ex: Athletics is extremely hard.
Diabetes affects many people around the world.
The information obtained from the business owners was relevant to include in
the study.
The United States is one of the biggest countries on the world.
Note: News is not plural
Ex: What time is the news on TV?
10. Some countable nouns in English such as earnings,

goods, odds, surroundings, proceeds, contents, and
valuables only have a plural form and take a plural verb.
Ex: The earnings for this quarter exceed expectations.
The proceeds from the sale go to support the homeless population in the city.
Locally produced goods have the advantage of shorter supply chains.
11. In sentences beginning with "there is" or "there are,"
the subject follows the verb.
>Since "there" is not the subject, the verb agrees with what follows the verb.
Ex: There is little administrative support.
There are many factors affecting teacher retention.
12. Collective nouns are words that imply more than one
person but are considered singular and take a singular
verb.
>Some examples are: audience; group; team; committee; government; staff; team;
family; and "class."
Ex: The group meets every week.
The committee agrees on the quality of the writing.
>We use a plural verb with police
Ex: The police are investigating the crime but haven't arrested anyone yet.
>However, the plural verb is used if the focus is on the individuals in the group. This is
much less common.
Ex: The committee participate in various volunteer activities in their private lives.
Exercises:
Choose the correct form of the verb, singular or plural. In two sentences either the
singular or plural verb is possible.
1 Gymnastics is/are my favourite sport. (“is” is correct)
2 The trousers you bought for me doesn't/don't fit me.
3 The police want/wants to interview two men about the robbery last week.
4 Physics was/were my best subject at school.
5 Can I borrow your scissors? Mine isn't/aren't sharp enough.
6 it's a nice place to visit. The people is/are very friendly.
7 Fortunately the news wasn't/weren't as bad as we expected.
8 Where does/do your family live?
9 I can't find my binoculars. Do you know where it is/they are?
10 Does/Do the police know how the accident happened?
11 Germany is/are playing Spain tomorrow night, but it's not on TV.
12 Most people enjoy/enjoys music.
Most of these sentences are wrong. Correct them where necessary.
1 Three years are a long time to be without a job. __Three years is______
2 The government have decided to increase taxes. _______OK__________
3 Susan was wearing a black jeans. ___________________
4 I don't like hot weather. Thirty degrees is too hot for me. ___________________
5 I like Martin and jane. They're very nice persons. ___________________
6 Ten pounds aren't enough. I need more money than that ___________________
7 I'm going to buy a new pyjama. ___________________
8 The committee haven't made a decision yet. ___________________
9 There was a police directing traffic in the street ___________________
10 What is the police going to do? ___________________
11 This scissors isn't very sharp. ___________________
12 Four days isn't enough for a good holiday. ___________________
Underline the subject (or compound subject) and then identify the verb that
agrees with it.
Everyone in the telecom focus group (has/have) experienced problems with
cell phones
1. Your friendship over the years and your support (has/have) meant a great
deal to us.
2. Hamilton Family Center, a shelter for teenage runaways in San Francisco,
(offers/offer) a wide variety of services.
3. The main source of income for Trinidad (is/are) oil and pitch.
4. The chances of your being promoted (is/are) excellent.
5. There (was/were) a Pokémon card stuck to the refrigerator.
6. Neither the professor nor his assistants (was/were) able to solve the mystery of
the eerie glow in the laboratory.
7. Many hours at the driving range (has/have) led us to design golf balls with
GPS locators in them.
8. Discovered in the soil of our city garden (was/were) a button dating from the
Civil War dating from the turn of the century.
9. Every year, during the midsummer festival, the smoke of village bonfires
(fills/fill) the sky.
10. The story performers (was/were) surrounded by children and adults eager to
see magical tales.
Choose the correct word or phrase to complete each sentence.
1. Peter and Sally (have/has) red bicycles.
2. The Philippines (are/is) made up of many islands.
3. Three hundred dollars (is/are) a lot of money.
4. A number of students in the class (has/have) cell phones.
5. Some of the fish (were/was) sick.
6. Either my shoes or your coat (is/are) always on the floor.
7. The man with all the birds (live/lives) on my street.
8. The movie, including all the previews, (take/takes) about two hours to watch.
9. Mathematics (is/are) John's favorite subject, while Civics (is/are) Andrea's favorite
subject.
10. There (was/were) fifteen candies in that bag. Now there (is/are) only one left!
11. All of the CDs, even the scratched one, (is/are) in this case.
12. The committee members (leads/lead) very different lives in private.
13. Everyone (has/have) done his or her homework.
14. Each of the students (is/are) responsible for doing his or her work.
15. Either my father or my brothers (is/are) going to sell the car.
16. Neither my sisters nor my mother (is/are) going to sell the house.
17. The samples on the tray in the lab (need/needs) testing.
18. Mary and John usually (plays/play) together.
19. Both of the dogs (has/have) collars.
20. Neither the dogs nor the cat (is/are) very hungry.
21. Either the girls or the boy (walk/walks) in the evening.
22. Either the boy or the girls (walk/walks) in the evening.
23. At the end of the fall (comes/come) the hard tests.
24. The slaughter of animals for their fur (has/have) caused controversy.
25. The student, as well as his teacher, (was/were) going on the field trip.
26. The hard tests (comes/come) at the end of the fall.
27. Both of my roommates (has/have) decided to live in the dorms.

Day5 Subject Verb Agreement

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Day5 Subject Verb Agreement

Uploaded by

Document Information

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Day5 Subject Verb Agreement

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Subject-Verb Agreement

1. If the subject is singular, the verb must be singular too.

2. If the subject is plural, the verb must also be plural.

3. When the subject of the sentence is composed of two or

5. When a phrase comes between the subject and the verb,

6. When we think of a sum of money, a period of time, a

7. When a compound subject contains both a singular and

8. The words and phrases "each", "each one", "either",

9. Noncount nouns take a singular verb. (Subjects,

10. Some countable nouns in English such as earnings,

You might also like