2. Subject-Verb Agreement Agreement – Subjects and Verbs must agree in person and number: Singular Verbs take Singular Subjects Plural Verbs take Plural Subjects Simple, right?
3. Subject-Verb Agreement SV Agreement – Present Tense: PERSON SING. PLURAL 1st I sweep. We sweep. 2nd You sweep. You sweep. 3rd He sweepS. They sweep. Notice how the verb changes its form in third person singular.
4. Subject-Verb Agreement 5A,B. Agreement In Number The Hendersons is/are at the movie theater. The boxes has/have arrived from Spain. The actor is/are reciting his lines.
5. Subject-Verb Agreement 5C. With Phrases and Clauses Sometimes a phrase will come between the subject and verb, but don’t let this confuse you! You still only need the subject and verb agree. 1. The students (at school) has/have many different jobs. 2. Members (of the club) make/makes sandwiches at a shelter.
6. Examples Rule 5 A,B,C Three students in my biology class volunteer/volunteers at the museum. The plays that Shakespeare wrote is/are numerous.
7. Subject-Verb Agreement 5D. Indefinite Pronouns-Pronouns that don’t refer to anything specific. SINGULAR INDEFINITE PRONOUNS: anyone anybody anything everyone everybody everything someone somebody something no one nobody nothing oneeach either neither
8. Subject-Verb Agreement You must be very careful with these pronouns. They are not often used correctly in speech, so they don’t usually sound right. Don’t rely on sound – use your rules. Everyone in Mrs. Williams’ English class works hard. Each of my friends calls me on the weekends.
9. Subject-Verb Agreement 5E. Plural Indefinite Pronouns both few many several Both of Kim’s uncles make custom-designed furniture. Several of us are joining the team.
10. Subject-Verb Agreement 5F. Some indefinite pronouns can be either Singular or Plural depending on the situation. all any more most none some All of your work is excellent. All of the farmers are planting.
11. Examples Rule 5 D,E,F Both of the cats is/are sleeping. Some of the cake is/are frozen. None of our other national parks has/have as many geysers as Yellowstone. Each of my friends has/have a favorite dessert.
12. Subject-Verb Agreement 5G. Compound Subjects If two or more singular subjects are joined by and, they take a plural verb. Judith and Hamnet were twins of Shakespeare. Romeo and Juliet meet at a masquerade.
13. Subject-Verb Agreement 5G. Compound Subjects If a compound subject only names one thing, it takes a singular verb. Chutes and Ladders is a board game. Yogurt and granola is Melanie’s favorite snack.
14. Subject-Verb Agreement 5H. Compound Subjects If two or more singular subjects are joined by or ornor, they take a singular verb. Neither Mary nor Jonas is going to the play. If two or more plural subjects are joined by or or nor, they take a plural verb. Either the Johnsons or the Kosciksare attending the play.
15. Subject-Verb Agreement 5I. Compound Subjects If a singular subject and a plural subject are joined by orornor, the verb agrees with the subject closer to it. Either the play or the poems are written in this book. Either the poems or the play is written in this book.
16. Examples Rule 5G,H,I First, find the conjunction. Then determine agreement. The Globe Theater and William Shakespeare has/have endured time. His closest friend and advisor is/are Richard Burbage. Either this play or this poem is/are written in Latin. Is/are Romeo or Juliet responsible for the death? Neither his mother nor his siblings was/were educated.
17. Subject-Verb Agreement 5J Contractions – remember don’t and doesn’t are really do and does. Use them accordingly. The child at the park don’t/doesn’t know what to do. Some of the children don’t/doesn’t have to attend the play.
18. Subject-Verb Agreement 5K Collective Nouns – name a group of people or things. Audience, class, club, herd, team, family Use a singular verb when the noun is one single unit. Use a plural verb if the noun refers to multiple members (usually doing different things).
19. Subject-Verb Agreement 5K Collective Nouns – name a group of people or things. Ned’s family is/are planning a summer reunion. Ned’s family live/lives in forty different states.
20. Examples Rule 5J,K The shoes in the closet don’t/doesn’t fit me very well. The team of baseball players is/are winning the game. The flock of seagulls is/are flying off in all different directions.
21. Subject-Verb Agreement 5L Predicate Nominatives – a verb agrees with the subject, not the predicate nominative. Karen’s favorite dessert is strawberries. The subject of his report is solutions to combat crime.
22. Subject-Verb Agreement 5M Inverted Order – a verb must agree with its subject even when the sentence is out of order. In a wooden box in the closet is/are all of our old photographs. Here is/are some books I really liked.
23. Examples Rules 5L,M Where is/are all of the books I’ve lent you? The marching bands is/are the main attraction. The attraction is/are the marching bands.
24. Subject-Verb Agreement 5N Amounts – if the amount is single, use a single verb; if the amount is plural – plural verb. Two dollars is the value of that old coin. These two dollars are badly torn. Three months is a long time. These three months are passing very slowly.
25. Subject-Verb Agreement 5O Singular/Plural Exceptions – some nouns are ‘pairs’ of things, or exceptions to all rules. Measles is/are a serious disease. Your eyeglasses is/are on the bookshelf next to the dictionary. These statistics come/comes from the CDC. Statistics is/are a required course for psychology majors.
26. Examples Rules 5N,O Mumps cause/causes fever and painful swelling. Mathematics is/are my favorite subject. Four hundred thousand dollars was/were destroyed at the bank.
27. Subject-Verb Agreement 5P Titles – the title of a work of art is always singular. Van Gogh’s First Steps is a copy of a drawing. “The Daisies” is a song that I enjoy.
28. Examples Rules 5P The Dogs and the Cats, by Joe Schmoe, is/are my favorite book. The United Nations was/were founded in 1945.
29. Subject-Verb Agreement 5Q Subjects preceded by every or many a take singular verbs. Every homeowner has joined the club. Many a litterbug has spent time in jail.
30. Subject-Verb Agreement 5R When a clause is within a sentence, the verb in the clause must agrees with its antecedent. The Garcias, who live next door, are going with us to the lake. This is the store that has the discount sale.
