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The subject and verb agreement
The subject and the verb must agree in number: both must be singular or both must be plural. Students have problems with subject verb agreement when the verb is a form of be or have, or when the verb is in present tense.
Rules for subject verb agreement
Ø When words like the following are used as subjects, they take singular verb.
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Everybody
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Anybody
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Somebody
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Nobody
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Each
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Everyone
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Anyone
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Someone
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No one
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Either
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Everything
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Anything
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Something
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Nothing
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Neither
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Everybody knows the answer.
Nobody speaks German here.
Somebody was in the room.
Ø Two singular subjects connected by or or nor require a singular verb.
Example:
Ram or shyam is arriving by train today.
Ram or shyam is arriving by train today.
There arriving only one subject ram or shyam
Ø Collective nouns such as team and staff may be either singular or plural depending on their use in the sentence.
Examples:
The staff is in a meeting.
The staff is in a meeting.
Staff is acting as a unit here.
The staff are in disagreement about the findings.
The staff are acting as separate individuals in this example.
The sentence would read even better as:
The staff members are in disagreement about the findings.
The staff are acting as separate individuals in this example.
The sentence would read even better as:
The staff members are in disagreement about the findings.
Ø When every and each come before a singular subject joined by and, the verb is singular.
Every man and woman has the right to vote.
Each student and teacher was aware of the difficulty.
Ø Sometimes 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.
Examples:
Salma is the scientist who writes/write 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/do the work.
The word in front of who is men, which is plural. Therefore, use the plural verb do.
Salma is the scientist who writes/write 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/do the work.
The word in front of who is men, which is plural. Therefore, use the plural verb do.
Ø When I is one of the two subjects connected by either/or or neither/nor, put it second and follow it with the singular verb am.
Example:
Neither she nor I am going to the festival.
Neither she nor I am going to the festival.
Ø Prepositional phrases that come between the subject and the verb do not change the number of the subject.
The teacher as well as the students was working on the problem.
The mother together with her children is waiting.
Some examples of prepositional phrases that function like that are:
As well as
In addition to
Together with
Along with
Except
Ø Use a singular verb with sums of money or periods of time.
Examples
Ten dollars is a high price to pay.
Five years is the maximum sentence for that offense.
Five years is the maximum sentence for that offense.
Ø As a general rule, use a plural verb with two or more subjects when they are connected by and.
Example:
A car and a bike are my means of transportation
A car and a bike are my means of transportation
Ø When the verb comes before the subject as in there or here
sentences, it agrees with the subject that immediately follows the
verb.
There is a tree in the garden.
There are many trees in the garden.
There is a pine tree and some oaks in the garden.
There goes the cat.
There seems to be a relationship.
There arise problems.
There arises a problem.
Ø The words here and there have generally been labeled as adverbs even though they indicate place. In sentences beginning with here or there, the subject follows the verb.
Examples:
There are four hurdles to jump.
There is a high hurdle to jump.
There are four hurdles to jump.
There is a high hurdle to jump.
Ø “Introductory it” is always singular.
It is my sister who works in the hospital.
It is my cats which cause the trouble.
Ø When either and neither are subjects, they always take singular verbs.
Examples:
Neither of them is available to speak right now.
Either of us is capable of doing the job.
Either of us is capable of doing the job.
Ø Subjects joined by and take a plural verb (except for number 2).
My sister and brother live in Berlin.
Both the teacher and the student were surprised.
Ø Several, many, both, few are plural words and take a plural verb.
Both are happy with the grades they got.
Many were lost on the way.
Few have done their homework.
Ø Some nouns are always plural and always take a plural verb.
- Trousers, pants, slacks, shorts, briefs, jeans
- Glasses, sunglasses
- Scissors, pliers, tweezers
My jeans are old.
This year shorts are in fashion.
Where are my scissors?
Ø None, any, all, more, most, some, majority, half may take either singular or plural verbs depending on the meaning.
All the money has been spent.
All of the students know the answer.
Ø When subjects are joined by words such as neither, either, not only the verb must agree with the closer subject.
Either the man or his wife knows the answer.
Either the man or his friends know the answer.
Either the children or the man knows the answer.
Ø Collective nouns are usually singular when regarded as a unit.
My family lives in Ankara.
Our team has won every game this year.
Sometimes when the members are seen as functioning independently, these collective nouns may be plural.
My family have a lot of money. (Members of my family)
Our team are working hard to win every game they play. (team members)
some collective nouns in this group are:
Family, team, crew, class, government, committee
Ø When a singular subject is connected by or or nor to a plural subject, put the plural subject last and use a plural verb.
Example:
The serving bowl or the plates go on that shelf.
The serving bowl or the plates go on that shelf.
Ø Some nouns have the same singular and plural form. They take singular or plural verb depending on the meaning.
This species of monkeys lives only in India.
There are many species of monkeys.
Some nouns in this group are:
Species, series, deer, fish, sheep
Ø Expressions stating amount of time, money, weight, volume are plural in form but take a singular verb as in:
Three weeks is a long time.
Two hundred dollars is a lot of money.
Ø The expression the number is followed by a singular verb while the expression a number is followed by a plural verb.
Examples:
The number of people we need to hire is thirteen.
A number of people have written in about this subject.
Ø Some nouns look plural with –s but they take a singular verb.
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Sciences
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Abstract nouns
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Diseases
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Physics
Mathematics
Statistics
Economics
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News
Politics
Ethics
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Measles
Mumps
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Maths is found difficult by many students.
Statistics requires complicated methods.
Ø The pronouns each, everyone, every one, everybody, anyone, anybody, someone, and somebody are singular and require singular verbs. Do not be misled by what follows of.
Examples:
Each of the girls sings well.
Every one of the cakes is gone.
Every one of the cakes is gone.
Ø Generic references with the require plural verb.
The rich are not always happy.
The young like to listen to loud music.
The old hate loud music.
The English are distant and the French are humorous.
Ø Note the use of foreign plurals.
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Singular
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Plural
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Analysis
Thesis
Crisis
Basis
Parenthesis
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Analyses
Theses
Crises
Bases
Parentheses
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Curriculum
Memorandum
Datum
Bacterium
Medium
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Curricula
Memoranda
Data
Bacteria
Media
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Criterion
Phenomenon
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Criteria
Phenomena
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Stimulus
Radius
Syllabus
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Stimuli
Radii
Syllabi
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Ø Don’t forget that some common English words have irregular plurals.
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Plural
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Singular
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Child
Person
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Children
People
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Ø A relative pronoun takes a singular or plural verb depending on which noun it modifies.
Lisa is one of the students who have passed with an A. (Many students passed with an A, Lisa is one of them.)
Lisa is the only one of my students who has passed with an A. (Only Lisa passed with an A.)
NOTE: A singular subject takes a singular verb, while a plural subject takes a plural verb.
S=S, P=P
Ø Two singular subjects connected by either/or or neither/nor require a singular verb.
Examples:
Neither Raj nor hari is available.
Either krisna or hemraj is helping today with stage decorations.
Neither Raj nor hari is available.
Either krisna or hemraj is helping today with stage decorations.
Ø When a singular and plural subject is connected by either/or or neither/nor, put the plural subject last and use a plural verb.
Example:
Neither Jenny nor the others are available.
Neither Jenny nor the others are available.
Ø 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.
Examples:
The politician, along with the newsmen, is expected shortly.
Excitement, as well as nervousness, is the cause of her shaking.
The politician, along with the newsmen, is expected shortly.
Excitement, as well as nervousness, is the cause of her shaking.
NOTE: Everyone is one word when it means everybody. Every one is two words when the meaning is each one.
Ø 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.
Examples:
Fifty percent of the pie has disappeared.
Pie is the object of the preposition of.
Pie is the object of the preposition of.
Fifty percent of the pies have disappeared.
Pies is the object of the preposition.
Pies is the object of the preposition.
One-third of the city is unemployed.
One-third of the people are unemployed.
NOTE: Hyphenate all spelled-out fractions.
All of the pie is gone.
All of the pies are gone.
Some of the pie is missing.
Some of the pies are missing.
None of the garbage was picked up.
None of the sentences were punctuated correctly.
Of all her books, none have sold as well as the first one.
Of all her books, none have sold as well as the first one.
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