RESUME: Subject and Verb Agreement
Resume
Subject Verb Agreement
What is Subject?
Subject is the person/people/thing(s) that do the activity.
I, you, they, we, she, he, it, my dad and my mom, Linda, Sussi, Linda
and Sussi, the bank, the flight schedule, etc.
What is VERB?
Verb is a word used to describe an action, state, or occurrence, and forming
the main part of the predicate of a sentence.
Kinds of
VERB:
ACTION VERB
• Also known as MAIN VERB.
• Action verbs are words that express
action (give, eat, walk, etc.) or possession (have, own, etc.).
• Action verbs can be either
transitive (with object) or intransitive (without object).
Example:
1. Laurissa
raises her hand. (kkt)
2. Abdus gave Becky the pencil. (kkt)
3. Laurissa rises slowly from her seat.
(kki)
4. He was pontificating about art and
history. (kki)
LINKING VERBS:
A linking verb connects the subject
of a sentence to a noun or adjective that renames or describes the subject.
To Be: is, am, are, was, were
Example:
Lisa is in love with Jason.
We were there!
I am happy J
Verb: seem, appear, become, grow,
remain, get, prove, turn, look, sound, smell, taste, feel.
Example:
She looks pale.
I feel happy
That sounds great!
Your cook smells good.
HELPING VERBS
Helping
verbs are used before action or linking verbs to convey additional information
regarding aspects of possibility (can, could, etc.) or time (was, did, has,
etc.)
Examples:
- Tejo is (helping verb) going (main verb) to Florida.
- The trip might (helping verb) be (main verb) dangerous.
- Tanya could learn to fly helicopters. (Could helps the main verb, learn.)
- Janine will drive to Idaho tomorrow. (Will helps the main verb, drive.)
MAIN RULE OF
“Subject Verb Agreement”
“Subject Verb Agreement”
Only the subject affects the verb…!!!
1. RULE 1
Subjects
and verbs must agree in number. This is the cornerstone rule that forms the
background of the concept.
Examples:
The dog
growls when it is angry.
The
dogs growl when they are angry.
2.
RULE 2
Don’t
get confused by the words that come between the subject and verb; they
do not affect agreement.
Examples:
The
dog, who is chewing
on my jeans, is usually very good.
3.
RULE
3
Prepositional
phrases between the subject and verb usually do not affect
agreement.
Examples:
The
colors of the
rainbow are beautiful.
4.
RULE
4
When
sentences start with “there” or “here,” the subject will always be placed
after
the verb, so care needs to be taken to identify it correctly.
Examples:
There
is a problem with the balance sheet. Here are the papers
you requested.
5.
RULE
5
If
two subjects are joined by and, they typically require a plural verb form.
Examples:
The
cow and the pig are jumping over the moon.
6.
RULE
6
The
verb is singular if the two subjects separated by and refer to the same
person or thing.
Examples:
Red
beans and rice is my mom's favorite dish.
7.
RULE
7
If
one of the words each, every, or no comes before the subject, the verb is
singular.
Examples:
No
smoking or drinking is allowed.
Every
man and woman is required to check in.
8.
RULE
8
If
the subjects are both singular and are connected by the words or, nor,
neither/nor,
either/or, and not only/but also the verb is singular.
Examples:
Jessica
or Christian is to blame for the accident.
9.
RULE
9
The
only time when the object of the preposition decides plural or singular verb
forms is when noun and pronoun subjects like some, half, none, more, all,
etc. are followed by a prepositional phrase. In these sentences, the
object of the preposition determines the form of the verb.
Examples:
All
of the chicken is gone.
All
of the chickens are gone.
10.
RULE
10
The
singular verb form is usually used for units of measurement or time.
Examples:
Four quarts
of oil was required to get the car running.
11.
RULE
11
If
the subjects are both plural and are connected by the words or, nor,
neither/nor, either/or, and not only/but also, the verb is plural.
Examples:
Dogs
and cats are both available at the pound.
12.
RULE
12
If
one subject is singular and one plural and the words are connected by the words
or, nor, neither/nor, either/or, and not only/but also, you use the verb
form of the subject that is nearest the verb.
Examples:
Either the bears or
the lion has escaped from the zoo.
Neither the lion
nor the bears
have escaped from the zoo.
13.
RULE
13
Indefinite
pronouns (everything, anything, everyone, someone, somebody, nothing, etc)
typically take singular verbs.
Examples:
Everybody
wants to be loved.
Everything
is gonna be alright.
14.
RULE
14
Except
for the pronouns (few, many, several, both, all, some) that always take the plural
form.
Examples:
Few
were left alive after the flood.
Several
students understand the material.
15.
RULE
15
If
two infinitives are separated by and they take the plural form of the verb.
Examples:
To
walk and to chew gum require great skill.
16.
RULE
16
When
gerunds are used as the subject of a sentence, they take the singular verb
form
of the verb; but, when they are linked by and, they take the plural form.
Examples:
Standing
in the water was a bad idea.
Swimming
in the ocean and playing drums are my hobbies.
17.
RULE
17
Collective
nouns like family, committee, herd, senate, class, crowd, etc. usually take a
singular verb form.
Examples:
The herd is stampeding.
Cooper
family always attends the annual party.
18.
RULE
18
Titles
of books, movies, novels, etc. are treated as singular and take a singular
verb.
Examples:
The
Burbs is a movie starring Tom Hanks.
Harry
Potter has reached Top 3 Best Seller books.
Answer: Subject and Verb Agreement Exercise
1. Annie and her brothers are at school.2. Either my mother or my father is coming to the meeting.
3. The dog or the cats are outside.
4. Either my shoes or your coat is always on the floor.
5. George and Tamara don't want to see that movie.
6. Benito doesn't know the answer.
7. One of my sisters is going on a trip to France.
8. The man with all the birds lives on my street.
9. The movie, including all the previews, takes about two hours to watch.
10. The players, as well as the captain, want to win.
11. Either answer is acceptable.
12. Every one of those books is fiction.
13. Nobody knows the trouble I've seen.
14. Is the news on at five or six?
15. Mathematics is John's favorite subject, while Civics is Andrea's favorite subject.
16. Eight dollars is the price of a movie these days.
17. Are the tweezers in this drawer?
18. Your pants are at the cleaner's.
19. There were fifteen candies in that bag. Now there is only one left!
20. The committee debates these questions carefully.
21. The committee lead very different lives in private.
22. The Prime Minister, together with his wife, greets the press cordially.
23. All of the CDs, even the scratched one, are in this case.
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