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2.4.1. Subject Verb Agreement
Azar1999:10,Subject-verbagreementmeans thatthesubjectandverb
endingsagreeinnumber.Determining singularorpluralendingscanbeconfusing
becausean-sendingonanounindicatesplural,whereasan-sendingonaverb indicates
singular form.For examples: -Thedog barkseverynight. Onedog=singular verb
-Thedogsbark everynight. More than onedog=pluralverb Thesubjectofevery
sentenceiseithersingularorplural,andthat determinestheendingof theverb.
-SINGULAR: -I chew.You laugh.Waterdrips. Timeflies. Hesings.
-Themansittingon thesteps worksin thelibrary. -PLURAL:
-Weknow. Theystretch. Thestampsstick. -Themen sittingon thesteps work in thelibrary.
-COMPOUNDSUBJECTS
Subjectsjoined byand takeapluralverb.For example: -Myaunt and mysistervisit me every year.
Whenthesubjectwordsarejoinedby either... or,neither...nor,ornot only. . . but,theverbagrees with thesubjectclosest to it.For examples:
-Either her brothersor herfather hasthemoney. -Neither her mother nor her sistershave the money.
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-BURIEDSUBJECTS
Whenwordgroupsseparatethesubjectandtheverb,locatethesubject word to determinewhether to useasingular or pluralverb.For examples:
-The tulipsin thepoton thebalconyneed watering. -High levelsof air pollutioncausedamageto therespiratorytract.
-Everyonein our family, includingmysister, hastaken pianolessons. Phrasesstartingwith thefollowingwordsare normallynot part of the
subject:including,alongwith,togetherwith,accompaniedby,inadditionto,as wellas, except, with, no lessthan.
-CLAUSES ANDPHRASESASSUBJECTS
Whenawholeclauseorphraseisthesubject,useasingularverb.For examples: -WhatI want to know is whyIcant trythetest again.
-To livehappilyseemslikeaworthwhilegoal. Whenwho,which,andthatareusedasasubject,theverbagreeswiththe word
thatwho, which,orthatrefersto.Forexamples: -Theyare thestudentswho studyhard.
-He isthestudentwho studiesthehardest. -Thepeople in my classwho arestudyinghard do a lotof extrareading.
-Thestudent in my classwho is sitting inthe corner doesa lotof reading.
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-SUBJECTSAFTERVERBS
Whenasentencebegins with
thereplus aformofbethereis, thereare,
therewas,ortherewere,thesubjectalwaysfollowstheverb.Theverbagrees with this
subject.For examples:
-There isagood movieon TVtonight. -Therearetoo manyold movieson TV.
Ifthenormalorderofverbfollowingsubjectis reversed,theverbagrees with
thesubjectitfollows.For example: -At theback of theroom arethreewindowsand a doorto theoffice.
-SUBJECTSWITHSINGULARVERBS
Somewords thatseemtohavepluralmeanings
takeasingular verb:anybody,anyone,each,either,
every,everybody,everyone,everything, neither,none, no one, nobody, somebody, someone, something.In additition, the
following wordsareconsideredassingular:-ing forms;somenounsending
in-s, suchas news,physics,measles,politics,series;andsubjectclauses beginning with
what. Collectivenouns
suchas jury,committee,club,audience,crowd,class,
team,troop,family,andcoupleareusually treatedassingular.Whenthesubjectis
an amount, theverb is singular.
-Twenty-five centsisone-fourth of adollar. When oneofisfollowed byapluralnoun,theverb is singular.
-Oneof her sonshelpsin thestore.
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Titles, companynames, and wordsused asterms, usesingularverbs.
2.4.2. SingularPlural
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