RULES FOR SUBJECT-VERB AGREEMENT
RULE 1 – A verb agrees
with its subject in number. Singular
subjects take singular verbs:
·
The
car stays in the garage.
·
The
flower smells good.
·
There
is an old saying: “Opposites attract.”
The
rule for singular and plural verbs is just the opposite of the rule for
singular and plural nouns. Remember this when you match subjects and verbs. You
might guess that stays and smells are plural verbs because they end in s. They
aren’t. Both stays and smells are singular verbs.
RULE 2 – The number of
the subject (singular or plural) is not changed by words that come between the
subject and the verb.
·
One
of the eggs is broken.
Of
the eggs is a prepositional phrase. The subject one and the verb is are both
singular. Mentally omit the prepositional phrase to make the subject
verb-agreement easier to make.
SUBJECT-VERB
AGREEMENT EXERCISE #1
Direction: Circle the correct verb in each of
the sentences below.
1. Your friend (talk-talks) too much.
2. The man with the roses (look-looks)
like your brother.
3. The women in the pool (swim-swims)
well.
4. Bill (drive-drives) a cab.
5. The football players (run-runs)
five miles every day.
RULE 3 – Some subjects
always take a singular verb even though the meaning may seem plural.
These
subjects always take singular verbs:
Each
Someone
Either
Anyone
Neither
Nobody
One
Somebody
No one
Anybody
Everyone
Everybody
·
Someone
in the game was (not were) hurt.
·
Neither
of the men is (not are) working.
RULE 4 – The following
words may be singular or plural, depending upon their use in a sentence.
Some
Any
All
Most
·
Most
of the news is good. (singular)
·
Most
of the flowers were yellow. (plural)
·
All
of the pizza was gone. (singular) All of the children were late.
(plural)
SUBJECT-VERB
AGREEMENT EXERCISE #2
Directions: Circle the correct verb in the
sentences below.
1. Each of the girls (look-looks) good
on skis.
2. Everybody (was-were) asked to
remain quiet.
3. Neither of the men (is-are) here
yet.
4. (Is-Are) each of the girls ready to
leave?
5. Several of the sheep (is-are) sick.
RULE 5 – Subjects joined
by and are plural. Subjects
joined by or or nor take a verb that agrees with
the last subject.
·
Bob
and George are leaving.
·
Neither
Bob nor George is leaving.
·
Neither
Bob nor his friends are leaving.
RULE 6 – There and here
are never subjects. In sentences that begin with these words, the subject is
usually found later on in the sentence.
·
There
were five books on the shelf. (were, agrees with the subject book)
·
Here
is the report you wanted. (Is agrees with subject report)
RULE 7 – Collective
nouns may be singular or plural, depending on their use in the sentence.
A
collective noun is a noun used to name a whole group. Following are some common
examples:
Army
Crowd
Orchestra
Audience
Flock
Public
Class
Group
Swarm
Club
Herd
Team
Committee
Jury
Troop
United
States
·
The
orchestra is playing a hit song. (Orchestra is considered as one
unit—singular.)
·
The
orchestra were asked to give their musical backgrounds. (Orchestra is
considered as separate individuals—plural)
SUBJECT-VERB
EXERCISE #3
Directions: Circle the correct verb in each of
the sentences below
1. Margo and her parents
(visit-visits) each other often.
2. Either the cups or the glasses
(are-is) in the dishwasher.
3. Vern and Fred (need-needs) a ride
to work.
4. There (is-are) a dog, a cat, and a
bird in the garage.
5. Neither Matt nor his brothers
(was-were) at the party.
6. Here into the main ring of the
circus (come-comes) the trained elephants.
7. Either the workers or the boss
(deliver-delivers) the merchandise.
8. The committee (work-works) hard for
better schools.
RULE 8 – Expressions of
time, money, measurement, and weight are usually singular when the amount is
considered one unit.
·
Five
dollars is (not are) too much to ask.
·
Ten
days is (not are) not nearly enough time.
On
occasion, however these terms are used in the plural sense:
·
There
were thirty minutes to countdown.
RULE 9 – Some nouns,
while plural in form, are actually singular in meaning.
·
Mathematics
is (not are) an easy subject for some people.
·
Physics
is (not are) taught by Prof, Baldwin.
Examples:
mumps
home
economics
social
studies
economics
measles
calisthenics
statistics
civics
physics
gymnastics
phonics
news
acrobatics
aesthetics
thesis
mathematics
RULE 10 – Don’t and
Doesn’t must agree with the subject. Use doesn’t after he, she, it.
·
Doesn’t
he (not don’t) know how to sail?
·
They
don’t (not doesn’t) make movies like that anymore.
SUBJECT-VERB
EXERCISE IV
Directions: Circle the correct verb in each of
the sentences below.
1. Mumps (is-are) one of the most
uncomfortable diseases.
2. One hundred dollars (is-are) not a
lot of money to some people.
3. She (doesn’t-don’t) look very well
today.
4. Twenty minutes (is-are) the amount
of time it takes me to get home from work.
5. It (doesn’t-don’t) seem so cold
today.
