SUBJECT
VERB AGREEMENT
A. Subject
Subject is the
person/people/thing(s) that do the activity.
I, you, they, we, she, he, it.
B.
Verb
Verb is a word used to describe an action, state, or
occurrence, and forming the main part of the predicate of a sentence.
Kind of verbs:
1.
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:
-
Laurissa
raises her hand. (kkt)
-
Laurissa rises slowly
from her seat. (kki)
2. 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.
Verb: seem, appear, become, grow, remain, get,
prove, turn, look, sound, smell, taste, feel.
Example: She looks pale.
3.
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.)
MODALS
always function as Helping Verbs.
MODALS:
can, could, may, might, shall, will, ought to, should, would.
Example
: Tejo is (helping verb) going (main verb) to Florida.
Main Rule of Subject Verb Agreement
1. Subjects
and verbs must agree in number. This is the cornerstone rule that forms the background
of the concept.
Example :
-
The dog growls when it
is angry.
-
The dogs growl when
they are angry
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. Prepositional
phrases between the subject and verb usually do not affect agreement.
Examples: The colors
of the rainbow are beautiful.
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.
Example : There is a problem with the balance
sheet. Here are the papers you requested.
5. If
two subjects are joined by and, they typically require a plural verb form.
Example : The cow and the pig are jumping over the moon.
6. The
verb is singular if the two subjects separated by and refer to the same person or thing.
Example: Red beans and rice is
my mom's favorite dish.
7. If
one of the words each, every, or no comes before the subject, the verb is singular.
Example: No smoking or drinking is allowed.
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.
Example: Jessica or Christian is to
blame for the accident.
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.
Example:
-
All of the chicken
is gone.
-
All of the chickens
are gone.
10. The
singular verb form is usually used for units of measurement or time.
Example: Four quarts
of oil was required to get the car running.
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.
Example: Dogs and cats are both available at the pound.
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.
Example:
-
Either the bears or
the lion has escaped from
the zoo.
-
Neither the lion nor the
bears have escaped from the zoo.
13. Indefinite
pronouns (everything, anything, everyone, someone, somebody, nothing, etc)
typically take singular verbs.
Example:
-
Everybody wants to be loved.
-
Everything is gonna be
alright.
14. Except
for the pronouns (few, many, several, both, all, some) that always take the plural form.
Example: Few were left alive after the flood.
15. If
two infinitives are separated by and they take the plural form of the verb.
Example: To walk and to chew gum require great
skill.
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.
Example: Standing in the water
was a bad idea.
17. Collective
nouns like family, committee, herd, senate, class, crowd, etc. usually take a
singular verb form.
Example: The herd is stampeding.
18. Titles
of books, movies, novels, etc. are treated as singular and take a singular verb.
Example: The Burbs is a movie
starring Tom Hanks.
