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.
