Agreement Subject and Verb Agreement To make a subject and a verb agree, make sure that both are

___________________ or that both are __________________. Number refers to the two forms of a word: ___________________ and ___________________. _________________ words indicate one; ____________________ words indicate more than one. Singular subjects take singular verbs. Plural subjects take plural verbs. REMEMBER: THE SUBJECT OF THE SENTENCE WILL NEVER BE IN A PREPOSTIONAL PHRASE!!!!!!! Practice For each of the following sentences, choose the verb in parentheses that agrees with the subject. 1. These pictures (show, shows) how noodles are prepared. 2. First, the noodle maker (roll, rolls) out the dough as thin as possible. 3. Then, the cook (slice, slices) the folded layers. 4. Next, the strands of noodles (is, are) separated and dusted with flour to prevent sticking. 5. After the noodles have dried a little, the (go, goes) into boiling water or broth to cook. 6. The Japanese (enjoy, enjoys) noodles made from either whete flour, called udon, or buckwheat flour, called soba. 7. A dish of cooked noodles mixed with sauce, broth, fish, or vegetables (makes, make) a popular lunch. 8. Noodle shops all over Japan (serve, serves) a variety of noodle dishes. 9. These shops often (resemble, resembles) fast-food restaurants in the United States. 10. For lunch or a snack, customers at a noodle shop (order, orders) noodles with their favorite topping. Many pronouns have singular and plural forms. I, she, he, and it are singular; we and they are plural; you can be either or.

Agreement pg. 2 Some indefinite pronouns are singular, and some are plural. Other indefinite pronouns can be either singular or plural, depending on their meaning in a sentence. Singular Plural Singular or Plural

The indefinite pronouns all, any, more, most, none, and some may be singular or plural depending on their meaning in a sentence. Each of the athletes runs effortlessly. Neither of the women is ready to start. Few that I know of have qualified. Several of the runners are exercising. Some of the test is hard. (Some refers to the singular noun test.) Some of the questions are easy. (Some refers to the plural noun questions.) All of the exhibit is open to the public. All of the paintings are on display. Compound Subjects Two or more singular subjects joined by _______ or ________ must have a __________________ verb. Beth or Sam is going to win. Two or more plural subjects joined by _______ or ________ must have a __________________ verb. The girls or the boys are going to win. If one or more __________________ subjects are joined to one or more _________________ subjects by _________ or ___________, the subject _______________ to the verb determines agreement. Beth, Sam, or the twins are going to win. Either the twins or Sam is going to win.

Agreement pg. 3 A compound subject joined by ___________ is generally _____________ and must have a _______________ verb. Penny and Rose are going to lose. The boys and girls are going to have a rematch. Other Problems in Agreement The contractions dont and doesnt should agree with their subjects. Use dont with all _________________ subjects and with the pronouns ________ and _______. I dont know. They dont give up. Use doesnt with all _________________ subjects except the pronouns _______ and ________. Using doesnt and dont correctly 1. ______________________ that bouquet of roses look great? 2. This apple ______________________ taste sweet. 3. These ______________________ impress me. 4. One of the players ______________________ plan to go. 5. ______________________ Jason and Tanya like the band uniforms? 6. You and she ______________________ have time to play computer games now. 7. The engine in that old pickup ______________________ start in the winter. 8. Tonio asked why we ______________________ want to go mountain biking. 9. ______________________ several of those in the front window cost more than these in the fruit cart? 10. The international childrens chorus is so marvelous that their new fans ______________________ want to leave the theater. A ___________________________ noun may be either _________________ or plural, depending on its meaning in a sentence. The class have completed their projects. (Class is thought of as individuals.) The class has elected its officers. (class is thought of as a unit.) An expression of an ________________ ( a _________________________, a ____________________, or a fraction, for example) may be singular or plural, depending on how it is used.

Agreement pg. 4 A word or phrase stating an _______________________ is ________________________ when the amount is thought of as a unit. Thirty dollars is too much for a concert ticket. Two hours is a long time to wait. Sometimes, however, the amount is thought of as individual pieces or parts. If so, a plural verb is used. Five dollars were scattered on the desk. Two hoursone before school and one afterare all I have for practice. A ________________________________________________ is ___________________________ when it refers to a singular word and plural when it refers to a plural word. Three fourths of the pizza is gone. Of these songs, three fourths are new. Some nouns that are plural in form take singular verbs. Politics is a controversial topic. The news of the nominee was a surprise. Some nouns that end in s take a plural verb even when they refer to a single item. The scissors need to be sharpened. Were these pants on sale? Even when ______________________ in form, _____________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________ ___ generally takes a __________________________ verb. The Souls of Black Folk is often cited as a classic of African American literature. Greensleeves is an old English folk song. Pronoun and Antecedent Agreement Remember a pronoun refers to a noun or another pronoun that comes before it. The word that the pronoun refers to is called its antecedent.

Agreement pg. 5 A pronoun should agree in ____________________ and _______________________ with its antecedent. A pronoun that refers to a ___________________ antecedent is ______________________ in number. Daniel Defoe wrote his first book at the age of fifty-nine. The elephant is a long-lived animal. It grows its tusks at maturity. A pronoun that refers to a ___________________ antecedent is ______________________ in number. Reliable cars make their owners happy. We walk our dogs daily. Not only should pronouns and antecedents agree in number, but they should also agree in ________________. Masculine He Him His Himself Feminine She Her Hers Herself Neutral It It Its Itself

One of the women designs her own costumes. Each of the boys rode his bicycle to school. Neither of the kittens has opened its eyes yet. When a singular antecedent may be either masculine or feminine, use both the masculine and the feminine forms, connected by ________. Each passenger will be shown where he or she can check in. A person should choose his or her college carefully. Some indefinite pronouns are singular, and some are plural. Other indefinite pronouns can be either singular or plural, depending on their meaning in a sentence. Singular Anybody Anyone Anything Each Either Everybody Everyone Everything Plural Both Few Many Several Singular or Plural All Any More Most

Agreement pg. 6 Neither No none One Someone Nobody Nothing Somebody Something None Some

The indefinite pronouns all, any, more, most, none, and some may be singular or plural depending on their meaning in a sentence. All of the water has melted; it is pooling in the valley. All of the streams are full; they are rushing torrents. Most of her cooking tastes good. In fact, it is delicious. Most of the dishes she cooks taste good. They contain unusual spices. Use a ________________ pronoun to refer to two or more ________________ antecedents joined by or or nor. Neither Richard nor Bob distinguished himself in the finals. Paula or Janet will present her views on the subject. Use a __________________ pronoun to refer to two or more antecedents joined by and. Mona and Janet left early because they had to be home before ten oclock. Mom and Dad celebrated their twentieth wedding anniversary yesterday. The number of a _______________ pronoun (such as ___________, ___________, ___________, _______________, ______________) is determined by its antecedent. Aretha is one friend who always keeps her word. Many who volunteer their time find their experiences rewarding. An expression of an amount (___________________, _____________________, or a __________________) may be singular or plural depending on how it is used. A word or phrase stating an amount is singular when the amount is thought of as a unit. Ten minutes isnt long; it will go by quickly. Here is five dollars. Is it enough?

Agreement pg. 7 Sometimes, however, the amount is thought of as individual pieces or parts. If so, a plural verb is used. Ten of the twenty minutes were wasted; we spent them arguing. Five dollars were counterfeit, werent they?