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SUBJECTVERBAGREEMENT
SUBJECTVERBAGREEMENT
Thesubjectandtheverbmustagreeinnumber:bothmustbesingularorbothmustbe
plural.Studentshaveproblemswithsubjectverbagreementwhentheverbisaformof
beorhave,orwhentheverbisinpresenttense.
Rulesforsubjectverbagreement
1.Whenwordslikethefollowingareusedassubjects,theytakesingularverb.
Everybody
Everyone
Everything
Anybody
Anyone
Anything
Somebody
Someone
Something
Nobody
Noone
Nothing
Each
Either
Neither
Everybodyknowstheanswer.
NobodyspeaksGermanhere.
Somebodywasintheroom.
2.Wheneveryandeachcomebeforeasingularsubjectjoinedbyand,theverbis
singular.
Everymanandwomanhastherighttovote.
Eachstudentandteacherwasawareofthedifficulty.
3.Prepositionalphrasesthatcomebetweenthesubjectandtheverbdonotchange
thenumberofthesubject.
Theteacheraswellasthestudentswasworkingontheproblem.
Themothertogetherwithherchildreniswaiting.
Someexamplesofprepositionalphrasesthatfunctionlikethatare:
Aswellas
Inadditionto
Togetherwith
Alongwith
Except
4.Whentheverbcomesbeforethesubjectasinthereorheresentences,itagrees
withthesubjectthatimmediatelyfollowstheverb.
Thereisatreeinthegarden.
Therearemanytreesinthegarden.
Thereisapinetreeandsomeoaksinthegarden.
Theregoesthecat.
Thereseemstobearelationship.
Thereariseproblems.
Therearisesaproblem.
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5.Introductoryitisalwayssingular.
Itismysisterwhoworksinthehospital.
Itismycatswhichcausethetrouble.
6.Subjectsjoinedbyandtakeapluralverb(exceptfornumber2).
MysisterandbrotherliveinBerlin.
Boththeteacherandthestudentweresurprised.
7.Several,many,both,fewarepluralwordsandtakeapluralverb.
Botharehappywiththegradestheygot.
Manywerelostontheway.
Fewhavedonetheirhomework.
8.Somenounsarealwayspluralandalwaystakeapluralverb.
Trousers,pants,slacks,shorts,briefs,jeans
Glasses,sunglasses
Scissors,pliers,tweezers
Myjeansareold.
Thisyearshortsareinfashion.
Wherearemyscissors?
9.Somewordssuchasnone,any,all,more,most,some,majority,halfmaytake
eithersingularorpluralverbsdependingonthemeaning.
Allthemoneyhasbeenspent.
Allofthestudentsknowtheanswer.
10.Whensubjectsarejoinedbywordssuchasneither,either,notonlytheverbmust
agreewiththeclosersubject.
Eitherthemanorhiswifeknowstheanswer.
Eitherthemanorhisfriendsknowtheanswer.
Eitherthechildrenorthemanknowstheanswer.
11.Collectivenounsareusuallysingularwhenregardedasaunit.
MyfamilylivesinAnkara.
Ourteamhaswoneverygamethisyear.
Sometimeswhenthemembersareseenasfunctioningindependently,these
collectivenounsmaybeplural.
Myfamilyhavealotofmoney.(membersofmyfamily)
Ourteamareworkinghardtowineverygametheyplay.(teammembers)
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Somecollectivenounsinthisgroupare:
Family,team,crew,class,government,committee
12.Somenounshavethesamesingularandpluralform.Theytakesingularorplural
verbdependingonthemeaning.
ThisspeciesofmonkeyslivesonlyinIndia.
Therearemanyspeciesofmonkeys.
Somenounsinthisgroupare:
Species,series,deer,fish,sheep
13.Expressionsstatingamountoftime,money,weight,volumearepluralinformbut
takeasingularverbasin:
Threeweeksisalongtime.
Twohundreddollarsisalotofmoney.
14.Somenounslookpluralwithsbuttheytakeasingularverb.
Sciences
Abstractnouns
Diseases
Physics
News
Measles
Mathematics
Politics
Mumps
Statistics
Ethics
Economics
Mathsisfounddifficultbymanystudents.
Statisticsrequirescomplicatedmethods.
15.Genericreferenceswiththerequirepluralverb.
Thericharenotalwayshappy.
Theyoungliketolistentoloudmusic.
Theoldhateloudmusic.
TheEnglisharedistantandtheFrencharehumorous.
16.Notetheuseofforeignplurals.
Singular
Plural
Analysis
Analyses
Thesis
Theses
Crisis
Crises
Basis
Bases
Parenthesis
Parentheses
Curriculum
Curricula
Memorandum
Memoranda
Datum
Data
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Bacterium
Medium
Criterion
Phenomenon
Stimulus
Radius
Syllabus
Bacteria
Media
Criteria
Phenomena
Stimuli
Radii
Syllabi
17.DontforgetthatsomecommonEnglishwordshaveirregularplurals.
Plural
Singular
Child
Children
Person
People
18.Arelativepronountakesasingularorpluralverbdependingonwhichnounit
modifies.
LisaisoneofthestudentswhohavepassedwithanA.(Manystudentspassed
withanA,Lisaisoneofthem.)
LisaistheonlyoneofmystudentswhohaspassedwithanA.(OnlyLisapassed
withanA.)
Someoftherulesforsubjectverbagreementinthispaperhavebeenadapted
fromBuildingSkillsfortheTOEFLbyC.KingandN.Stanley,Nelson,1989
WrittenbyZelihaGulcat,July2004
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