SUBJECT-VERB CONCORD

1. GENERAL RULE
- singular subject is followed by a singular form of the verb
- plural subject is followed by a plural form of the verb
- NOTE: concord of 3rd person number and the verb Marie watches TV.
- the number of NPs depends on the number of its head
o The change is male attitudes is most obvious in industry
o The changes in male attitudes are most obvious in industry

2. CLAUSE AS SUBJECT
- if there is a clause (finite/non-finite) functioning as a subject it counts as singular for
number concord and is followed by a singular verb
- the same rule applies to prepositional phrases and adverbs functioning as subjects
In the evenings is best for me to do nothing. Yesterday was a good day.

- a nominal relative clause can sometimes function as plural

What ideas he has are his wife’s.

A subject which is not clearly semantically plural requires a single verb!

3. SINGULAR NOUNS ENDING IN –S

- singular nouns ending with an apparent plural –s (measles, billiards, mathematics)
take singular form of the verb
 nouns that are plural in form, singular in meaning
- types of nouns that are like that:
- names of diseases (measles, mumps, diabetes, rickets…)
- names of games (darts, billiards, checkers…)
- areas of human knowledge (politics, linguistics, statistics, mathematics…)

- NOTIONAL CONCORD - agreement according to the idea of number rather than

the presence of the grammatical marker for that idea

4. PLURAL NOUNS LACKING THE INFLECTION

- nouns like cattle, people, clergy, police, herd, flock, offspring, poultry, vermin etc.
always take plural form of the verb

5. PLURAL PHRASES AS TITLES

- plural phrases count as singular if they are used as names, titles, quotations etc.
The Canterbury Tales exists in many manuscripts.
6. COLLECTIVE NOUNS
- grammatically singular collective nouns such as government, jury, team, committee,
audience can take both plural and singular form of the verb, depending on the
notion of the noun

- if they are treated as a group of individual than the plural form is needed
The audience were enjoying every minute of it. England have won the cup.

- if a group is treated as a single undivided body we have to use singular form

The audience was enormous.

- usually government and sport teams are treated as singular

The committee has not decided how they should react. [plural pronouns often used

to refer to singular collective nouns]

7. NOUN OR PRONOUN THAT CLOSELY PRECEDES VERB

- if a noun or pronoun closely precedes a verb we use the principle of proximity
One in ten take drugs.

8. COORDINATION WITH AND

- we have to differ coordination and coordinative apposition

- coordination
 if a subject is a conjoint of two conjoins we treat it as plural and use plural
form of the verb
Tom and Alice are now ready. What I say and what I think are not the same.

 conjoins that express a mutual relationship also take plural

Your problem and mine are similar. [Your is similar to mine, mine to yours.

 if we have an asyndetic coordination, a plural form of the verb is required

His camera, radio and TV got destroyed in an accident.

- coordinative apposition
 each of the units has the same reference; the noun phrases both refer to one
entity (a statue)
 singular form of the verb is required
This temple of ugliness and memorial to Victorian bad taste was erected in
the main street of the city.
  or can be used for coordinative apposition  the verb has to agree with the
first appositive
Gayfish, or the circumlocutions of bureaucratic language, is stupid.
The circumlocutions of bureaucratic language, or gayfish, are stupid.

9. QUASI-COORDINATORS
- quasi-coordinators such as along with, rather than, as well as
- if the first NP is singular  singular form of the verb
- if the first NP is plural  plural form of the verb
The captain, as well as the other players, was tired.

10. ADVERBIAL IN SECOND NP

- if an adverbial is present in the second noun phrase, the verb agrees in number with
the first NP
The chief – and perhaps his wife too – is likely to be present.

- the same applies when the second NP is negative

The PM, not the monarch, decides government policy.

11. SINGULAR NONCOUNT NOUN

- if there is a singular noun with coordinated premodifiers it can be followed by a
plural verb
American and Dutch beer are (both) much lighter than British beer.

- if a noun is postmodified than a singular form of the verb is required

Beer from America and the Netherlands is much lighter than British.
[Beer that comes from America and the Netherlands…]

- the same rule applies with nominal relative clauses

What I say and do are my own affair. [What I say is… and what I do is..]

12. CORRELATIVES
- either…or; neither…nor
- if both NPs are singular  singular verb
Either the Major or her deputy is bound to come.

- if both NPs are plural  plural verb

Either the strikers or the bosses have misunderstood the claim.

- when conjoins differ in number, the choice of the verb is based on the principle of
proximity
 Either your brakes or your eyesight is at fault.

- neither…nor in informal treated like and

Neither he nor his wife have arrived.

13. INDEFINITE PRONOUNS AND DETERMINERS

- with noncount nouns  singular Some (of the cement) is arriving today.
- with plural nouns  plural No people of that name live here.

- either, neither take singular verb

The two guests have arrived and either/but neither is welcome.

- some, all, most, any, none,  plural or singular (depending on the noun, proximity)

- several  plural

- everyone, everybody, someone, somebody, anyone, anybody, no one, nobody 

singular verb

14. COORDINATE SUBJECT NOUN PHRASE WITH NOR, OR

- in a coordinate subject noun phrase where the coordinator is or or nor, the last noun
phrase determines the person of the verb  principle of proximity
Neither you, nor I am guilty of that.
Either my wife or he else knows the answer,

15. REFLEXIVE and PERSONAL PRONOUNS

- a reflexive pronoun must agree with its antecedent in number, person and gender
He bought himself a dog.

- a personal pronoun agrees with its antecedent in number, those in 3rd person singular
agree in gender
Tom hurt his foot. The books were heavy, so I left them.

- pronoun they often used as a 3rd person singular pronoun neutral between
masculine and feminine; or with coordinate subjects referring to both sexes
Has anybody brought their camera? Everyone thinks they have the answer.
Every student has to hand in their paper today.

16. d
- a large number of; the majority  plural