6 MOST COMMONLY CONFUSING CASES OF SV AGREEMENT

Education is the ability to listen to almost anything without losing your temper or your selfconfidence. ~Robert Frost

SANTA

According to legend, Santa Claus is a fat old man who visits every house on our planet in about eight hours on one of the coldest nights of the year. Santa, as everybody knows, stop for a glass of milk and a cookie at each house along the route. He prefer to work unnoticed, so he wears luminous red suit and travels with a pack of bell-jangling reindeer. For reasons that most people does not understand, this jolly old man enters each house not by the

front door but through the chimney (whether you has a chimney or not ). He customarily gives generously to children in wealthy families and he usually remind poorer children that its the thought that counts. Santa Claus is one of the earliest beliefs that parents try to instill in their children. After this absurdity, its a wonder that any child ever believe in anything again.

THE BASIC RULE

Singular subject takes a singular verb Example: The girl plays the clarinet. The dog barks. Plural subject takes the plural verb. Example: We walk in going to the market. Justin and Joshua play badminton.

SIX MOST COMMONLY CONFUSING CASES OF SV AGREEMENT

CASE 1
The verb agrees only with its subject, thus, not affected by any word or phrases that comes between them.

EXAMPLE
The graduate, together with his parents, marches down the auditorium aisle.

CASE 2
Words such as either, neither, everyone ,everybody , anyone, anybody, someone, none or each are singular and need a singular verb. Both, many, few, and several require plural verb. All , any , more, most, none, and some may be singular or plural depending on the noun or pronoun they refer.

EXAMPLE
Because of lack of expertise, neither of the students wants to perform in the culinary Art competition. Many of them are joining the declamation contest instead. All of her money was gone. Some of her expensive accessories were stolen, too!

CASE 3
A relative pronoun (who , whom, which, that) used as the subject of a clause takes a singular or plural verb depending on its antecedent. In other words, you have to know which word that pronoun refers to before you decide which verb to use.

EXAMPLE
Phil is one of the Soccer team player who admits to having a girlfriend . Anything that celebrities say is usually subjected to scrunity.

CASE 4
Subjects joined by and usually take a plural verb. But if the two subjects refer to the same person or thing or words like each, every, many, or no come before the subject, the verb is singular.

EXAMPLE
My brother and his children were playing golf all afternoon. The owner and manager of the convenience store next to our block was robbed last night. Every boy and every girl at the concert was given an autographed souvenir photo.

CASE 5
Some nouns that end in s take singular verbs (news, measles, mumps). Also title of books , movies, short stories, newspapers and magazines articles, poems, plays, names of some businesses, and geographical entities are treated similarly. But there are words ending in ics that may either be plural or singular (ethics, politics, athletics). They are singular if they are referred to as subject or a general practice and not usually precede by a modifiers like his, some, the and all.

EXAMPLE
Politics has always been a favorite of tabloid headlines. His politics are known to everyone.

CASE 6
Although the subject of a sentence usually occur or near the beginning of a sentence, this is not always the case. Usually, difficulty arises if sentences begin with words like who, why, where, what, and how. Be keen to spot the subject .

EXAMPLES
Beneath the building flows an underground river. Here is the box of pizza that you ordered. Which of these shoes do you like the most?

QUESTIONS?

ACTIVITY

Directions: Encircle the verb that will make each sentence correct.

The bus, loaded with passengers, (is , are) lying in the ditch. The leaders of our country (needs, need)our help. Everyone in the barrio (was, were) decorating the streets for fiesta. Since I got sick, none of my friends (has,have) called me. Three Bills and magazines ( is, are) all we got in the mail

( Has, Have) either Ms. Russel or his assistants come in yet? The paintings in the gallery (is , are) his works. Where ( is , are) the directions for operating the video projector? This is one of those stories that (seems, seem) to have no ending.

There are four men in our community who (has, have) bagged the prestigious award. James Pattersons Sundays at Tiffanys (is, are) a perfect read. Statistics ( is ,are) not offered this semester The mans ethics (is ,are) worth emulating.

His partner and business associate (records, record) the minutes of the board meeting. The group of lecturers (has, have) begun to arrive, one by one.

DIRECTIONS: Provide the correct form of the verb that will make each sentence correct.

1.The students from Cebu normal University , as well as the teachers, ________ (walk) from Osmea Boulevard going to Fuente Osmea Circle. 2. Each of the students ________(be) responsible for doing his or her work in the library. 3. Here _______(be) two apples. 4. Each dog and each cat ________(have) been immunized

5. Macaroni and cheese _________ (be) my favorite

Friday night dinner. 6. No talking and no laughing ______(be) permitted in the Library. 7. Homo sapiens _________(be) often misspelled.

8. She ________(be) a competent employee who

________(be) expected to succeed. 9. I bought the peach that________(be) ripe. 10. Strawberries and cream ________(be) added to the menu.

ASSIGNMENT

On a short sized bond paper make a letter for someone that captures your attention nowadays (secret letter). Use the six common confusing cases of SV agreement that you are using in your letter.
Rubrics
Creativity-5 Grammar-10 Neatness-5 ______________ =20 pts