Subject Verb Agreement
hello guys, now I'm gonna explain what
is " What is Subject Verb Agreement ? " and " How's Subject Verb
Agreement is ? "
rule no.1 , a subject will come
before a phrase beginning with OF. This is a KEY
RULE for understanding subjects. The word OF is
the culprit in many perhaps most subject-verb mistakes.
examples :
examples :
·
Wrong: The door (at the houses) are broken.
·
Right: The door (at the houses) is broken.
Explanation : "At the
houses" is a prepositional phrase. Then the subject in the sentence above
is the door, and the verb used is IS.
another examples :
·
Wrong: The meeting (of the teachers) (in the
school) begin at 10 a.m.
·
Rigth: The meeting (of the teachers) (in the
school) begins at 10 a.m.
rule no.2 , 2
singular subjects connected by or, either/or, or neither/or require
a singular verb. or it can be connected by and too.
examples :
·
My aunt or my uncle is arriving
by train today.
·
Neither Juan nor carmen is available.
·
Either Kiana or Casey is helping
today with stage decorations.
·
The cars and motorcycles park in
front of building.
Explanation : The
Italic ones is for the subject and The bold ones is
for the verb
there are an exceptions word
in this rule, for an example in sentences :
·
Breaking and entering is against the
law.
·
The bed and breakfast was charming.
why is that can be ? because in
those sentences, "breaking and entering" and
"bed and breakfast" are compounds nouns.
rule no.3 , If there are
expressions of quantity (all, most, or some) followed by the preposition 'of',
then the subject can be singular or plural, depending on the noun after the
preposition.
examples
:
·
All (of the
flower) grows beautifully.
·
All (of the
flowers) grow beautifully.
·
Most (of the
student) arrives at school.
·
Most (of the
students) arrive at school.
·
Some (of the
cake) has been eaten.
·
Some (of the
cakes) have been eaten.
rule no. 4 , Certain words in
English are words that are always single (singular) grammatically, but may have
plural meanings.
Examples
:
·
Wrong: Everybody in library are
reading the book.
·
Right: Everybody in library is reading the
book.
Explanation : although we understand
that there are many people who read books in the library, the word everybody is
singular and requires a singular verb which isreading.
Some of the certain words below have
a singular form, so you guys must use a singular verbonly !
·
everybody
·
everyone
·
everything
·
anybody
·
anyone
·
anything
·
somebody
·
someone
·
something
·
nobody
·
noone
·
nothing
·
each ( +noun )
·
every ( +noun )
another examples :
·
Everyone eat/eats meatball.
·
Someone has/have to
work hard.
·
Anything are/is possible.
·
Each flower in the pot grow/grows beautifully.
·
Every boy and girl plays/play at
playground everyday.*
*In that sentence, we
don't care how many singular noun (boy, girl) are connected by "and".
Subject (every) remains singular, so it requires a singular verb (plays)
too.
rule no.5 , sometimes
the subject is separated from the verb by such words as along with, as well
as, besides, not, together with, especially, including, in addition to, etc.
These words and phrases are not part of the subject. Ignore them and use
a singular verb when the subject is singular !
examples
:
·
Nina, together with her friends, is cleaning
the room.
·
The politician, along with the newsmen, is expected
shortly.
·
Excitement, as well as nervousness, is the
cause of her shaking.
*note , Parentheses
are not part of the subject.
example
: Joe (and his trusty mutt) was always welcome.
hmm if that seems
awkward, try rewriting the sentences guys ! 👮
rule no.6 , In
sentences beginning with here or there, the
true subject follows the verb.
examples
:
·
There is a
blackboard.
·
There are trees beside
the building.
·
Here is the
pencil.
·
Here are the
books that you need.
·
There are four hurdles to
jump.
·
There is a high hurdle to
jump.
·
Here are the keys.
*Note , " The word
there's, a contraction of there is, leads to bad habits in informal sentences
likes There's a lot of people here today, because it's easier to
say "there's" than "there are". Take care never
to use "There's" with plural subject ! 👮
rule no.7 , Use
a singular verb with distances, periods of time, sums of money, etc., when
considered as a unit.
Examples
:
·
Three miles is too far to walk.
·
Five years is the maximum sentence for that
offense.
·
Ten dollars is a high price to pay.BUT
·
Ten dollars (i.e., dollar bills) were scattered
on the floor.
Explanation : for that "Ten
dollars" in the sentences ten dollars is a high
price to pay, means a price of something, therefore we use
a singular verb is. But for "Ten dollars" in the
sentences ten dollars were scatered on the floor,
means a money therefore we use a singular verb were.
rule no.8 , With
words that indicate portions—e.g., a lot, a majority, some, all—Rule 1 given
earlier in this section is reversed, and we are guided by the noun after of. If
the noun after of is singular, use a singular verb. If it is plural, use a
plural verb.
Examples :
·
A lot of the pie has
disappeared.
·
A lot of the pies have
disappeared.
·
A third of the
city is unemployed.
·
A third of the
people are unemployed.
·
All of the pie is gone.
·
All of the pies are gone.
·
Some of the pie is missing.
·
Some of the pies are missing.
*
Note : In
recent years, the SAT testing service has considered none to be strictly
singular. However, according to Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of English Usage:
"Clearly none has been both singular and plural since Old English and
still is. The notion that it is singular only is a myth of unknown origin that
appears to have arisen in the 19th century. If in context it seems like a singular
to you, use a singular verb; if it seems like a plural, use a plural verb. Both
are acceptable beyond serious criticism." When none is clearly intended to
mean "not one," it is followed by a singular verb.
rule
no.9 , With collective
nouns such as group, jury, family, audience, population, the verb might be
singular or plural, depending on the writer's intent.
Examples:
·
Most of
the jury is here OR are here.
·
All of
my family has arrived OR have arrived.
·
A third of
the population was not in favor OR were
not in favor of the bill.
rule no.10 , The
word were replaces was in sentences that express a wish or are
contrary to fact:
Example: If Joe were here,
you'd be sorry.
Shouldn't Joe be followed by was,
not were, given that Joe is singular? But Joe isn't actually here, so we say
were, not was. The sentence demonstrates the subjunctive mood,
which is used to express things that are hypothetical, wishful, imaginary, or
factually contradictory. The subjunctive mood pairs singular subjects with what
we usually think of as plural verbs.
Examples:
·
I wish it were Friday.
·
She requested that he raise his
hand.
In the first example, a wishful
statement, not a fact, is being expressed; therefore, were, which we usually
think of as a plural verb, is used with the singular it. (Technically, it is
the singular subject of the object clause in the subjunctive mood: it
were Friday.)
Normally, he raise would sound
terrible to us. However, in the second example, where a request is being
expressed, the subjunctive mood is correct.
*Note : The subjunctive mood is losing ground in spoken
English but should still be used in formal speech and writing.
so, how is it ? that actually can
make you guys understands right ?
THE POINT is that you have to understand whether is that a singular or
plural subject in the sentence you've been asked !
source :
Quiz
Answer :
1.
Jhon along with twenty friends,
( is / are ) planning a party
2.
The picture of the soldiers ( bring
/ brings ) back many memories.
3.
The quality of these recordings
( is / are ) not very good.
4.
If the duties of these officers
( isn't / aren't ) reduced, there will not be enough time to
finish the project.
5.
The effects of cigarette smoking (
have / has ) been proven to be extremely harmful.
6.
The use of credit cards in place of
cash ( have / has ) increased rapidly in recent years.
7.
Advertisements on television ( is /
are ) becoming more competitive than ever before.
8.
Living expenses in this country, as
well as in many others, ( is / are ) at an all-time high.
9.
Mr. Jones, accompanied by several
members of the committee. ( have / has ) prposed some changes
of the rules.
10.
The levels of intoxication ( vary
/ varies ) from subject to subject.
