1. Subject Verb Agreement Mr. McNealey

2. Subject Verb Agreement Subjects must agree with their verbs in number and gender Singular subjects take singular verbs Plural subjects take plural verbs Ex. Bill (is, are) going to the game. Ex. The boats (is, are) leaving the dock.

3. Indefinite Pronouns The following indefinite pronouns are singular: each, either, neither, one, everyone, everybody, no one, nobody, anyone, anybody, someone, and somebody

4. Examples No one leaves early. Neither of them knew the answer Everybody likes my uncle.

5. Indefinite Pronouns The following indefinite pronouns are plural: several, few, both, and many

6. Examples Several of the women are pilots. A few in the crowd were rowdy. Have both tried harder?

7. Indefinite Pronouns The indefinite pronouns some, all, any, most, and none may be either singular or plural, depending on the word that they refer to.

8. Examples Most of the steers were grazing. None of the damage was serious. None of the students have finished.

9. Agreement with Compound Subjects Some sentences have more than one subject. A compound subject that is joined by and or both and is usually plural. However, some compound subjects have two parts that make up one unit. These take a singular verb.

10. Agreement with Compound Subjects Singular: Bacon and eggs is my favorite breakfast. Plural: The dog and cat are playing. Plural: Both Anna and Mindy work at the hospital.

11. Agreement with Compound Subjects Compound subjects joined by or, nor, either…or, or neither….nor always have a verb that agrees with the closer subject. Singular: Either Carlo or Max has the book. Plural: Neither the garden nor the lilacs are in bloom.

12. Agreement with Compound Subjects When a compound subject is preceded by many a, every, or each, the subject takes a singular verb. Many a hiker and climber has gotten lost in these mountains. Every door and window has been locked.

13. Agreement with Special Subjects A collective noun names a group. In a sentence, a collective noun is singular when it names the group as a whole. Ex. His family arrives. ( group as a whole) Ex. His family are well. ( individually)

14. Special Subjects Some nouns ending in s, such as mumps, measles, and mathematics, take singular verbs. Other nouns ending in s, such as scissors, pants, binoculars, and eyeglasses, take plural verbs. Many nouns that end in ics are either singular or plural, depending on the context.

15. Examples Mathematics is my favorite subject. Politics is that professor’s area of expertise.

16. Special Subjects A noun of amount can refer to a single unit, in which case it is singular. It can also refer to several individual units, in which case it is plural.

17. Nouns of amount Examples Ten weeks is the period of the first term. ( considered single unit) Ten weeks are needed to complete that research. ( Not single unit ten weeks out of how many?)