Subject-Verb Agreement and the PLC high school student

Subject-Verb Agreement  In a sentence, a subject and its verb must “agree.”  If a subject is singular, the verb must be singular. If a subject is plural, the verb must also be plural.

Subject-Verb Agreement: Examples Singular Subjects and VerbsPlural Subjects and Verbs  She practices her song every day.  Joanne dances very gracefully.  Jason is skilled with computers.  We practice our songs every day.  Joanne and Sarah dance very gracefully.  My cousins are skilled with computers. Subjects: Pink Verbs: Blue

Subject-Verb Agreement: “I”  The word “I”, while singular, sometimes takes a plural verb. It’s that exception to the rule. Other times it receives its own form of the verb.  I am tall.  I practice my song.  I like frozen yogurt.

Subject-Verb Agreement: Past-Tense  Some past-tense verbs are the same for both singular and plural subjects.  I.e.: Jane talked to Tommy yesterday. We talked to Tommy yesterday.  I.e: The dog chased the falling leaves. The dogs chased the falling leaves.  In the present tense, these verbs are different for singular and plural subjects:  Jane talks to Tommy. We talk to Tommy.  The dog chases the leaves. The dogs chase the leaves.

Subject-Verb Agreement: Compound Subjects  Compound subjects are subjects linked with the conjunctions “or”, “nor” or “and”.  Depending on the conjunction, these subjects can be either singular or plural.  Two or more subjects joined by “and” are considered plural subjects and get plural verbs.  Two or more singular subjects joined by “or” or “nor” are considered singular subjects.  When a compound subject contains both singular and plural nouns and is joined by “or” or “nor”, the verb takes the form (singular or plural) of the word closest to it (the verb).

Compound Subjects Continued Joined by “and”Joined by “or” or “nor”  Lewis and Mark are meeting for ice cream.  The teacher and the students write their ideas.  He and I like the color green best.  The girls and I are going to the store.  Either Ashley or Gena is playing first.  Either Hannah or her brothers play the flute.  Neither David nor Patrick wants to eat that dish.  Neither the pumpkins nor that peach looks very ripe.

Subject-Verb Agreement: Collective Nouns  A collective noun is one noun that stands for a group.  Collective nouns can be a little tricky when it comes to subject-verb agreement.  Whether they are treated as singular or plural depends on how they are used in the sentence.

Collective Nouns Continued  If the collective noun is used as a whole (a single unit), then the verb should be singular.  The company is growing quickly. If the collective noun refers to individuals within the group, then the verb should be plural.  The team are staying at separate hotels tonight.

Plural Form/Singular Meaning  Some nouns appear to be plural (end with an “s”), but stand for a single unit.  Examples:  Mathematics is difficult for Cory.  The news was very interesting today.  The measles is not as common an illness as it once was.

Indefinite Pronouns Singular Indefinite PronounsPlural Indefinite Pronouns  These pronouns take a singular verb.  another, anybody, anyone, anything, each, either, everybody, everyone, everything, little, much, neither, nobody, no one, nothing, one, other, somebody, someone, something  These pronouns take a plural verb.  both, few, many, others, several

Indefinite Pronouns  Some indefinite pronouns can be either singular or plural.  They are considered singular or plural depending on what word/words to which they refer.  These pronouns are: all, any, more, most, none, some.  Singular: More of that pie is what I want.  Plural: All of the children are learning their alphabet.

Subject-Verb Agreement  The best way to avoid subject-verb disagreement is to be able to clearly identify your subject and your predicate.  Make sure you identify the noun in your subject; don’t get distracted by prepositional phrases!  Incorrect: The cat with long whiskers are stretching.  Correct: The cat with long whiskers is stretching.  The cat is the noun that the sentence is about; “with long whiskers” is a prepositional phrase that modifies the noun “cat”.

Subject-Verb Agreement  Congratulations! You have reached the end of your journey… your journey in the world of subject-verb agreement, that is!  When you have studied/reviewed your notes and lesson, see Mrs. Shankle to take your quiz.