SUBJECT VERB AGREEMENT 10 RULES TO HELP YOU GET AN “A”

Example from Quiz The rhythm of the pounding waves is/are calming.

Remember… ■The subject tells us “who” or “what” the sentence is about. ■The verb tells us what the subject is doing or what it is like. ■Subjects can never be found in a prepositional phrase. Find the subject and the verb in the following sentences. 1.The girls in the car were driving to fast. 2.All of my relatives are really good at music. 3.There are three types of kangaroos in the world.

Subject-Verb Agreement Overview Many verbs have a singular (one) and plural (many) form. The verb(s) in a sentence must “agree with,” or be the same as, the subject. So if the subject is singular, the verb MUST be singular. Here are the three steps to success. 1. Find the subject of the sentence 2. Ask yourself – is it singular are plural? 3. Make the verb AGREE. If the subject is singular, the verb must be singular too! -- Don’t forget the “be” verb: is, are, am, was, were

Rule 1: A verb must agree with its subject in number. SubjectVerb Singular (1) No “S” Pizza, student, dog Yes “S” Bakes, studies, runs Plural (Many) Yes “S” Pizzas, students, dogs No “S” Bake, study, run

Rule 1 Practice – Write at least one in your notes. 1.Joe was a great kid. 2.Everyone from the town goes to the swimming pool. 3.The kid is running for class president. 4.My parents won’t let me go to Cancun for spring break. 5.California is a nice place to visit.

Rule 2: To find subjects easier, get rid of prepositional phrases. 1.Apartments in this city (is, are) expensive. 2.A convoy of trucks (is roaring, are roaring) down the dirt road. 3.This list of names (is used, are used) to check in contestants as they arrive. 4.A dealer in rare books (was asked, were asked) to look at the collection of novels to ensure the authenticity. 5.All the employees at the store (is wearing, are wearing) blue shirts and khakis.

Prepositional Phrases – What you need to know. ■They start with a preposition (of, in, at, on, with, behind, etc…) ■They are followed by a noun. ■You must cross the entire phrase out because the subject is NEVER in the prepositional phrase. The kids in the English class is/are funny. The rhythm of the pounding waves is / are calming.

Rule 3: The following subjects (called indefinite pronouns) are always singular. onesomeoneanyoneno oneeveryone eachsomebodyanybodynobodyeverybody (n)eithersomethinganythingnothingeverything

Rule 4: The following subjects (called indefinite pronouns) are always plural. ■Both ■Few ■Many ■Several

Rule 5: The following subjects (called indefinite pronouns) are sometimes singular and sometimes plural (depending on what noun comes after them). ■All ■Any ■More ■Most ■None ■Some

Rules 3, 4, 5 Practice 1.Both of the carpenters ( is/are ) planning to do the job. 2.Most of the nurses ( work/works ) every day. 3.Everybody on the team (show, shows) outstanding ability. 4.Why (hasn’t, haven’t) someone given us the signal? 5.Either of the quarterbacks (is, are) going to be the new captain. 6.(Do, Does) everyone in the band play well?

Rule 6: Subjects joined by AND are plural. Remember, plural verbs have NO “s.” 1.Jeff and Sarah (is, are) great listeners. 2.The students and the teacher (goes, go) to the media center every Friday. 3.(Does, Do) Bob and Erika need anything from the store?

Rule 7: Subjects joined by OR or NOR depend on the subject closest to the verb. 1.Neither the students nor the teacher (goes, go) to the media center every Friday. 2.Neither the teacher nor the students (goes, go) to the media center every Friday. 3.(Does, Do) Bob or the kids need anything from the store? 4.(Does, Do) the kids or Bob need anything from the store?

Rule 8: Collective nouns are usually singular, but can be plural (depending on their use in the sentence). 1.The team is/are headed to the nationals since winning the state finals. 2.The mock trial team was/were happy with their presentations to the judge. 3.Our staff meets/meet on Tuesday mornings to discuss customer complaints. 4.Our staff works/work hard to meet their goals and deadlines. What is a collective noun? A collective noun represents a group of things or people. Words like class, team, family, and herd are collective nouns.

Rule 9: There and here are never subjects. Look after the verb in these sentences. 1.There (is, are) many reasons to do well in school. 2.Here (is, are) my shoes. 3.There (is, are) Bob and Steven.

Rule 10: Words stating amount (money, time, measurement, and weight) are usually singular. 1.Five hundred dollars is too much to pay. 2.Seven years was a long time to spend at college pounds is a lot of weight to lose.

Bonus: Tricky words ■