Subject-Verb Agreement Spring 2016

Subject - Verb Agreement L.8.1 Conventions of standard English: Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking. (E08.D.1.1) E08.D Ensure subject-verb and pronoun-antecedent agreement

Subject - Verb Agreement The subject and verb of a sentence must always agree. A singular subject needs a singular verb A plural subject needs a plural verb.

Subject - Verb Agreement Jen [singular subject] walks [singular verb] to the beach. Jen and Sam [plural subject] walk [plural verb] to the beach.

Subject - Verb Agreement Sometimes, figuring out if the subject is singular or plural is not immediately obvious. Everyone – boys, girls, their parents, their teachers, the players and their coaches – wants the soccer team to go all the way to nationals. Although there are several plural nouns (boys, girls, parents, etc.), the subject is Everyone, which is always singular. Therefore, the verb is singular (wants).

Tips for Tricky Subject-Verb Agreement Situations 1. Don’t be confused by plural words that come after the verb. My biggest problem [Sing. S] is [Sing. V] the many incomplete homework assignments I need to finish.

Tips for Tricky Subject-Verb Agreement Situations 2. Don’t be confused by plural words that come between a singular subject and the verb. The topic [Sing. S] of these four books is [Sing. V] horses. Each [Sing. S] of the bikes has [Sing. V] new tires.

Tips for Tricky Subject-Verb Agreement Situations 3. Don’t be confused by subjects that come at the end of the sentence. Standing at the back of the room were [Pl.V] my parents [Pl.S]. Hint: When you turn the sentence around, it becomes more clear: My parents were standing at the back of the room.

Tips for Tricky Subject-Verb Agreement Situations E08.D Ensure subject-verb and pronoun-antecedent agreement 4. Don’t be confused by phrases such as along with, together with, accompanied by, as well as, including, and in addition to. Broccoli [Sing. S], in addition to squash and all other vegetables, is [Sing. V] good for you.

Tips for Tricky Subject-Verb Agreement Situations E08.D Ensure subject-verb and pronoun-antecedent agreement 5.Don’t be confused by a not phrase. I, [Sing. S] not the other guys, am [Sing. V] late. 6.Don’t be confused by collective nouns. The class [Sing. S] is [Sing. V] reading The Pearl soon. The football team wants to win. The football team put on their uniforms.

Collective Nouns E08.D Ensure subject-verb and pronoun-antecedent agreement A collective noun names a group of individual things as a unit: audience bunch committee crowd flock jury orchestra swarm team staff

Collective Nouns E08.D Ensure subject-verb and pronoun-antecedent agreement Are collective nouns singular or plural? It usually depends on how the noun is used in the sentence. Follow two guidelines: If the sentence is speaking about the group as a whole, the collective noun is singular. If the sentence is speaking about the individual things in the group, the collective noun is plural.

Collective Nouns E08.D Ensure subject-verb and pronoun-antecedent agreement Are collective nouns singular or plural? It usually depends on how the noun is used in the sentence. Follow two guidelines: If the sentence is speaking about the group as a whole, the collective noun is singular. If the sentence is speaking about the individual things in the group, the collective noun is plural.

Tips for Tricky Subject-Verb Agreement Situations E08.D Ensure subject-verb and pronoun-antecedent agreement 7.Don’t be confused by indefinite pronouns (pronouns that don’t point to specific people). REMEMBER -- Some indefinite pronouns are always singular, others are always plural, and some can sometimes be EITHER singular or plural! REMEMBER to look back at your Pronoun - Antecedent Agreement notes!

Tips for Tricky Subject-Verb Agreement Situations 8.Beware either/or and neither/nor combinations. Either Leslie or Lisa is [SING.] dancing in The Nutcracker. Both parts are singular, so use a singular verb. Neither the boys nor the girls are [PL] here. Both parts are plural, so use a plural verb.

Tips for Tricky Subject-Verb Agreement Situations Neither the boys nor their mother is [SING.] here. One part is plural and one part is singular. The singular part comes right before the verb, so use a singular verb. Neither the mother nor her sons are [PL] here. One part is plural and one part is singular. The plural part comes right before the verb, so use a plural verb.

Tips for Tricky Subject-Verb Agreement Situations 9.Don’t be confused by noun phrases referring to a single unit. Spaghetti and meatballs is [SING.] my favorite dinner. (It is my favorite dinner.) Peanut butter and jelly is [SING.] my favorite lunch. (It is my favorite lunch.)

Tips for Tricky Subject-Verb Agreement Situations 10.Or, by nouns that look plural but are actually singular. The news [SING.] is bad. (It is bad.) Mathematics [SING.] is my easiest class. (It is my easiest class.)

Tips for Tricky Subject-Verb Agreement Situations 11.Finally, beware some –ics nouns that can be either singular or plural. Singular: Politics is an interesting career. (It is an interesting career.) Plural: The politics in the presidential campaign were mighty dirty. (They were mighty dirty.)