With Indefinite Pronouns and Compound Subjects

Review Remember, the subject and the verb of the sentence must agree. Singular subjects must have singular verbs Plural subjects must have plural verbs Sometimes, the way a sentence is written can make it tricky to find the subject. You have to know what the subject of the sentence is in order to choose the verb that agrees.

What is an Indefinite Pronoun? Pronouns = substitutes for nouns Personal pronouns refer to specific people, places, things, or ideas. Example: Anna called. She is on her way. However, some pronouns do not refer to a specific or definite person, place, thing, or idea. These are called indefinite pronouns. Some examples: SomeoneAnybodyEither OneNothing EverythingEveryone

Singular Indefinite Pronouns Some indefinite pronouns are singular and thus, have singular verbs. The following indefinite pronouns are singular: AnybodyAnyoneAnythingEach EitherEverybodyEveryoneEverything NeitherNobodyNothingNo one OneSomebodySomeoneSomething

Plural Indefinite Pronouns Some indefinite pronouns are plural, and thus, take plural verbs. The following indefinite pronouns are plural: BothFew ManySeveral

Other Indefinite Pronouns Some indefinite pronouns can be singular or plural, depending on their meaning in the sentence. The following indefinite pronouns can be singular or plural: To decide if one of these indefinite pronouns is singular or plural, look at the noun in the prepositional phrase that follows it. Ex: All of the geraniums (was / were) in bloom. AllAny MoreMost NoneSome

Practice Everyone at the party (likes / like) the hummus dip. All of my friends (has / have) had the stomach flu. Several of those colors (does / do) appeal to me. Nobody in my class (has / have) the notes.

Compound Subjects - and Compound subjects = more than one subject joined by a conjunction (and, or, nor). Ex: Andy and Ashley are getting married. Compound subjects joined by the word and agree with plural verbs. These subject-verb pairs will probably sound correct to your ear, but if you need to test it, you can always replace the compound subject with the word they to see if the subject and verb agree. Ex: They (is / are) getting married.

Compound Subjects – or, nor When compound subjects are joined by the words or or nor, look at the subjects in order to decide if they should take a singular or plural verb. If both subjects are singular, the verb should be singular. Ex: A pen or a pencil (is / are) needed for the test. If both subjects are plural, the verb should be plural. Ex: Neither the leopards nor the tigers (was / were) paying attention to the herd of antelope.

Compound Subjects – or, nor What if one subject is singular and the other subject is plural? Make the verb agree with the subject it is closest to in the sentence. Ex: Neither the manager nor the employees (wants / want) to close the store late. Ex: Neither the employees nor the manager (wants / want) to close the store late.

Practice The knives and forks (is / are) in the drawer. Neither the book nor the newspaper (says / says) anything about the incident in Armadillos or anteaters (is / are) going to be on display at the zoo. Ali or her parents (is / are) bringing Grandma’s gift.