English Language Arts Level 7 #39 Ms. Walker

Today’s Objectives Subject-Verb Agreement

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Part 1- Subject Verb Agreement

Subjects and verbs agree in number. If one thing (noun or pronoun) is being referred to, it takes a singular verb (She is.) If two or more things are being referred to, it takes a plural verb (They are).

Common Verb Agreement Singular Verb Agreement I am You are He, she it is Plural Verb Agreement We are You are They are

Example Sentences John is tall. (singular verb) John and Sam are friends. (plural verb)

Plural Subjects Connecting subjects with "and" usually makes them plural; therefore, to check for proper agreement you can substitute the pronouns "they" or "we" for plural subjects.

Plural Subjects Josh, Sue and Jeremy are classmates. They are classmates.

Nor or Or Connecting subjects with "or" or "nor" can require either a singular verb or plural verb; use the subject closer to the verb to decide which form is correct.

Nor or Or Example Neither Father nor the girls are going to the movie. Either Maya or Sam is the winner.

Prepositional phrases Prepositional phrases never contain the subject of the sentence. In most cases, you should ignore the prepositional phrase when trying to determine the correct verb form to use.

Prepositional phrases Example: The girls in the store are friends. That style of shoe is very popular. The owner of the dogs is licensed.

Singular Indefinite Pronouns Singular indefinite pronouns require singular verbs. Examples of singular indefinite pronouns include: one, anyone, everyone, someone, nobody, anybody, everybody, somebody, nothing, anything, everything, something, each, either, neither.

Singular Indefinite Pronouns Examples : Everyone has a favorite holiday. Somebody has left the lights on. Nobody wants to wash the dishes.

“Here" and “There” The words "here" and "there" are not used as subjects. When they start a sentence, you must look elsewhere for the subject. Also, you must be careful to find the correct subject when dealing with questions because the subject will often not be the first word of the question.

“Here" and “There” Examples: Are there any hotdogs left in the refrigerator? Here is the book you requested.

Singular Nouns that end in “s” Some nouns that end in "s" are singular in meaning and require a singular verb. Other nouns that end in "s" are singular in meaning but require a plural verb.

Singular Nouns that end in “s” Examples: The news is on at six. These scissors are dull. Five dollars is a lot of money. Mathematics is an easy subject.

Collective Nouns Collective nouns such as "class" or "team" may be singular or plural depending upon how they are used: emphasis on the group takes a singular verb; emphasis on members acting individually requires a plural verb.

Collective Nouns Examples: The soccer team members are excited about the next game. The team runs during practice. The family has a long history.

Miscellaneous In an adjective clause, the verb agrees with the antecedent of the relative pronoun (who, which, that), which is usually the nearest noun. When "only one" is emphasized among a larger number, always use "one" as the singular antecedent.

Adjective Clauses Only one of the girls who is coming is single. I like dogs that are friendly.

Miscellaneous Weights, measures, time, and money can be either singular or plural. If they are thought of as whole quantities, they are singular; if they are countable, separate units, then they are considered plural.

Miscellaneous Examples: Fifty feet of hose is enough. (singular) Ten one-dollar bills are on the table. (plural)

Subject Verb Agreement 15:17

Assignment Complete the Subject Verb Worksheet that accompanies this lesson. You must have 75% accuracy to show proficiency.

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Part 3 - The Idiom Idioms are spoken phrases that cannot be found in the dictionary. An idiom is an expression that means something other than the literal meanings of its individual words.

get into hot water This expression means to get into trouble or to be in or get into a difficult situation in which you are in danger of being criticized or punished.

get into hot water Example: He found himself in hot water over his comments about immigration.

Lesson Review Today’s lesson was on subject verb agreement. We completed worksheets on this topic.

Next Lesson Our next lesson will be on sentence fragments and run- ons. In addition we will discuss new punctuation: hyphens and dashes.