Agreement: Some Common Rules ->

Agreement: The Basics

o Singular subjects take ____________ verbs.
My grandfather train / trains dogs.
o Plural subjects take __________ verbs.
My grandparents train / trains dogs.
Agreement: The Basics
o A pronoun should agree in __________, ___________, and _____________ with its antecedent.
** A pronoun usually refers to a _________ or another ________, which is called the pronouns ___________.
o Singular pronouns refer to _________ antecedents.
o Plural pronouns refer to ___________ antecedents.
The hikers took his/ their canteens with him/ them.
Agreement: Indefinite Pronouns
Some indefinite pronouns are singular or plural, as the ___________ of a sentence.
ALWAYS SINGULAR (takes a ______ verb and _________ antecedent):
anybody, anyone, anything, each, either, everybody, everyone, everything, neither, nobody,
no one, nothing, one, somebody, someone, something
ALWAYS PLURAL (takes a _______ verb and ________ antecedent): both, few, many, several
Agreement: Indefinite Pronouns
All, any, most, none, more, and some can be either ______ or _________, depending on their meaning
in a sentence.
They are a singular subject when referring to ______ words and a ________ subject when referring to
plural words.
All of the vegetable garden has been planted.(all refers to garden)
All of the vegetables have been planted. (all refers to vegetables)
Agreement: Indefinite Pronouns
Indefinite pronouns do not indicate ___________.
Often, the object in the prepositional phrase that follows such a pronoun indicates gender.
Each of the boys brought his own mitt
With Use a
I
You
He, She, It
We
You
They
If the antecedent may be either masculine or feminine, use _________ pronouns to refer to it.
Anyone who is going on the field trip needs to bring his or her lunch.
Agreement: Compound Subjects
Compound subjects joined by and take a _____ verb or pronoun/antecedant.
Basil and thyme are plants of the mint family.
If Jesse and Ben call, tell them that I will not be home until later.
Subjects joined by and may refer to only one noun. Such compound subjects take a _____ verb or
singular pronoun/antecedent.
The secretary and treasurer is Gretchen.
The corned beef and cabbage was delicious, so I ate two servings of it.
Agreement: Compound Subjects
Singular subjects joined by or or nor take a _______ verb or singular pronoun/antecedent
Neither Jack nor Jill wants to see the movie.
If a singular and a plural subject is joined by ______ or ______ the subject _______ to the verb is
used in agreement.
Neither Mrs. Smith nor the Jones want to see the movie.
Either Keith or Kevin always finished his geometry homework in class.
Agreement: TO MAKE LIFE DIFFICULT:
The following nouns take ________ verbs and are ________ antecedents:
Civics, genetics, news, economics, gymnastics, molasses, physics, mathematics, summons,
electronics, mumps, measles
These take ______ verbs and ______ antecedents even when they are referred to as a si ngular item:
Binoculars, pants, shears, eyeglasses, pliers, slacks, Olympics, scissors, trousers