I think both strict governmental regulations and parental supervision needs to be in place.

The other three nation spent nearly the same amount in this regard.

If students don’t want to do this kind of jobs in the future, there aren’t many options.

One of the problem with this measure is that it is hard to enforce.

The number of application for this particular job has dropped in recent years.

There are many thing that should be considered when suggesting solutions.

Each of the subcommittee have a specific goal to achieve.

Every conceivable type of problem arise in the first few weeks.

Neither the students nor the professor are/is in the library.

Either my mother or my uncles is/are taking a vacation next week.

Either my uncles or my mother are/is taking a vacation next week.

The professor, along with her students, are/is in the library.

The students, along with their professor, is/are in the library.

The anatomy books, together with the corresponding instructor’s guide, looks/look brand new.

The instructor’s guide, together with the corresponding anatomy books, look/looks brand new.

The phrases in the first column are subjects, and the phrases in the second column are verbs plus objects or
prepositional phrases. Match the second column of verb phrases with their corresponding subjects. One answer will
not be used. The first one has been done for you.

1. The committee members, along with the company president, a. want to change musical style.

2. Some of the more recent history books b. is eligible to become president.

3. None of the storm victims c. are evaluating the annual report.

4. Either the romantic comedies or the action film d. is excited about the performance.

5. Everyone in the modern dance class e. discuss oppression of Native Americans.

6. Two-thirds of the band members f. are going to win the movie award.

7. Anyone born in the United States g. is going to get government aid.

8. Half of the class h. is scheduled to be shown on TV tonight.

i. isn’t ready for the exam

 1. There ………….. too much oil and gas being used around the world.(is/are)
2. There ………….. many solutions to the problem.(is/are)
3. The tourists who arrived by bus…………..very tired as they did not sleep much.(was/were)
4. The constant robbery of tourists…………..many local people.(upset/upsets)
5. One of the cars …………..to my father. (belong/belongs)
6. One-third of the population ………….. not have enough to eat. (do/does)
7. Neither my aunts nor my uncle ………….. socializing. (enjoy/enjoys)
8. Everybody …………..confused by the new rules. (are/is)
9. He must………….. the exam next week. (takes/take)
10. Giving away all my medals…………..the worst thing I ever did. (were/was)

Some people argue that leaving people in prison for a long time mean that they
will mix with other criminals and so their character will not improve. The
alternative are community service. This gives an offender the opportunity to
give something positive back to society, and so it may improves their character.
Also, the government could focus its resources on the causes of crime, which
would leads to less crime in the future.

Expressions of Quantity
One of the new teachers is from India.
None of the candidates is likely to get my vote. (in spoken English the plural form is commonly used - 'are
likely')
Five of my friends are coming with me on holiday.

Neither and Either

With these phrases, the verb must agree with the noun that is closest to the verb:

Neither the child nor her parents are at the school.

Neither the parents nor their child is at the school.
Either my brother or my sisters usually help me.
Either my sisters or my brother usually helps me.

Gerunds
Gerunds (verbs that function as nouns by adding -ing) always take a singular subject. Remember to look at the
gerund, not the noun that may come between the gerund and the verb:

Feeding the poor in developing countries is what most aid is used for.
Running my businesses takes up most of my time.
Typing is a skill that I have not yet mastered.
Subjunctives:

The subjunctive is a specific verb form. It usually expresses something that you wish for, or
a hypothetical rather than actual situation:

If only I were ten years younger.

I only wish that what you say were true.
It is also used to indicate that something is being suggested or demanded:

The report recommends that he face the tribunal.

It is important that they be aware of the provisions of the Act.
In modern English it is distinguished from other verb forms only a) by the use of be and wereinstead
of the indicative forms (am/is/are/was) as in the example above; and b) by lacking the final letter -s of
the third person singular (he/she/it) in the present tense (in the example above he face, not he faces).

When is it used?
You are most likely to encounter the subjunctive in formal writing or speech. You’ll also encounter it in
the following scenarios:

1. In that-clauses
Nowadays it is probably most frequent in that-clauses with verbs such
as demand, insist, pray, recommend, suggest, and semantically related nouns/adjectives,
e.g. essential, important, insistence, proposal, etc.
She declined a seat beside Charles on the sofa. She insisted that Jane sit there.
It was suggested that he wait until the next morning.
It is important that they be aware of the provisions of the Act.

Note: In most such cases it can be replaced by should + infinitive or by the indicative form of the verb:
She declined a seat beside Charles on the sofa. She insisted that Jane sat there.
It was suggested that he should wait until the next morning.
It is important that they are aware of the provisions of the Act.
The use of the subjunctive instead of those alternatives is very frequent in American English.

In constructions of this type, any negation not (or never etc.) is normally placed before the subjunctive
verb:
One essential quality for a holiday novel is that it not be too light.
I recommend that we not approve this letter.
This construction is routine in American English, but less common elsewhere.

2. As if…, as though…, if…

After if (or as if, as though, unless) in hypotheses or comparisons:
If that were so, things would be very different.
It was as if Sally were disturbed in some way.
His voice strained as though he were walking on a wire above a pit of sharks.
The indicative may also be used, i.e. was instead of were, in all the examples above, but the
subjunctive arguably conveys the hypothetical sense more forcefully.

3. If I were you…
Usage seems to be changing in phrases such as if I were you, if it were up to me, etc. People often
say if I was you and if it was up to me, but the subjunctive is preferable in writing, especially any
formal or academic prose. The phrase as it were, however, cannot be modified:
Having to ask permission, as it were, to see her friends
Suddenly, as it were overnight, the weather became hot and sultry.

4. At the head of a clause

This kind of construction, with the subject after the verb, is more typically found in writing than in
speech, where it might be considered rather formal.

Were I to get drunk, it would help me drown my anguish.

Unlike rival international fairs, be they in London, New York or Maastricht, the Biennale has
enormous popular appeal.