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SUBJECT-VERB AGREEMENT

1
This means that:
subject verb
agree in number

Look at this:
A singular A singular
subject, takes verb

A plural A plural
subject, takes verb

Examples:
I love. New England is…. Each season has…. The colors are ……

2
Subject-verb agreement is not so simple and clear, at least not at first!
So let’s see how well you handle tricky grammar!!!
I just want to tell you that I really love this season of the year “The fall”.
Please circle the correct answer.
There (is/are) at least three reasons why I enjoy the fall. There (is/are) the
foliage, the start of the hockey season in England, and the day we turn our
clocks back an hour.
Sentences with: There is and there are, put the subject after the verb stating
what exists. Look at the examples:
There are at least three reasons.
There’s the fall foliage. (foliage: when leaves fall from the trees)
Foliage is an uncountable noun, that’s why takes a singular verb.

Foliage

Uncountable noun

Singular verb

Many American English speakers would use a singular verb if the first noun is
singular, this pattern is all about “proximity”, it has to do what kind of noun is
closest to the verb. This pattern is especially common in spoken English with the
contraction “There’s”.
So we have:
“There’s the fall foliage, the start of the hockey season, and the day we turn our
clocks back one hour.”
We also see similar “proximity” patterns with:
Here is / Here are … + subject
Here’s a pretty leaf. (singular)
Here are some fall decorations. (plural, that’s why “decorations)
Here are the gloves and rake you asked for. (plural)
Here’s the rake and gloves you asked for. (singular)

Can you find the proximity pattern in this sentence?


 Neither my children nor my husband (likes / like) a cold house.
Grammar:
With expressions “Neither … nor… / Either… or… we also have to consider
“proximity.”
2 singular use a singular
nouns verb
Example: Either I and my daughter or my sister likes cold places.
2 plural use a plural
nouns verb
Example: Neither Charlie and Tom nor their friends went to school.
But if we have a mix, if we have a singular noun and the plural noun in the
subject, the verb agrees with the noun that is closest to it.
Example:
Neither my children nor my husband likes a cold house.
Neither my husband nor my children like a cold house.

3
My daughter along with my help (likes / like) to put up seasonal decorations
around the house. One of the things she put up last October (was / were) a
ghost for Halloween.
Grammar: Sometimes we can get confusing because the subject and the verb
are far each other, so we are not sure what form the verb is. In this case we
have to remember that any phrase clause that comes between the subject
and the verb doesn´t change the “Subject-verb agreement”.
It will be helpful if you see the sentence above like this:
My DAUGHTER along with my help likes to put up seasonal decorations around
the house.
ONE of the things she put up last October WAS a ghost for Halloween.
Another grammar example:
The GHOSTS in our window AREN´T real.

4
Everybody (has / have) their preferences. A lot of it (has/have) to do with
where you grew up.
Also PRONOUNS can be tricky!!
It is easy to remember subject-verb agreement with subject pronouns:
singular plural
I We
You You
He they
She
it
But what about INDEFINITE PRONOUNS?
Pronouns ending with body / one are singular, and they are:
Somebody, someone
Everybody, everyone
Nobody, no one
Anybody, anyone
The funny thing is that in conversation plural references words are used,
because it’s easier and more concise.
Example: Everybody has their preferences.
(singular) (plural references)

Quantifying pronouns can be singular or plural, we can to consider the whole


context.
Example of grammar:
A lot OF IT HAS to do with where you grew up.
A lot OF TOURISTS COME to see the fall foliage.

So we have to be careful with the following pronouns:


A lot, some, none

5
My son and my daughter (enjoys / enjoy) watching professional hockey games
on TV. On any given day of the week, my son or my daughter (is wearing / are
wearing) a hockey shirt, ready for the next game.
Grammar:
The conjunction AND is easy to understand. It can join two or more nouns
together to form a compound subject that needs a plural.
Example: My husband and my children are….
(they)

The conjunction OR is different, look at its pattern:


2 singular Needs: a singular
nouns verb

2 plural Needs: a plural


nouns verb

1singular Needs: 1 plural Proximity to verb?


noun noun
My husband or my children are watching a game on TV right now.

6
Watching and cheering for the best artistic skating roller Yusuru Hanyu IS
something we do as a family now.
Egg and sausage on a biscuit IS really yummy.
In these cases the conjunctions AND is singular, because it’s one activity, one
situation, one thing. (watching and cheering) (egg and sausage)

7
Watching hockey (is / are) one thing. Playing (is / are) another. Watching
hockey and playing hockey (is / are) two of my kids’ favorite activities.
Gerund Subjects are singulars, they refer one activity.
“Watching hockey and playing hockey”, it referes to two activities.

8
American football is another popular fall sport, but there’s even more contact
than in hockey. What worries me (is / are) the number of head injuries those
men suffer. What would concern me as a player (is / are) the long-term effects
of multiple concussions.
Embedded questions are types of nouns clauses, they start with a question
word and then they follow a statement of word order.
Example of grammar
Why tickets to games are so expensive IS beyond me.
How much a single ticket costs IS shocking.
Whenever you want to come over IS fine with me.
What the team needs IS better defense.
What we need ARE more player who take shots.

And finally…
A number of …. = several
The number of …. = a specific number
Look at the grammar examples:
That player has had a number of head injuries. (several head injuries)
The number of players who have suffered concussions HAS increased. (The
number HAS increased)
30 saves in a game (is / are) pretty good for a goalie. One goal and two assists
for a single player (is / are) also impressive.
In these case we can perceive the subject as a whole, or as a unit.
The U.S. (is /are) full of sports fans. My family (follows /follow) the Pittsburgh
Penguins. Most of our neighbors cheer for the Boston Bruins, though. The New
England Patriots are also popular. They’re a football team, and the team
(has/have) won more than one championship. So between American football
and ice hockey, there´s a lot to watch on TV in the fall!
More about grammar….
Countries that end in –s, takes singular verb.
Example: The United States is a big country.
The Bahamas is a beautiful country.
The same happens with movies and titles of artistic words that end in –s.
Example: Friends IS a famous tv show.
Ghostbusters was a big hit in the 80’s.
Needless to say to subjects of study that end in –s.
Civics, economics, politics, mathematics, arts.
Politics often DIVIDES a family, but sports can reunite it again. (well sometimes)
Look at carefully this sentence:
HIS politics HAVE changed over the years. (His views, it means plural that’s why
HAVE)

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