MEETING 20

SUBJECT-VERB AGREEMENT PART 1

Saat kita membuat sebuah kalimat, sebenarnya kita sedang merangkai rentetan kata-kata yang terdiri dari
minimal subjek dan verb. Verb dan auxiliary harus sesuai dengan subjeknya. Bila subjeknya singular
(tunggal), maka verb atau auxiliarynya juga harus dalam bentuk singular, dan bila subjeknya dalam
bentuk plural (plural), verb atau auxiliarynya juga harus dalam bentuk plural.

HE
TUNGGAL SHE WAS/IS/DOES/HAS/V+S
IT
(I)

THEY
JAMAK WE ARE/DO/WERE/DID/HAD
YOU

I AM/DO/WAS/DID

Berikut adalah beberapa aturan subject-verb agreement:

1. Aturan subject-verb agreement: Singular Subject (Subjek tunggal).
a. Beberapa kata memiliki makna “plural” tapi verb dan auxuliarynya harus dalam bentuk
singular.
Everyone Someone Anyone No one/None Each

Everybody Somebody Anybody Nobody Either

e.g.:Everything Something Anything Nothing Neither
 Everyone is here.
 Neither of this book is very new.
 Nothing was left when I came.
b. Jika kata each dan every mengawali sebuah singular subject kemudian ditambahkan dengan
kata and, verb dan auxiliary-nya harus tetap singular.
e.g.:
 Every girl and boy above 17 is eligible to vote.
 Each student and teacher has a locker.
c. Subjek dengan kata it adalah bentuk singular dan selalu diikuti verb dan auxiliary dalam
bentuk singular.
e.g.:
 It is the cock which always awakens me.
 It was his grades that worried him.
 It seems to me that you are trying to deceive.
d. Kata-kata yang hadir di antara subjek, verb dan auxiliary tidak mengubah ketentuan subject-
verb. Yang sering muncul di antara subject-verb agreement adalah frasa berpreposisi. Ingat
jika sebelum frasa berpreposisi ini adalah subjek dalam bentuk singular, verb dan auxiliary-
nya tetap sibular; bergitupun sebaliknya.
e.g.:
 The girl is camping by the river together with her twenty school friends
accompanied by
in addition to
as well as
along with
  Everyone except the bride and bridegroom has come to the hall.
 The teacher along with his students is viewing a film.
 One of the most enjoyable parties was given by Ratu.
e. Kata-kata: there dan here, tidak pernah dianggap sebagai subjek. Saat suatu kalimat mulai
dengan salah satu kata ini, yang menjadi subjek adalah kata yang hadir setelah fungsi verb.
e.g.:
 There are many students in the classroom.
 There is only one student in the classroom,
 Here are the results of the experiments.
 Here is the book you want to borrow.
f. Ungkapan yang menyatakan jumlah uang, waktu, berat, jarak, dan volume meskipun
bentuknya plural tapi harus diikuti verb/auxiliary dalam bentuk singular.
e.g.:
 Twelve months has 365 ¼ days.
 Five hundred miles is a long journey to drive in one day.
 Nine hundred billion dollars is needed to recover the damaged city due to the flood.
 Twenty gallons of gasoline costs a lot of money.
g. Beberapa kata selalu berbentuk plural, akan tetapi memiliki makna singular. Misalnya:
1) Nama-nama mata pelajaran atau mata kuliah: economics, physics, linguistics, etc.
2) Nama penyakit: measles, mumps, herpes, etc.
3) Kata benda abstrak: news, ethics, politics, etc.
e.g.:
 Mathematics is a difficult subject.
 The news was very good.
h. Judul buku/majalah/koran dan judul film, meskipun dinyatakandalam bentuk plural,
verb/auxiliary yang mengikutinya harus singular.
e.g.:
 The Bandung Times is a good magazine.
 Star Wars was very good.
i. Subjek yang terbentuk dari gerund harus diikuti oleh verb/auxiliary singular.
e.g.:
 Producing fine painting requires skill and creativity.
 Swimming in the oceans is my hobby.

2. Aturan subject-verb agreement : Plural Subject (Subjek jamak)

a. Subjek yang digabung oleh kata and dan both atau both ….. and …… mengharuskan
verb/auxiliary-nya dalam bentuk plural.
e.g.:
 A new Jaguar and an old Cefiro are for sale.
 Both chicken and meat are delicious meal.
b. Kata-kata several, many, both, few bermakna plural dan selalu mengharuskan verb/auxiliary-
nya dalam bentuk plural.
e.g.:
 Both are going to attend the Indonesian University of Education.
 Only a few have passed the exam.
c. Beberapa kaat selalu berbentuk plural dan mengharuskan verb/auxiliary berbentuk plural.
1) Pakaian (clothes): trousers, pants, jeans, sunglasses, etc.
2) Perkakas (tools): scissors, pliers, tweezers, etc.
 3) Kata benda abstrak : riches, thanks, means, etc.
e.g.:
 Your sunglasses are broken.
 Scissors have two blades.
Namun, jika kata-kata di atas harus diikuti oleh singular verb-/auxiliary jika diawali oleh
a pair of …., a word of …., dll.
e.g.:
 That pair of pants is dirty.
 A word of thanks is enough.

EXERCISE 20
A. Underline the subject of the missing verb, and fill in the blank with was or were!
1. In World War II, it ____ the men who served in combat roles.
2. Neither the reporters _____ allowed to interview the players.
3. Everyone _____ required to write a composition.
4. Every man, woman, and child _____ given a free ticket.
5. Everything in the house _____ destroyed by the fire.
B. Underline the subject of the missing verb, and fill in the blank with has or have!
6. Wallpaper in addition to new curtains _____ been ordered.
7. There _____ been no new discoveries in that field.
8. Indonesia as well as Singapore and Malaysia _____ sent students to United States of
America.
9. Where _____ everyone gone?
10. Prabu and Seanu _____ gone to play basketball at the park.
C. Underline the subject of the missing verb, and fill in the blank with is or are!
11. Few _____ strong enough to finish the race.
12. There _____ a pair of sunglasses lying on the floor.
13. Both my good trousers and my old jeans _____ at the laundry.
14. There _____ several on the top shelf of the bookcase.
15. The number of nurses _____ very poor.
D. Underline the subject of the missing verb, and rewrite the verb in bracket in V1+-s or V1 without
-s!
16. Every Moslem woman _____ (wear) a veil.
17. A number of Indonesian students _____ (visit) tourism spots in their vacation.
18. Neither the teacher nor the students _____ (want) to have a delay in the next test.
19. The continuous crises _____ (increase) the recorded number of crime.
20. English _____ (enable) you to enter the global world.