AREN 105 Introduction to Academic Writing Kittinata R. Faculty of Liberal Arts Subject- Verb agreement In English, it is obligatory that subject and verb have to agree with each other in number.
If the subject is one person or thing,
then the verb is also singular.
If the subject is more than one person
or thing, the verb is plural Subject- Verb agreement In order to make your sentence accurate, your subject must agree with its verb. Rules of subject-verb agreement Verbs after the Introductory Adverbs Here and There agree with the subjects following them.
Two or more singular subjects
connected by and take a plural verb Rules of subject-verb agreement The phrasal or clausal modifiers do not affect the number of the head noun. Ex The boy, who is carrying the books, is very intelligent. The boy, together with his friends, is very intelligent. Rules of subject-verb agreement Including a PP within an NP, the verb has to agree with the head noun.
Ex The colour of her eyes changes
when she is angry. Rules of subject-verb agreement For collective nouns, it can be both singular and plural. Ex family, group, class, government crew, etc. Subject- Verb agreement Indefinite pronoun is singular. - everyone, no one, each, anything, etc. The word People is always plural. The words both, many, several are plural. Measurement unit or amount of money are always singular. An infinitive or gerund is always singular. Rules of subject-verb agreement The title of a book or a song or likewise is singular. What to remember Singular subject must have a singular verb. Plural subject must have a plural verb. Examine each sentence visually to identify the subject and verb and make sure they are both singular or both plural. EXERCISE Young Golf Stars
Golf is no longer the sport of rich,
middle-aged, white men. Young people around the world are taking up the game, and some of them are taking it over. One of the young stars is Sergio Garcia, a fascinating young golfer from Spain. Sergio was born in 1980 and started playing golf at the age of three He became a professional golfer in 1999 at the age of nineteen. Sergio became famous by hitting a golf shot at a target from behind a tree with his eyes closed. Two other young golf stars are Tiger Woods and Michelle Wie. Both Tiger and Michelle started playing golf at very young ages, and both have ethnic backgrounds. Tiger, born in Hawaii in 1975, is Thai- African-American- Native American. Michelle, born in Hawaii in 1989, is Korean-American. Each of these two young Americans has shocked the world of golf in different ways. Tiger shocked everyone by becoming the best golfer in the world while still in his early twenties. Michelle shocked everyone by competing against men and beating many of them at the age of fourteen. It is clear that all three of these young golfers have great futures ahead of them.