Basic principles behind Subject/Verb Agreement
Singular subjects need singular verbs; plural subjects need plural verbs.
• My brother is a nutritionist. • My sisters are mathematicians.
The indefinite pronouns anyone, everyone, someone, no one, nobody are always singular and, therefore, require singular verbs.
• Everyone has done his or her homework. • Somebody has left her purse.
Some indefinite pronouns are particularly troublesome Everyone and everybody (listed above, also) certainly feel like more than one person. They are always singular.
• Everybody is here. • Everyone has finished his or her homework.
Each is often followed by a prepositional phrase ending in a plural word (Each of the cars), thus confusing the verb choice. Each, too, is always singular and requires a singular verb.
• Each of the students is responsible for doing his or her work in the library.
Sometimes nouns take weird forms and can fool us into thinking they're plural when they're really singular and viceversa.
Words such as glasses, pants, pliers, and scissors are regarded as plural (and require plural verbs) unless they're preceded the phrase pair of (in which case the word pair becomes the subject).
• My glasses were on the bed. • My pants were torn. • A pair of plaid trousers is in the closet. When the subject of a sentence is composed of two or more nouns or pronouns connected by and, use a plural verb.
• She and her friends are at the fair.
When two or more singular nouns or pronouns are connected by or or nor, use a singular verb.
• The book or the pen is in the drawer
When parts of a subject are joined by or or nor, the verb agrees with the nearer part.
• Neither the teacher nor the students knows the answer. • The rabbits or the woodchucks have eaten my lettuce.
Collective nouns are words that imply more than one person but that are considered singular and take a singular verb, such as: group, team, committee, class, and family.
• The team runs during practice • The committee decides how to proceed. • The family has a long history.
3 rd person singular subjects: Adding –s or –es to a noun usually makes the noun plural Adding –s or –es to a presenttense verb make the verb singular. So…if the subject noun is plural, it will end int –s or –es and the verb will not. If the subject is singular, it will not end in –s and the verb will.
Singular Plural The boy eats. The boys eat. The bird soars. The birds soar. Person: • 1 st person, the speakers, (I, we) • 2 nd person, the person spoken to: (you) • 3 rd person, the person or thing spoken about (he, she, it, they), nouns Basic principles behind Subject/Verb Agreement
______subjects need ______verbs; plural subjects need plural verbs.
• My brother is a nutritionist. • My sisters are mathematicians.
The indefinite pronouns anyone, everyone, someone, no one, nobody ______and, therefore, require singular verbs.
• Everyone has done his or her homework. • Somebody has left her purse.
Some indefinite pronouns are particularly troublesome ______(listed above, also) certainly feel like more than one person. They are always singular.
• Everybody is here. • Everyone has finished his or her homework.
Each is often followed by a prepositional phrase ending in a plural word (Each of the cars), thus confusing the verb choice. Each, too______and requires a singular verb. • Each of the students is responsible for doing his or her work in the library.
Sometimes nouns take weird forms and can fool us into thinking they're plural when they're really singular and viceversa.
Words such as ______are regarded as plural (and require plural verbs) unless they're preceded the phrase pair of (in which case the word pair becomes the subject).
• My glasses were on the bed. • My pants were torn. • A pair of plaid trousers is in the closet. When the subject of a sentence ______connected by and, use a plural verb.
• She and her friends are at the fair.
When two or more singular nouns or pronouns are connected by or or nor, use a singular verb.
• The book or the pen is in the drawer
When parts of a subject are joined by ______, the verb agrees with the nearer part.
• Neither the teacher nor the students knows the answer. • The rabbits or the woodchucks have eaten my lettuce.
______are words that imply more than one person but that are considered singular and take a singular verb, such as: group, team, committee, class, and family.
• The team runs during practice • The committee decides how to proceed. • The family has a long history.
3 rd person singular subjects: Adding –s or –es to a noun usually makes the noun plural Adding –s or –es to a presenttense verb make the verb singular. So…if the subject noun is plural, it will end int –s or –es and the verb will not. If the subject is singular, it will not end in –s and the verb will.
Singular Plural The boy eats. The boys eat. The bird soars. The birds soar. Person: • 1 st person, ______• 2 nd person, ______• 3 rd person, ______