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Subject Verb

This document discusses the rules of subject-verb agreement in English grammar. It covers the basic rules of using singular verbs with singular subjects and plural verbs with plural subjects. It also discusses some exceptions and more complex cases involving compound subjects, collective nouns, and sentences beginning with 'here' or 'there'.

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Amratha Bhat
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41 views28 pages

Subject Verb

This document discusses the rules of subject-verb agreement in English grammar. It covers the basic rules of using singular verbs with singular subjects and plural verbs with plural subjects. It also discusses some exceptions and more complex cases involving compound subjects, collective nouns, and sentences beginning with 'here' or 'there'.

Uploaded by

Amratha Bhat
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Subject-Verb

Agreement
• The term ‘subject-verb agreement’, just like the name suggests, refers to the
agreement between the subject and the verb.
• This is mainly with reference to singular and plural nouns/pronouns that act
as subjects.
• According to the Collins Dictionary, “concord refers to the way that a word
has a form appropriate to the number or gender of the noun or pronoun it
relates to. For example, in ‘She hates it’, there is concord between the singular
form of the verb and the singular pronoun ‘she’.”
• The general rule of subject-verb agreement according to Garner’s
Modern English Usage is “to use a plural verb with a plural
subject, a singular verb with a singular subject.
• This rule holds true for most cases. However, there are exceptions
to this rule.
Rules of Subject-Verb Agreement
with Examples
Rule 1

The first rule is what we have already discussed – the use of a singular
verb with a singular subject and a plural verb with a plural subject. The
subject can be a noun, a pronoun or even a noun phrase. If it is a
pronoun, the subject-verb agreement is done with reference to the
person of the pronoun.
For example:

• Rachel spends her free time listening to music. (Singular


subject with singular verb)
• Blaine and Kurt play the piano. (Plural subject with
plural verb)
• She likes to have a dessert after every meal. (Third
person singular pronoun with singular subject)
Rule 2
When using the ‘be’ form
of verbs, there is an
exception. In this case, the
verb is used according to
the number and person of
the subject.
Furthermore, when used with other nouns and noun phrases, the rule applies.
The same works even with simple past, present continuous and
past continuous tenses when the ‘be’ form of verbs are used as the principal
verb/helping verb.

• Santana is a singer.
• The girls are waiting for you.
• We were happy with the review of our first movie.
• Michael Jackson’s songs are still enjoyed by millions.
• I was reading the latest book by Rudyard Kipling.
Rule 3

The use of ‘have’ and ‘has’ in the present perfect tense, the
present perfect continuous tense and as a main verb is also dependent on the subject.
All singular subjects use ‘has’ and all plural subjects use ‘have’.

For example:

• I have a younger brother.


• You have taken the wrong cut.
• Swetha has a pet dog.
• Finn has been waiting to talk to you about the test results.
Rule 4
Compound subjects combined using the conjunction ‘and’ take a
plural verb.

For example:

• Krish and Radha are on their way to the airport.


• Caren, Sheela and Akash have completed their assessments.
Rule 5

When more than one noun is joined by the conjunction


‘or’, the subject is considered to be singular and a singular
verb is used.

For example:

• Celery or spring onion works fine.


• Your mom or dad has to be here in an hour.
Rule 6

Sentences with pronouns such as anybody, anyone, no one, somebody, someone,


everybody, everyone, nothing and nobody are treated as singular subjects and
will therefore use a singular verb.

For example:

• Nobody has understood anything.


• Everyone was happy with the outcome.
• Nothing fits me well.
• No one finds the movie interesting.
Rule 7

For sentences using ‘either..or’ and ‘neither..nor’, the verb should agree with
the noun or pronoun that comes just before it.

For example:

• Neither Ricky nor Gina is here yet.


• Either the teacher or the students have to take an initiative to keep the
classroom clean.
• Neither the children nor their parents are aware of the consequences.
Rule 8

When sentences have subjects like police, news, scissors,


mathematics, etc. (nouns that are plural by default), the verb used
should be plural.

For example:

• The news of demonetisation shocks the entire nation.


• The police have been looking for the culprits.
Rule 9

When a negative sentence is written, the ‘do’ verb is used and it


has to match the subject.

For example:

The children do not like working out trigonometry problems.


My father does not work at the bank anymore.
Rule 10

Interrogative sentences also take the help of the ‘do’ verb. As far as the
subject-verb agreement of interrogative sentences is concerned, the first
verb (‘be’ verb or ‘do’ verb) has to be aligned with the subject of the
sentence.

For example:

• Do you read thriller novels?


• Doesn’t she know you already?
• Is Tina happy with the new house?
• Were you looking for me?
• Has Sharon submitted her final project yet?
Rule 11

When you have sentences that begin with ‘here’, ‘there’, ‘this’, ‘that’, ‘those’,
‘these’, etc., always remember that the subject follows the verb and therefore the
verb has to be conjugated with reference to the subject.

For example:

• Here is your book.


• There lies your shirt.
• That was a great movie.
• There have been many changes in the timetable.
Rule 12

Abstract nouns and uncountable nouns are considered as singular


subjects, so make sure you use a singular verb along with it.

For example:

• Honesty is the best policy.


• Love makes people do crazy things.
• Good friendship keeps your mind and body healthy.
Rule 13

When the subject refers to a period of time, distance or a sum of money,


use a singular verb.

For example:

• 1267 kilometres is too long for us to travel in half a day.


• 10 years is not considered optimum to go on the water slide.
• Don’t you think 1000 rupees is a little too much for a portrait?
Rule 14

The next rule is based on the use of collective nouns as subjects.


Remember that when you have a collective noun as the subject of the
sentence, the verb can be singular or plural based on the sentence and the
context.

For example:

• My family is settled in Australia.


• All groups of participants have arrived.
Rule 15

In sentences that have adjectives such as ‘all’, ‘a lot of’, ‘lots of’ or
‘some’ are used along with nouns to form a phrase that acts as the
subject of the sentence, the verb is used according to the noun just
before it.

For example:

• All of my dresses have become tight.


• A lot of food is left out.
• Some of the books are torn and damaged.
Rule 16

When a sentence begins with ‘each’ or ‘every’ as the subject, it is


considered singular and so the verb has to be singular too.

For example:

• Each student has been asked to provide a consent letter.


• Every teacher, parent and student is expected to work together.
Rule 17

When you are using a sentence to express a wish or a sentence expressing a


request, verbs are used a little differently from other sentences.

For example:

• I wish I were a bird.


• If you were here, I would not be sad.
• We request that everyone make their choices now.
Correction of Errors..
• Music soothe me.

• Billy bake brownies every Halloween.

• Peggy and Grace is arguing again.

• Elsie never takes the bus to work.

• The people who own that house has no insurance.


• One of these mechanics have a set of jumper cables.

• Felix and his brother is mending the wings of butterflies.

• Both of my essays is brilliant.

• The pulses emitted by a neutron star recurs at precise


intervals.

• One of my uncles dances at the Rainbow Cafe.


• Phil and Jeremy has gone to the concert.

• Both of my daughters are professional dancers.

• Every one of the workers receive the same benefits.

• There is two gerbils in my bathroom.

• This box of toys belong in the attic.


Fil the blanks with correct form of the verb

• Each of the girls ____ her own dress. (has/have)


• Five miles____ long distance. (is/are)
• Many a man ____ tried hard to climb the treacherous mountain range. ( have/has)
• The furniture of the house ____ quite impressive. (is/are)
• Few students ______ coming to the party. (is, are)
• Uma, my childhood friend ____ leaving for Delhi next month. (is/are)
• Most of my friends _____ government employees. (is/are)
• The level of pain tolerance ____ from person to person. (vary/varies)
• Either Tina or Rohit ____ telling lies. (is/are)
• A number of people _____reported to have fallen sick after drinking the water from the
tubewell. (was/were)
• The government ____ criticised by the Supreme Court for their actions. (was/were)
• No one ____ a greater collection of books than my friend Reeshav. (has / have)
• Somebody ____ waiting at the door for you. (is / are)
• Two ____ ago, here is the place where the accident took place. (year/years)
• Fast food, like burgers and street food, ____ harmful to our health. (is/are)
• All the students ____ excited to visit the museum after school. (is/are)
• Neither Joseph nor his family ____ French. (speaks/speak)
• Either Ross or Joey ____ broken the glass. (has/have)
• If anybody _____ for me, do let me know. (calls/call)
• The plumber, along with his helper ____, expected to come soon. (is/are)
Thank
you.

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