A verb must agree with its subject in person and number Example She advises singular They advise plural Do not mistake a word in a prepositional phrase for the subject of a sentence ID: 716720
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Slide1
Subject-Verb AgreementSlide2
Intervening Prepositional Phrases
A verb must agree with its subject in person and number.
Example:
She advises. (singular)
They
advise. (plural)
Do not mistake a word in a prepositional phrase for the subject of a sentence.
Example:
The
islands
near the Equator of South America
are
the Galapagos. (
Islands
is the subject – not South America.)Slide3
Practice
Chinese Americans in the field of science (has/have) excelled in many areas.
In the tenth edition of
American Men of Science
, the list of names (includes/include) not only that of Dr. Li but also those of his three brothers, each distinguished in his own right.Slide4
Agreement with Linking Verbs
Do not be confused by a predicate nominative that is different in number from the subject.
Only the subject affects the number of the linking verb.
Example:
The
footprints
were the only clue.My favorite
breakfast
is
eggs scrambled with onions.Slide5
Practice
As evidenced by Inuit art, the central element in the life of the Inuit people (is/are) the splendors of nature.
The lifelike carvings of animals such as birds, seals, and bears (is/are) a popular art form.Slide6
Inverted Sentences
In an inverted sentence—a sentence in which the subject follows the verb—take care in locating the simple subject, and make sure that the verb agrees with the subject..
Inverted sentences often begin with a prepositional phrase. Look out for those pesky prepositional phrases!!
Examples
Beyond the Milky Way
lies
the Andromeda galaxy.
Beyond the Milky Way
lie
countless
galaxies
.
V
SSlide7
Practice
(Does/Do) your friend from school own any of these new computer games?
There (is/are) thousands of computer games available from software developers and amateur programmers.
In even the simplest games (lies/lie) the challenge of outwitting a “smart” machine.Slide8
Special Subjects – Collective Nouns
A collective noun names a group.
Consider a collective noun singular when it refers to a group as a whole.
Example: The
family
loves to travel.
Consider a collective noun plural when it refers to each member of a group individually.Example: The family take turns choosing places to visit.Slide9
Special Subjects – Special Nouns
Certain nouns that end in –
s
, such as
mathematics
,
measles, and mumps, take singular verbs.Certain nouns that end in –s
, such as
scissors
,
pants
,
binoculars
, and
eyeglasses
, take plural verbs.
Many nouns that end in –ics may be singular or plural, depending upon their meaning.
Ethics
is
the branch of philosophy that most interests me.
His
ethics
in this matter
are
questionable.Slide10
Special Subjects – Amounts and Titles
When a noun refers to an amount that is considered one unit, it is singular.
When it refers to a number of individual units, it is plural.
Two dollars is the fee. (one amount)
Two dollars are in his pocket. (two individual dollar bills)
A title is always singular, even if a noun within the title is plural.
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
is perhaps Mark Twain’s greatest novel.Slide11
Practice
The audience (roars/roar) as its favorite player steps onto the court.
The star player’s statistics (justifies/justify) the fans’ reaction.
Ten years (was/were) the number of years the star player had spent with the team.
The basketball team (depends/depend) upon one another for inspiration.
The crowd (marvels/marvel) at each team member’s ability to leap into the air.Slide12
Compound Subjects – Joined by
And
A compound subject joined by
and
or
both…and
is plural unless its parts belong to one unit or they both refer to the same person or thing.Plural examples:The librarian and the student read in different parts of the library.
Both duck and chicken
are found in local markets.
Singular examples:
Macaroni and cheese
is a delicious late-night snack.
Her teacher and counselor
meets with her daily. (One person is both the teacher and the counselor.)Slide13
Compound Subjects – Joined by Or
or
Nor
With compound subjects joined by
or
or nor (or by either…or or
neither…nor
), the verb always agrees with the subject nearer the verb.
Plural examples:
Either the violinists or the cellists
need practice
Either Pedro’s father or his sisters
are listening.
Neither the adult nor the children
listen.Singular examples:
Neither the violinists nor the cellist
needs practice.
Either the adult or the child
is listening.
Neither the adults nor the child
listens.Slide14
Compound Subjects – Many a, Every, and Each
When
many a
,
every
, or each precedes a compound subject, the subject is considered singular.
Many a cook and waiter works late.Every man, woman, and child was safe.Each adult and child is listening.Each father and son enjoys the dinner.Slide15
Intervening Expressions
If a singular subject is linked to another noun by an intervening expression, such as
accompanied by
, the subject is still considered singular.
The actress,
accompanied by
her boyfriend, attends the benefit.Loyalty,
in addition to
common interests,
is
necessary for a lasting friendship.
The cook,
as well as
the waiter,
works
hard at that restaurant.
Deep in the jungle the tigress, together with her cubs, is
resting quietly.Slide16
Practice
Every chef and gourmet cook (knows/know) the importance of the appropriate kitchen implements.
Preparation and service often (depends/depend) upon conveniently placed, high-quality cookware.
Many an inexperienced cook and homemaker (needs/need) advice from established cooks.
A food processor, often accompanied by a variety of handy accessories, (makes/make) everything from juices to garnishes.Slide17
Indefinite Pronouns as SubjectsSlide18
Indefinite Pronouns
Singular
Everyone wants a ticket to the concert.
No one in the group seems eager to leave.
Plural
Many of the best runners eat pasta the night before a race.
Few of us believe in magic.BothSome of his music was quite sophisticated. (singular)Some of his songs were fun to sing. (plural)Slide19
Practice
Everyone in our class (is/are) expected to present a ten-minute report.
Most of my friends (has/have) chosen a novelist or a poet as the subject for the report.
I found that both of my favorite writers (was/were) already taken.
Each of these authors (seem/seems) popular with other students.Slide20
Adjective Clauses
When the subject of an adjective clause is a relative pronoun, the verb in the clause must agree with the antecedent of the relative pronoun.
The Mexican grizzly is one of the bears
that were thought to be extinct
.
The antecedent of
that is bears, not one
, because all the bears, not just the Mexican grizzly, are thought to be extinct.Slide21
Another example:
The whalebone whale is the only one of the whales
that has two rows of baleen instead of teeth.
The antecedent of
that
is one, not whales, because only one kind of whale (the whalebone wale) has two rows of baleen.
Adjective ClausesSlide22
Practice
The Asian tree shrew is one of the mammals that (is/are) difficult to classify.
Charlotte Bronte was the only one of the Reverend Patrick Bronte’s daughters who (was/were) married.
Rocky Mountain spotted fever is one of the diseases that (is/are) spread by ticks.
Gloria Estefan is one of the contemporary music stars who (has/have) successfully combined pop and Latin rhythms.