Subject-Verb Agreement The Everyday Writer - PowerPoint Presentation

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Subject-Verb Agreement

The Everyday Writer

Andrea A. Lunsford

Third-person singular subjects

To make a verb in the present tense agree with a third-person singular subject, add –s or –

es

to the base form.

A vegetarian diet lowers the risk of heart disease.

What you eat

affects

your health.

Third-person singular subjects

To make a verb in the present tense agree with any other subject, use the base form of the verb.

I

miss

my family. They live in another state.

Third-person singular subjects

Have

and

be do not follow the –s or –es

pattern. Have changes to has; be has irregular forms in both present and past tenses.

War

is

hell. The soldier

was

brave beyond the call of duty.

Subjects and verbs separated by other words

Make sure the verb agrees with the subject and not with another noun that falls in between.

Many books on the best-seller list

has

little literary value

A

vase

of flowers

makes

a room attractive.

have

Subjects and verbs separated by other words

A passenger, as well as the driver,

were

injured in the accident.

was

Compound subjects

Subjects joined by

and

generally require a plural verb form.

A backpack, a canteen, and a rifle was issued to each recruit.

were

George W. Bush’s older brother and political ally

was

the governor of Florida.

Drinking and driving

remain

a major cause of highway accidents and fatalities.

remains

Compound subjects

If the word

each

or every precedes subjects joined by

and, the verb form is singular.Each boy and girl chooses

one gift to take home.

Compound subjects

With subjects joined by

or

or nor

, the verb agrees with the part closer or closest to the verb.Either the witnesses or the

defendant is

lying.

Collective-noun subjects

Nouns like family, team, audience, group, jury, crowd, band, class, and committee refer to a group and can take either singular or plural verbs depending on whether they refer to the group as a single unit or to the members.

The jury still

disagree

on a number of counts.

After deliberating, the jury

reports

its verdict.

Fractions, etc.

Two-thirds of the students

were

commuters.

Two-thirds of the park

has

burned.

The number of applicants for the internship

was

amazing.

Where

are

my reading glasses?

A number of applicants

were

put on the waiting list.

Indefinite- pronoun subjects

Most take singular verb forms.

Both, few, many, others,

and several

are plural.All, any, enough, more, most, none, and some can be singular or plural, depending on the noun they refer to.

Of the two jobs, neither

holds

much appeal.

Though many

apply

, few

are

chosen.

All of the cake

was

eaten.

Antecedents of

who, which,

and

thatThe verb should agree with the antecedent of the pronoun.

Fear is an ingredient that goes

into creating stereotypes.

Guilt and fear are

ingredients

that

go

into creating stereotypes.

Carla is one of the

employees

who always

works

overtime.

work

Linking verbs

Verb should agree with the subject NOT the complement.

The three key

treaties

is the topic of my talk.

are

Subjects that are plural in form but singular in meaning

Some words that end in –s appear plural but are singular.

Measles still

strike

many Americans.

strikes

Subjects that follow verbs

Make the verb agree with the subject, not with a noun that happens to be before it.

In sentences beginning with

there is

or there are, there is NOT the subject.

Beside the barn

stands

silos filled with grain.

stand

There

are

five basic

positions

in the classical ballet.

Titles and words used as words

One Writer’s Beginnings

describe

Eudora Welty’s childhood.

Steroids

are

a little word that packs a big punch in the world of sports.

describes

is