SUBJECT VERB AGREEMENT
Which one is the
correct sentence?
1.
One of my sisters are going on a trip to United
States.
2.
One of my sisters is going on a trip to United
States.
What is Subject?
Subject is the person/people/thing(s) that do the activity.
I, you, they, we, she, he, it, my dad and my
mom, Linda, Sussi, Linda and Sussi, the bank,
the flight schedule, etc.
What is VERB?
Verb is a word
used to describe an action, state, or occurrence, and forming the main part of
the predicate of a sentence.
Kinds of VERB
·
ACTION VERBS
·
LINKING VERBS
·
HELPING VERBS
ACTION VERB
·
Also known as MAIN VERB.
·
Action verbs are words that express action(give,
eat, walk, etc.) or possession (have, own, etc.).
·
Action verbs can be either transitive (with object)
or intransitive (without object).
Example:
1. Laurissa
raises her hand. (kkt)
2. Abdus
gave Becky the pencil. (kkt)
3. Laurissa
rises slowly from her seat. (kki)
4. He
was pontificating about art and history. (kki)
LINKING VERBS
A linking verb connects the
subject of a sentence to a noun or adjective that renames or describes the
subject.
To Be: is, am, are, was, were
Example:
1. Lisa
is in love with Jason.
2. We
were there!
3. I
am happy
Verb: seem, appear, become, grow, remain, get, prove, turn, look,
sound, smell, taste, feel.
Example:
1. She
looks pale.
2. I
feel happy
3. That
sounds great!
4. Your
cook smells good.
HELPING VERBS
Helping Verbs are used before
action or linking verbs to convey additional information regarding aspects of possibility
(can, could, etc.) or time (was, did, has, etc.)
MODALS always function as Helping Verbs.
MODALS: can, could, may, might,
shall, will, ought to, should, would.
Examples:
1. Tejo
is (helping verb) going (main verb) to Florida.
2. The
trip might (helping verb) be (main verb) dangerous.
3. Tanya
could learn to fly helicopters. (Could helps the main verb, learn.)
4. Janine
will drive to Idaho tomorrow. (Will helps the main verb, drive.)
MAIN RULE OF
“Subject
Verb Agreement”
Only the subject affects the verb!
RULE 1
Subjects and verbs must agree in
number.
This is the cornerstone rule that
forms the background of the concept.
Examples:
1. The
dog growls when it is angry.
2. The
dogs growl when they are angry.
RULE 2
Don’t get confused by the words
that come
between the subject and verb; they
do not affect agreement.
Examples:
The dog, who is chewing on
my jeans, is usually very good.
RULE 3
Prepositional phrases between the
subject and verb usually do not affect agreement.
Examples:
The colors of the rainbow are
beautiful.
RULE 4
When sentences start with “there”
or “here,” the subject will always be placed after the verb, so care needs to
be taken to identify it correctly.
Examples:
There is a problem with the
balance sheet. Here are the papers you requested.
RULE 5
If two subjects are joined by and,
they typically require a plural verb form.
Examples:
The cow and the pig are jumping
over the moon.
RULE 6
The verb is singular if the two
subjects separated by and refer to the same person or thing.
Examples:
Red beans and rice is my mom's
favorite dish.
RULE 7
If one of the words each, every,
or no comes before the subject, the verb is singular.
Examples:
No smoking or drinking is allowed.
Every man and woman is required to
check in.
RULE 8
If the subjects are both singular
and are connected by the words or, nor, neither/nor,
either/or, and not only/but also the verb is singular.
Examples:
Jessica or Christian is to blame
for the accident.
RULE 9
The only time when the object of
the preposition decides plural or singular verb forms is when noun and pronoun subjects
like some, half, none, more, all, etc.
are followed
by a prepositional phrase. In
these sentences, the object of the preposition determines the form of the verb.
Examples:
1. All
of the chicken is gone.
2. All
of the chickens are gone.
RULE 10
The singular verb form is usually
used for units of measurement or time.
Examples:
Four quarts of oil was
required to get the car running.
RULE 11
If the subjects are both plural
and are connected by the words or, nor, neither/nor, either/or, and not
only/but also, the verb is plural.
Examples:
Dogs and cats are both available
at the pound.
RULE 12
If one subject is singular and one
plural and the words are connected by the words or, nor, neither/nor,
either/or, and not only/but also, you use the verb form of the subject that is
nearest the verb.
Examples:
1. Either
the bears or the lion has escaped from the zoo.
2. Neither
the lion nor the bears have escaped from the zoo.
RULE 13
Indefinite pronouns (everything,
anything, everyone, someone, somebody, nothing, etc) typically take singular
verbs.
Examples:
1. Everybody
wants to be loved.
2. Everything
is gonna be alright.
RULE 14
Except for the pronouns (few,
many, several, both, all, some) that always take the plural form.
Examples:
1. Few
were left alive after the flood.
2. Several
students understand the material.
RULE 15
If two infinitives are separated
by and they take the plural form of the verb.
Examples:
To walk and to chew gum require
great skill.
RULE 16
When gerunds are used as the
subject of a sentence, they take the singular verb form of the verb; but, when
they are linked
by and, they take the plural form.
Examples:
1. Standing
in the water was a bad idea.
2. Swimming
in the ocean and playing drums are my hobbies.
RULE 17
Collective nouns like family,
committee, herd, senate, class, crowd, etc. usually take a singular verb form.
Examples:
1. The
herd is stampeding.
2. Cooper
family always attends the annual party.
RULE 18
Titles of books, movies, novels,
etc. Are treated as singular and take a singular verb.
Examples:
1. The
Burbs is a movie starring Tom Hanks.
2. Harry
Potter has reached Top 3 Best Seller books.
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