ISYU TUNGKOL SA SEKSWLADIDA (ISSUE ABOUT SEXUALITY
Subject-Verb Agreement
1. SUBJECT-VERB AGREEMENT
RULE 1 – A verb agrees with its subject in number. Singular subjects take singular
verbs:
The car stays in the garage.
The flower smells good.
RULE 2 – The number of the subject (singular or plural) is not changed by words
that come between the subject and the verb. One of the eggs is broken. Of the eggs is
a prepositional phrase. The subject one and the verb is are both singular. Mentally
omit the prepositional phrase to make the subject verb-agreement easier to make.
RULE 3 – Some subjects always take a singular verb even though the meaning may
seem plural. These subjects always take singular verbs:
each
someone
either
anyone
neither
nobody
one
somebody
no one
anybody
everyone
everybody
Someone in the game was (not were) hurt.
Neither of the men is (not are) working.
RULE 4 – The following words may be singular or plural, depending upon their use
in a sentence, some, any, all, most.
Most of the news is good. (singular)
Most of the flowers were yellow. (plural)
All of the pizza was gone. (singular)
All of the children were late. (plural)
RULE 5 – Subjects joined by and are plural. Subjects joined by or Nor take a verb
that agrees with the last subject.
Bob and George are leaving.
Neither Bob nor George is leaving.
Neither Bob nor his friends are leaving.
RULE 6 – There and here are never subjects. In sentences that begin with these
words, the subject is usually found later on in the sentence.
There were five books on the shelf. (were, agrees with the subject book)
Here is the report you wanted. (is agrees with subject report)
2. SUBJECT-VERB AGREEMENT EXERCISE (A)
Underline the subject(s) and circle the verb in the following sentences.
1. Angela answered many questions in class today.
2. Could you please lend me a pencil?
3. David threw a paper airplane out the window!
4. My sister is writing a novel.
5. Can you smell the food that my mother is cooking?
6. After I finish my homework, I will listen to the radio.
7. I lost my cell phone!
8. The rain is hitting my window.
9. I have twenty dollars in my pocket.
10. My aunt ate a hamburger in a fast food restaurant.
11. You shouldn’t say that word in front of your teacher!
12. Derek is playing basketball in the park with his friends.
13. That fish will bite your hand!
14. Tokyo is the largest city in the world.
3. SUBJECT-VERB AGREEMENT EXERCISE (B)
Underline the correct answers.
1) Your friend (talk-talks) too much.
2) The man with the roses (look-looks) like your brother.
3) The women in the pool (swim-swims) well.
4) Bill (drive-drives) a taxi.
5) The football players (run-runs) five miles every day.
6) The couple (live-lives) in the village.
7) One of my friends (is-are) a football player.
8) That red-haired lady in the fur hat (live-lives) across the street.
9) Today (is-are) my brother’s birthday.
10) People (tell-tells) me things.
11) The pink roses (is-are) in the backyard.
12) One of my favorite colors (is-are) green.
13) He (cook-cooks) dinner for his family.
14) I (want-wants) to get into Harvard University.
15) The boys (walk-walks) to school every day.
16) Kuala Lumpur (is-are) the capital city of Malaysia.
17) The weather on the coast (appear-appears) to be good this weekend.
18) The center on the basketball team (bounce-bounces) the ball too high.
19) You (look-looks) familiar.
20) The traffic light (turn-turns) red every few minutes.
21) One of the windows (is-are) broken.
22) Ahmad and Saleh (is-are) best friends.
4. SUBJECT-VERB AGREEMENT EXERCISE I
Circle the correct verb in the sentences below.
1. Each of the girls (look-looks) good on skis.
2. Everybody (was-were) asked to remain quiet.
3. My aunt or my uncle (is-are) arriving by train today.
4. Neither of the men (is-are) here yet.
5. Each of the girls (is-are) ready to leave?
6. Several of the sheep (is-are) sick.
7. Some members of the faculty (is-are) present.
8. Neither Juan nor Carmen (is-are) available.
9. Nobody in the class (has-have) the answer.
10. Each of the girls (observe-observes) all the regulations.
11. Either Kiana or Casey (is-are) helping today with stage decorations.
12. All of the milk (is-are) gone.
13. Most of the seats (was-were) taken.
14. Someone (has-have) stepped on the grass.
15. Everybody (make-makes) mistakes.
5. SUBJECT-VERB AGREEMENT EXERCISE II
Choose the correct form of the verb that agrees with the subject.
1. Annie and her brothers (is, are) at school.
2. Either my mother or my father (is, are) coming to the meeting.
3. The dog or the cats (is, are) outside.
4. Either my shoes or your coat (is, are) always on the floor.
5. George and Tamara (doesn't, don't) want to see that movie.
6. Benito (doesn't, don't) know the answer.
7. One of my sisters (is, are) going on a trip to France.
8. The man with all the birds (live, lives) on my street.
9. The movie, including all the previews, (take, takes) about two hours to watch.
10. The players, as well as the captain, (want, wants) to win.
11. Either answer (is, are) acceptable.
12. Every one of those books (is, are) fiction.
13. Nobody (know, knows) the trouble I've seen.
14. (Is, Are) the news on at five or six?
15. Mathematics (is, are) John's favorite subject, while Science (is, are) Andrea's favorite subject.
16. Eight dollars (is, are) the price of a movie these days.
17. (Is, Are) the pencils in this drawer?
18. Your pants (is, are) at the cleaner's.
19. There (was, were) fifteen candies in that bag. Now there (is, are) only one left!
20. The Prime Minister, together with his wife, (greets, greet) the press cordially.
21. All of the CDs, even the scratched one, (is, are) in this case.
6. Answer Subject-Verb Agreement I
1. looks
2. was
3. is
4. is
5. is
6. are
7. are
8. is
9. has
10. observes
11. is
12. is
13. were
14. has
15. makes
Answer Subject-Verb Agreement II
1. are
2. is
3. are
4. is
5. don't
6. doesn't
7. is
8. lives
9. takes
10. want
11. is
12. is
13. knows
14. is
15. is … is
16. is
17. are
18. are
19. were … is
20. greets
21. are