Subject Verb Agreement2_6526b429599166b9e899719cb0271c46.pptx

Subject - Verb Agreement
© 2000, 1978 Margaret L. Benner All rights reserved.
Although you are probably already familiar with basic
subject-verb agreement, this lesson begins with a quick
review of basic agreement rules.
Subjects and verbs must AGREE with one another in
number (singular or plural). Thus, if a subject is
singular, its verb must also be singular; if a subject is
plural, its verb must also be plural.
In the present tense, nouns and verbs form plurals in
opposite ways: nouns ADD an s to the singular form; verbs
REMOVE the s from the singular form.

These agreement rules do not apply to verbs used in
the simple past tense without any helping verbs.

The agreement rules do, however, apply to the following helping verbs when they are
used with a main verb: is-are, was-were, has-have, does-do.

The agreement rules do not apply to has-have when used as the SECOND helping
verb in a pair.

They do NOT apply to any other helping verbs, such as can, could, shall, should,
may, might, will, would, must.

The subject-verb agreement rules apply to all personal pronouns except I and
you, which, although SINGULAR, require PLURAL forms of verbs.

Part I
Directions: Each sentence below contains a choice for correct subject-verb
agreement. Write the correct form on your paper.
1. At Yellowstone Park grizzly bears (doesn’t, don’t) have names; they have
numbers.
2. In the meeting between human and bear, a wild-card factor (throws,
throw) all calculations and studies to the wind.
3. The Yellowstone authorities should (has, have) kept thorough records on
each bear.
4. When some bears (encounters, encounter) people, it is the bear who runs.
5. The great national parks (holds, hold) about 200 grizzlies, with possibly 30
of them being breeding females.

Part II
Directions: This group of sentences contains a mixture of correct and incorrect
subject-verb combinations. Read each sentence carefully. If the subject and verb
agree, write "correct" in the space provided below. If the subject and verb do not
agree, change the number of the verb to make the two agree.
6. Behind an experimental fenced yard protecting campers in Glacier National Park,
six visitors has been fatally mauled by grizzlies in the past 19 years.
7. Meandering downriver toward a deer, three grizzly cubs comes within 15 yards of
it.
8. To a grizzly almost anything are food except rocks.
9. Lingering snow patches often become playgrounds for grizzlies observed making
snowballs.
10. Female grizzlies mates every third year in summer, without their fertilized eggs
implanting in the womb until fall.

Compound Subject
The word “compound” means “made up of two or more parts.” Two or more
words can be compounded or linked by joining them with any of three words:
and, or, and nor
Here are some examples of compounding:

Compound nouns can function as a “compound subject.” In some instances, a
compound subject poses special problems for the subject-verb agreement rule (+s, -s).

However, instead of using two sentences (as above), we may choose to give the
above information in one sentence.
This sentence makes use of a compound subject (two subject nouns joined
by and), illustrating a new rule about subject-verb agreement.
Although each part of the compound subject is singular (ranger and camper),
taken together (joined by and), each one becomes a part of a plural structure
and, therefore, must take a plural verb (see) to agree in the sentence.

SUBJECT-VERB RULE #1 – Two or more singular (or plural) subjects joined by and
act as a plural compound subject and take a plural verb (singular + singular =
plural).
You can check the verb by substituting the pronoun they for the compound
subject.

Or and nor as joiners work somewhat differently from and. While the word and seems
to ADD things together, or and nor do not. They suggest a CHOICE.
This sentence makes use of a compound subject (two subject nouns joined
together by or). Each part of the compound subject (ranger, camper) is
singular. Even though both words function together as subject (joined by or),
the subject still remains SINGULAR (ranger or camper) since a CHOICE is
implied.
This compound subject, therefore, requires a singular verb to agree with it.

SUBJECT-VERB RULE #2 – Two or more SINGULAR subjects joined by or (or nor) act as a
singular compound subject and, therefore, take a singular verb to agree.
Note: Two or more plural subjects joined by or (or nor) would naturally take a plural
verb to agree.
However, or and nor can pose a more difficult problem.

Thus far we have been working with compound subjects whose individual parts are
both either singular or plural

What if one part of the compound subject is singular and the other part is
plural?
What form of a verb should be used in this case? Should the verb be singular to
agree with one word? Or should the verb be plural to agree with the other?
Solution:
1. If the individual parts of the compound subject are joined by and, always use a
plural verb.

2. If the individual parts of the compound subject are joined by or or nor, use the
verb form (singular or plural) which will agree with the subject closer to the verb.

Part I
Directions: Each sentence below contains a compound subject. Choose
the correct verb from the parentheses to agree with the compound
subject.
1. Both Democrats and Republicans (is, are) electing a new leader.
2. Neither threats nor hostile action (scares, scare) the enemy.
3. The actors and the director (understands, understand) the lighting
problems.
4. The surfer or the swimmers (is, are) responsible for the littered beach.
5. A good diet and a realistic exercise plan (combines, combine) to help
one lose weight.

Part II
agree, write "correct". If the subject and verb do not agree, change the number of
the verb to make the two agree.
6. A sweet potato and some carrots provides Vitamin A, important for healthy eyes.
7. The eyes or the skin is often adversely affected by a lack of Vitamin A.
8. Neither bleach nor dyes really helps unhealthy hair look better.
9. Ripe tomatoes, leafy Brussels sprouts, and a handy orange is rich in Vitamin C.
10. Unfortunately for the sedentary, neither diet nor vitamins alone provide
sufficient fuel for good health.

Group Nouns
Some nouns which name groups can be either singular or plural depending upon
their meaning in individual sentences.
Because they can describe either the individuals in the group (more than one –
plural), or the group as a single entity (one only – singular), these nouns pose
special problems.
However, there are some guidelines for deciding which verb form (singular or
plural) to use with one of these nouns as the subject in a sentence.

If we refer to the group as a whole and, therefore, as a single unit, we consider the
noun singular. In this case, we use a singular verb.

If, on the other hand, we are actually referring to the individuals within the
group, then we consider the noun plural. In this case, we use a plural verb.

Of course group nouns, like other nouns, can also appear in plural forms
(with an s).

When used in the plural form, group nouns mean MORE THAN ONE GROUP. Thus, it
uses a plural verb.
Thus, there are three important subject – verb agreement rules to remember when a
group noun is used as the subject:
1. Group nouns can be considered as a single unit, and, thus, take a singular verb.
2. Group nouns can be considered as individual members within a single unit and,
thus, take a plural verb.
3. Group nouns can be given plural forms to mean two or more units and, thus, take
a plural verb.

Part I
Directions: Each sentence below contains a group noun subject. After locating the
subject, choose the correct verb from the parentheses to agree with it.
1. In the Peace Corps, an American group (goes, go) into an underprivileged
country to help the people develop skills.
2. The family members (learns, learn) a variety of different skills that are valuable
in the market.
3. The U.S. Senate (has, have) made several individual proposals for starting the
Peace Corps.
4. On October 4, 1960, at the University of Michigan, a young crowd (listens,
listen) to John Kennedy propose the Peace Corps.
5. The tribe members (is, are) expressing their individual thanks to members of
the Peace Corps.

Part II
agree, write "correct" . If the subject and verb do not agree, correct the sentence.
6. The volunteer group is teaching forestry in Ecuador, pipe repair in Pachanillay,
and sewing in Puembo.
7. A prestigious club has contributed funds, materials, and ideas to Peace Corps
volunteers.
8. The Peace Corps team members often gets together to talk over old times.
9. In the towns visited by the Peace Corps, the government repay the work of the
volunteers with gratitude.
10. A new crew are now volunteering to join the modern Peace Corps.

Plural Form / Singular Meaning Nouns
Some nouns are regularly plural in form, but singular in meaning.

Even though these nouns APPEAR to be plural because they end in s, they actually
refer to only one thing made up of smaller, uncounted parts. Therefore, they are
considered singular.
You can see that substituting that pronoun it instead of they makes more
sense here.

Another group of plural form nouns end in –ics.
Similarly, it is a more suitable substitute for any of these words than is
they.

These nouns appear to be plural (end in s), but generally refer to only one thing
and are, therefore, generally considered singular.
NOTE: Occasionally, however, the –ics nouns can have a plural meaning: We can
speak about individual parts of these wholes. In this case, we apply the same
rule as applies to group nouns when we consider the individual members within
the group: We use a plural verb.

Note the difference in meaning and, therefore, in the verb chosen
(singular or plural) between the two uses of the –ics noun, statistics.

Part I
Directions: Decide whether a singular or a plural verb is correct for each subject
given. In some cases, the rule given in this section will determine the answer
immediately. With –ics nouns, first determine the singular or plural meaning of the
subject. Choose the correct verb from each parentheses.
1. Students are excited that economics (is, are) being taught this semester.
2. Unfortunately, dishonest politics (was, were) used to win the election.
3. Athletics (provides, provide) important opportunities for physical development.
4. Good news usually (travels, travel) fast.
5. Because of the mood in the Senate, statistics (was, were) compiled quickly for the
report.

Part II
agree, write "correct" in the space provided below. If the subject and verb do not
agree, correct the sentence.
6. For some time now civics have been a required course in the curriculum.
7. Ceramics takes a great deal of practice for proficiency.
8. In this particular situation, the economics are hard to determine.
9. Because of constantly changing public opinion, politics offer a challenging career
to both men and women.
10. Indeed, mumps is a painful illness.

Indefinite pronouns can pose special problems in subject – verb agreement.
The difficulty is that some indefinite pronouns sound plural when they are really
singular.
As subjects, the following indefinite pronouns ALWAYS take singular verbs. Look
at them closely.

These should be easy to remember.

However, the following indefinite pronouns ALWAYS take plural verbs.
EXCEPTIONS:
A third group of indefinite pronouns takes either a singular or plural verb
depending on the pronoun’s meaning in the sentence. Look at them
closely.
SOME, ANY, NONE, ALL, MANY (“SANAM”)

Part I
Directions: Each sentence below contains an indefinite pronoun subject.
Choose the correct verb from the parentheses to agree with the subject.
1. Among the animals, turtles cling to their basic structural design, while many
others (is, are) experimenting their way to extinction.
2. Turtles are unique; each (has, have) eight cervical vertebrea, compared with
seven of most mammals.
3. Turtles are honored in many countries; in China, for example, everyone
(worships, worship) the legendary turtle named Dwei who created the
universe.
4. Turtles have specific characteristics; all (displays, display) two plated decks:
the upper, called the carapace, and the lower, known as the plastron.
5. Of the female turtles, some (has, have) been found to be twice the size of
the males.

Part II
Directions: This group of sentences contains a mixture of correct and
incorrect subject-verb combinations. Read each sentence carefully. If the
subject and verb agree, write "correct" in the space provided below. If the
subject and verb do not agree, correct the sentence.
6. Among the fascinating facts about turtles, another are their patterns of
dots, splashes, and hieroglyphs.
7. Aquatic turtles are different from land turtles: most is unable to close their
shells.
8. Everyone knows Ogden Nash’s celebrated poem about turtles.
9. No one is going to bother snappers, eaters of anything from snakes and
wooden canoe chunks to baby alligators.
10. However, of the early tribes, several uses turtles for food.

So far we have considered subjects that can cause subject-verb agreement
confusion: compound subjects, group noun subjects, plural form – singular meaning
subjects, and indefinite subjects.
The remainder of this teaching unit examines subject – verb agreement problems
that can result from word placement in sentences. There are four main problems:
prepositional phrases, clauses beginning with who, that, or which, sentences
beginning with here or there, and questions.

Here is a list of frequently used prepositions:
A prepositional phrase may be placed between the subject and verb.
In the above example, the singular verb is agrees with the singular subject
boy.

Sometimes, however, a prepositional phrase inserted between the subject and verb
makes agreement more difficult.
Car is the singular subject. Was is the singular helping verb which agrees with car. If we
aren’t careful, however, we may mistakenly label riders as the subject since it is nearer
to the verb than car is. If we choose the plural noun, riders, we will incorrectly select
the plural verb were.

Solution to the Prepositional Phrase Problem
1. Learn the major prepositions.
2. Be alert for prepositional phrases placed between the subject and verb, and
identify the noun in the phrase immediately as the object of a preposition: An object
of a preposition can NEVER be a sentence subject.
3. Locate the true sentence subject and choose a verb which agrees with it.

Part I
Directions: Each sentence below contains an indefinite pronoun subject.
Choose the correct verb from the parentheses to agree with the subject.
1. One of the many cultures studied by anthropologists (is, are) the Kwakiutl
Indians.
2. This group of Indians (lives, live) on the Canadian Coast.
3. Often the leader of the Kwakiutl dances, (foams, foam) at the mouth and
(tosses, toss) burning ashes into the crowd.
4. Wealth, like cedar bark blankets, canoes, and large sculptured copper
pieces, (is, are) important to the Kwakiutl.
5. To the Kwakiutl, one of the copper pieces (equals, equal) a thousand cedar
bark blankets.

Part II
Directions: This group of sentences contains a mixture of correct and
incorrect subject-verb combinations. Read each sentence carefully. If the
subject and verb agree, write "correct" in the space provided below. If the
subject and verb do not agree, correct the sentence.
6. Kwakiutl ceremonies for showing one’s wealth is called “potlatches.”
7. The host of a potlatch tries to shame his rival by displaying his wealth.
8. The host with all these goods sometimes even throw them into a giant
bonfire.
9. The rival without equal amounts of riches feel greatly ashamed.
10. In our culture, some behaviors of the Kwatiutl Indian is not acceptable.

A clause beginning with who, that, or which and coming BETWEEN the subject and verb
can cause agreement problems.
Like the prepositional phrase, the who / that / which clause never contains the subject.

TO AVOID SUBJECT – VERB AGREEMENT ERRORS . . .
1. Identify who / that / which clauses immediately.
2. Locate the true sentence subject and choose a verb that agrees with it.

Part I
Directions: Each sentence below contains a choice for correct subject-verb
agreement. Locate the subject of each sentence and choose the verb that
agrees with the subject.
1. Quilting bees, which have always provided warmth and sociability for
the women participating in them, (is, are) now becoming quite profitable
as well.
2. American women, who were quite restricted during the Victorian Age,
(has, have) always quilted as a means of keeping sane under such trying
conditions.
3. The quilts that these women made of scraps of silk (was, were) called
crazy quilts.
4. The quilts that these women made of scraps of silk (was, were) called
crazy quilts.
5. The quilting renaissance that has swept across the country (appear,
appears) to have been encouraged by feminism’s pride in women’s art.

Part II
subject-verb combinations, separated by who / that / which clauses. Read each
sentence carefully. If the subject and verb agree, write "correct" in the space
provided below. If the subject and verb do not agree, correct the sentence.
6. The American International Quilt Association, which began with 45 members, now
have 1, 680 members.
7. David Pottinger, who collects quilts, runs a general store in Indiana so that he can
live amongst the shy Amish and their quilts.
8. Quilts that contain boldly-colored geometric and abstract designs was celebrated
in the 1970’s as precursors of abstract art.
9. The Whitney Museum of Art, which is located in New York, was the first to
officially recognize the painterly qualities of quilts.
10. The author of several articles on quilts that were published in Smithsonian
magazine were for many years a roving editor for the Reader’s Digest in Europe.

When a sentence begins with there is – there are / here is – here are, the subject
and verb are inverted. After all that you have learned already, you will undoubtedly
find this topic a relatively easy one!
The verb in such constructions is obviously is or are. The subject, however, does not
come BEFORE the verb.
Instead, the subject in this kind of sentence comes AFTER the verb, so you must look
for it AFTER the verb.
In this example, because the subject, book, is singular, the verb must also be singular.

Remember: In here is – here are / there is – there are constructions, look for
the subject AFTER the verb and choose a singular (is) or a plural (are) verb to
agree with the subject.
And finally, sometimes creating a question will cause the subject to follow the
verb as well. Here, identify the subject and then choose the verb that agrees
with it (singular or plural).

Part I
Directions: In each sentence below, the verb comes before the subject. Select
your choice for correct subject – verb agreement.
1. There (is, are) two classes of pure matter: elements and compounds.
2. What (does, do) scientists know today about elements?
3. Occurring naturally (is, are) over 100 elements, or substances that cannot be
separated into different kinds of matter.
4. There (is, are) however, numerous elements that are man-made as well.
5. There (continues, continue) to be much research to add new elements.

Part II
Directions: These sentences contain a mixture of correct and incorrect subject –
verb combinations, with the verb coming before the subject (inverted order). Read
each sentence carefully. If the subject and verb agree, write "correct" in the space
provided below. If the subject and verb do not agree, correct the sentence.
6. How does elements form compounds?
7. There is a chemical combination of two or more elements: a compound.
8. For example, composed of the two elements, sodium and chlorine, are common
table salt, a compound.
9. There are new characteristics taken on by the compound, different from those of
its elements.
10. How, for example, does one get table salt from a silvery, poisonous metal
(sodium) and a greenish, poisonous gas (chlorine)?

Subject Verb Agreement2_6526b429599166b9e899719cb0271c46.pptx

Recommended

Recommended

More Related Content

Similar to Subject Verb Agreement2_6526b429599166b9e899719cb0271c46.pptx

Similar to Subject Verb Agreement2_6526b429599166b9e899719cb0271c46.pptx (20)

Recently uploaded

Recently uploaded (20)

Subject Verb Agreement2_6526b429599166b9e899719cb0271c46.pptx