subject verb agreement

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Subject-Verb Agreement
By Raghuram Geetha Madhuri Mohit
Bhardwaj Shubhendu Pathak
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What is subject verb agreement?

• Subject verb agreement refers to the fact that
  the subject and verb in a sentence must agree in
  number.
• In other words, they both must be singular or
  they both must be plural.
• You cant have a singular subject with a plural
  verb or vice versa.

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Basic Rule

• A singular subject (she, Bill, car) takes a
  singular verb (is, goes, shines), whereas a
  plural subject takes a plural verb.
• Example
• The list of items is/are on the desk.

Predicate
Subject
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Subject and Predicate

• Understanding Subject and Predicate is the key to
  good sentence writing.
• The subject of a complete sentence is who or what
  the sentence is about, and the predicate tells
  about that subject.
• Example The dog ran.
• Predicate The part of a sentence or clause
  containing a verb and stating something about the
  subject

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Subject-Verb Agreement Verb Person and Number
Person Number First Person Second Person Third Person
Singular I sing You sing He/She/It sings Geeta sings A parrot sings
Plural We sing You sing They sing Parrots sing
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Agreement
Subject
Verb
Example Peter doesnt like vegetables.
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Rule 1

•  A subject will come before a phrase beginning
  with of. This is a key rule for understanding
  subjects. The word of is the culprit in many,
  perhaps most, subject-verb mistakes.
• Example
• Incorrect A bouquet of yellow roses lend color
  and fragrance to the room.
• Correct A bouquet of yellow roses lends . . .
  (bouquet lends, not roses lend)

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Rule 2

• Two singular subjects connected by or,
  either/or, or neither/nor require a singular
  verb.
• Examples My aunt or my uncle is arriving by
  train today. Neither John nor Peter is available.
  Either Tom or Jerry is helping today with stage
  decorations.

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Rule 3

• The verb in an or, either/or, or neither/nor sente
  nce agrees with the noun or pronoun closest to
  it.
• Example
• Neither the teacher nor the students are to be
  blamed.

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Rule 4

• As a general rule, use a plural verb with two or
  more subjects when they are connected by and.
• Example
•  A car and a bike are my means of transportation.

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Rule 5

• Sometimes the subject is separated from the verb
  by such words as along with, as well as, besides,
  not, etc. These words and phrases are not part of
  the subject. Ignore them and use a singular verb
  when the subject is singular.
• Examples The politician, along with the
  newsmen, is expected shortly. Excitement, as
  well as nervousness, is the cause of her shaking.

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Rule 6

• In sentences beginning with here or there, the
  true subject follows the verb.
• Examples There are four hurdles to
  jump. There is a high hurdle to
  jump. Here are the keys.

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Rule 7

• Use a singular verb with distances, periods of
  time, sums of money, etc. When considered as a
  unit.
• Examples Three miles is too far to walk. Five
  years is the maximum sentence for that
  offense. Ten dollars is a high price to
  pay. BUT Ten dollars (i.e., dollar
  bills) were scattered on the floor.

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Rule 8

• With words that indicate portionse.g., a lot, a
  majority, some, If the noun after of is singular,
  use a singular verb. If it is plural, use a
  plural verb.
• Examples A lot of the pie has disappeared. A
  lot of the pies have disappeared. A third of
  the city is unemployed. A third of
  the people are unemployed.

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Rule 9

• With collective nouns
•  such as group, jury, family, audience, populatio
  n, the verb might be singular or plural,
  depending on the writer's intent.
• Examples All of my family has arrived OR have
  arrived. Most of the jury is here OR are here.

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Rule 10

• The word were replaces was in sentences that
  express a wish or are contrary to fact
• Example 
• If Joe were here, you'd be sorry.

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Thank You
Any Queries???
For Being Attentive...
Lets do some exercises
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Exercise

• Annie and her brothers (is, are) at school.
• Either my mother or my father (is, are) coming to
  the meeting.
• The dog or the cats (is, are) outside.
• Either my shoes or your coat (is, are) always on
  the floor.
• George and Tamara (doesn't, don't) want to see
  that movie.
• Benito (doesn't, don't) know the answer.
• One of my sisters (is, are) going on a trip to
  France.
• The man with all the birds (live, lives) on my
  street.
• The movie, including all the previews, (take,
  takes) about two hours to watch.
• The players, as well as the captain, (want,
  wants) to win.

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• Either answer (is, are) acceptable.
• Every one of those books (is, are) fiction.
• Nobody (know, knows) the trouble I've seen.
• (Is, Are) the news on at five or six?
• Mathematics (is, are) John's favorite subject,
  while Civics (is, are) Andrea's favorite subject.

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