SUBJECTVERB AGREEMENT

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Chapter 4

• SUBJECT-VERB AGREEMENT
• Working With Words
• 44-52

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Subject-Verb Agreement

• Subject-verb agreement problems are some of the
  most common ways sentences go wrong
• A singular subject needs a singular verb
• A plural subject needs a plural verb

3
Conjunctions

• And connecting two or more items in a subject
  usually makes it plural
• Joe and Dan are coming to the party.
• The exception is when the words connected by and
  are part of a single thing
• Pork and beans is not my favorite dish.

4
Conjunctions

• Or used alone to connect two or more items in a
  subject makes the verb singular unless one of the
  items is plural. Then, the verb agrees with the
  nearest noun or pronoun.
• Mary Teagate or Phil Anderson is answering calls
  today.
• Mary Teagate or they are answering calls today.

5
Conjunctions

• The number of the subject is not affected by
  phrases beginning with words that are set off by
  commassuch as along with, as well as, in
  addition to, including, such as, or together
  with
• John, as well as they, is going.

6
Conjunctions

• When the correlative conjunction not only... but
  also is used, there should not be a comma before
  the but also, and the verb, therefore, should be
  plural.
• Not only Mark but also his sister Sarah have won
  scholarships.

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Collective Nouns

• Collective nouns are singular in form but plural
  in meaning. When it comes to verb agreement,
  form triumphs over function.
• Collective nouns include army, assembly,
  audience, board, breed, cast, choir, class, club,
  herd, staff, United States.
• The verb after a collective noun is usually
  singular
• Use the singular form when the collective noun is
  being used in the sense of a single group
  operating together in agreement.
• The jury was unanimous.
• Use the plural form if the noun is used to name a
  group operating as individuals or in
  disagreement.
• The jury were split

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Uncountable Nouns

• Uncountable (a.k.a noncountable) nouns are nouns
  that have no plural, although many of them look
  plural already.
• These uncountables take a singular verb advice,
  apparatus, athletics, civics, courage, etc.
• These uncountables may take a plural verb
  assets, barracks, earnings, goods, thanks, wages,
  etc.
• These uncountables may take a singular or plural
  verb depending on the context ethics, gross,
  headquarters, savings, series, etc.
• Politics is her favorite subject.
• Her politics are socialistic.

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Other Nonhelpful Nouns

• Dont mistake plural nouns ending in a with their
  singular forms ending in on or um. Criteria,
  data, and media are plural, not singular. (see
  pg. 46)
• Units of measurement, such as distances, money,
  time and weight, sometimes take a singular verb
  even though they are plural in form. This
  happens when the amount can be seen as a single
  amount Five dollars is not too much to ask of a
  friend.
• In American usage, couple, majority, number and
  total are singular if preceded by the, plural if
  preceded by a
• The number of people expected is small.
• A total of 50 people are expected to attend.

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Indefinite pronouns

• Both, few, many, others, and several are plural.
• Another, anybody, anyone, anything, each one,
  are singular even though some of them seem to
  refer to more than one (see pg. 46 for more! ) )
• All, any, each, more, most, none can be either
  singular or plural depending on the context
• All are here. All is lost.
• Some are coming. Some is left.

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Indefinite Pronouns

• Make none singular if it means no one or not
  one or plural if the sense is no two or no
  amount
• None of the people invited has arrived.
• (not one)
• None of the experts agree. (no two)
• Each is singular if it comes before the verb,
  plural if after
• Each is going by car.
• They are each going by car.

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• Either and neither used by themselves are
  singular pronouns
• Wrong
• Neither of them have come.
• Correct
• Neither of them has come.
• Wrong
• Either of the two work hard .
• Correct
• Either of the two works hard.

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Indefinite Pronouns

• In the constructions either...or and neithernor,
  the words are used as conjunctions, not pronouns.
  
• Both of these sentences are correct
• Neither John nor Bill is going.
• Neither John nor his parents are going.

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Intervening Nouns and Pronouns

• If a noun or pronoun comes between the subject
  and the verb, the verb still agrees with the
  subject, not with the intervening noun or
  pronoun.
• Wednesdays newspaper, along with its
  supplements, is our biggest edition ever.

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Prepositional Phrases

• If a subject contains a prepositional phrase,
  remember that the noun or pronoun following the
  preposition is almost never the actual subject
• Three trees in the garden are losing their leaves.

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Prepositional Phrases

• After a phrase beginning with one of (the,
  those, these) and ending with who, which or that,
  the real subject of the dependent clause is the
  noun or pronoun.
• She is one of those people who are always on
  time. (Of the people who are is always on time,
  she is one.)
• He thinks he is one of the people that are never
  wrong. (Of the people who are never wrong, he
  thinks he is one.)

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Prepositional Phrases

• If the one is such a construction, however, is
  preceded by only, one is considered the
  antecedent, and the construction becomes singular
  again
• She is the only one of those people who is always
  on time.
• He thinks he is the only one of those people who
  is never wrong.

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Relative Pronouns

• Relative pronouns (who, whom, whomever, whose,
  which, that and sometimes what) are pronouns that
  introduce dependent clauses closely connected
  with the relative pronoun's antecedent.
• When the word refers back to a collective noun
  (such as the name of an association, business or
  governing body), a thing (inanimate object,
  abstraction and so on) or an animal without a
  proper-noun name, the relative pronoun should be
  from the that family (that, which, what). When
  the word refers back to a person or an animal
  with a name, the correct relative pronoun should
  be from the who family (who, whom, whoever,
  whomever, whose, whos).
• Which is the dog that bit the child? (animal
  without a name)
• What is the color of the getaway car? (thing)
• Who is this playwright whom everyone is
  discussing? Person)

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Continued

• If you think of a nonessential clause as
  something parenthetical-an aside- remember that
  which introduces a clause set off by parentheses,
  dashes or commas. That introduces a restrictive
  clause not set off with parentheses, dashes or
  commas.
• The corner house, which has a brick front, was
  ours. (nonrestrictive)
• The house that has brick front is ours.
  (restrictive)

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Subject and predicate nominative in disagreement

• When the subject is plural and the predicate
  nominative is singular, or vice versa the number
  of the verb should always agree with the number
  of the subject.
• The committee is Ernie Havens, Ruth Brent and
  Bree Oliver.
• Ernie Havens, Ruth Brent and Bree Oliver are the
  committee.
• Inverted order
• When the subject follows the verb
• In a sentence beginning with here or there, the
  verb agrees with the number of the subject, which
  follows the verb.

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examples

• here comes the police chief.
• Here come the reporters.
• Here come the mayor and police chief.