Subject and Verb Agreement

1. Subject and VerbAgreement next exit 9.0

2. Subject and Verb Agreement Subjects and verbs MUST agree in number. Singular means one. Plural means more than one. previous next exit 9.1 - 9.2 - 9.3

3. Subject and Verb Agreement If the subject is singular, then the verb must be singular. The boy plays baseball. previous next exit 9.4 - 9.5

4. Subject and Verb Agreement If the subject is plural, then the verb must be plural. The boys play baseball. previous next exit 9.6 - 9.7

5. Plural Nouns Most plural nouns end in “s” or “es”. dogs, cars, books boxes, dishes, churches The boxes are full. previous next exit 9.8 - 9.9

6. Singular Verbs A verb ending in “s” is always singular. is, was, has, plays, talks The box is full. previous next exit 9.10 - 9.11 - 9.12

7. Subject and VerbAgreementRules previous next exit

8. Rule 1 Subjects connected by “and” are usually plural and take a plural verb. previous next exit 9.13

9. Mary and Elaineare attendingthe meeting. previous next exit 9.14

10. Rule 2 Singular subjects connectedby “or” or “nor” requirea singular verb. previous next exit 9.15

11. An apple or a pear makesa hearty snack. previous next exit 9.16

12. If a sentence has both a singularand a plural subject connected by “or” or “nor”, the subject closestto the verb determines if the verbis singular or plural. previous next exit 9.17

13. Sing A cake or some cookies (was, were) always available atGrandma’s house. Pl V previous next exit 9.18

14. Rule 3 Prepositional phrases never contain the subject of a sentence. Ignore the prepositional phrase when determining subject/verb agreement. previous next exit 9.19

15. S One (of the pants) needs cuffed. V previous next exit 9.20

16. Rule 4 Singular, indefinite pronounsrequire singular verbs. one, anyone, everyone, someone, nobody, anybody, everybody, somebody, each, either, neither previous next exit 9.21

17. S Everyone of the students workson a computer. V previous next exit 9.23

18. The words here, there, and where are adverbs, not nouns. They denote place. Therefore,they CANNOT be used assubjects of sentences. previous next exit 9.24

19. Adv V There are thetest vials. S previous next exit 9.25

20. Rule 5 Contractions are used as the verb would be used if it were not in contraction form. previous next exit 9.26

21. There wasn’t anytime left. previous next exit 9.27

22. Rule 6 Collective nouns such as “class” or “team” may be singular or plural depending upon how they are used: a. emphasis on the group takes a singular verb b. emphasis on members acting individually requires a plural verb previous next exit 9.28 9.13

23. The classate lunch. previous next exit 9.29

24. The classare presenting their reports this week. previous next exit 9.30

25. Rule 7 In an adjective clause, the verb agrees with the antecedent of the relative pronoun (who, which, that), which is usually the nearest noun. When “only one” is emphasized among a larger number, always use “one” as the singular antecedent. previous next exit 9.31

26. I like a catthat is friendly. previous next exit 9.32

27. I like animalsthat are wild. previous next exit 9.33

28. Erin is the only oneof the girls whois going biking. previous next exit 9.34

29. Rule 8 Weights, measures, time, and money can be either singular or plural. If they are thought of as whole quantities, they are singular; if they are countable, separate units, then they are considered plural. previous next exit 9.35

30. Five feet of picketfence is enough. previous next exit 9.36

31. Five one-dollarbills arein his hand. previous exit 9.37