Subject/Verb Agreement

Verbs should agree in number with its subject:

• ‘S’ Rule: – Singular subjects= verbs that end in ‘s’– Plural subjects= verbs do not end in ‘s’Ex: Singular: He washes the dishesRachel plays basketball for Cape Fear Academy.

Subject/Verb Agreement

-Plural:They wash the dishes.Rachel and Maddie play basketball for CFA.

Note: The ‘S’ Rule applies to linking verbs as well. Singular: Ann is backpacking in Nevada.Plural: All of my friends were late.

Subject/Verb Agreement

1. These pictures (show, shows) how noodles are prepared.

2. First, the noodle maker (roll, rolls) out the dough as thin as possible.

3. Then, the cook (slice, slices) the folded layers.4. Next, the strands of noodles (is, are)

separated and dusted with flour to prevent sticking.

Subject/Verb Agreement

5. After the noodles have dried a little, they (go, goes) into boiling water or broth to cook.

6. The Japanese (enjoy, enjoys) noodles made from either wheat flour or buckwheat flour.

7. A dish of cooked noodles mixed with sauce, broth, fish, or vegetables (makes, make) a popular lunch.

Subject/Verb Agreement

8. Noodle shops all over Japan (serves, serve) a variety of noodle dishes.

9. These shops often (resemble, resembles) fast-food restaurants in the United States.

10.For lunch or a snack, customers at a noodle shop (order, orders) noodles with their favorite toppings.

S/V Agreement and Prepositional Phrases

Finding a subject and verb in a simple sentence is relatively easy; it may become more difficult in more complex sentences. Therefore, remember the following: Subjects and verbs are never found in PP’s. If you encounter confusion, the easiest way to uncover the subject and verb in a sentence is to eliminate the prepositional phrases.

S/V Agreement and Prepositional Phrases

E1: Most of the women voted.Most of the women voted.The subject? Most, not women. Women cannot be the subject of this sentence because it is in a PP.

E2: One of the parakeets in the pet shop looks like ours.One of the parakeets in the pet shop looks like ours.

S/V Agreement and Prepositional Phrases

E3: Are two of the books missing?Are two of the books missing?

E4: Around the corner from our house is a store.Around the corner from our house is a store.

S/V Agreement and Indefinite Pronouns

Singular Indefinite PronounsE1: Each of the athletes runs effortlessly.E2: Neither of the women is ready to start.

Plural Indefinite PronounsE1: Were both of the games postponed?E2: Few that I know of have qualified.

S/V Agreement and Indefinite Pronouns

Depends upon meaning

E1: Some of the test is hard. [Some refers to the singular noun test.]E2: Some of the questions are easy. [Some refers to the plural noun questions.]

S/V Agreement and Indefinite Pronouns

Singular:E1: All of the exhibit is open to the public.

Plural:E1: All of the paintings are on display.

S/V Agreement and Indefinite Pronouns

1. Each of the comedians (tries, try) to outdo the other.

2. Somebody on the bus (was, were) whistling.3. (Is, Are) all of the apples spoiled?4. Neither of these books (has, have) an index5. (Do, Does) everybody in the class have a

pencil?

S/V Agreement and Indefinite Pronouns

6. Few of these jobs (sound, sounds) challenging.

7. (Is, Are) more of the vendors in the market?8. She said that no one in the office (leaves,

leave) early.9. Both of her parents (has, have) offered us a

ride.10.(Do, Does) most of the CDs belong to her?

S/V Agreement and the Compound Subject

• Subjects joined by and generally take a plural verb.

E1: George Lucas and Steven Spielberg make movies.• Compound subjects that name only one thing

take a singular verb.E1: My pen pal and best friend is my cousin.E2: Macaroni and cheese makes a tasty dish.

S/V Agreement and the Compound Subject

• Singular subjects joined by OR or NOR= singular verb

E1: Neither the coach nor the principal is happy with the team’s performance.E2: After dinner, either Anne or Tony loads the dishwasher.

S/V Agreement and the Compound Subject

• Plural subjects joined by OR or NOR = plural verb.

E1: Either the boys or the girls take the garbage out.E2: Neither the dogs nor the cats come when we call them.

S/V Agreement and the Compound Subject

When a singular subject and a plural subject are joined by OR or NOR, the verb agrees with the subject nearer the verb.

E1: Neither the children nor their mother was ready for the trip.E2: Neither the mother nor her children were ready for the trip.

Final Issues in S/V Agreement

Don’tUse with:

• All plural subjects• I • You

Doesn’tUse with:

• All singular subjects• All singular pronouns except

for ‘I’ and ‘you’

Final Issues in S/V Agreement

• Collective nouns may either be singular or plural, depending on its usage in the sentence.

E1: The jury is ready. [The jury is seen as one collective unit.]E2: The jury are still arguing among themselves. [The jury is split apart into separate members.]

Final Issues in S/V Agreement

Amounts of things (measurement, percentage, fractions) are singular or plural, depending on usage.• Thinking of things as units:E1: Two hours is a long time to wait.E2: Two hours- one before school and one after- are all I have for practice.

Final Issues in S/V Agreement

Thinking of things as individual portions:

E1: Three fourths of the pizza is gone.E2: Of these songs, three fourths are new.

Final Issues in S/V Agreement

• Some nouns that are plural in form take singular verbs.

E1: Politics is a controversial topic.E2: The news of the nominee was a surprise.E3: Rickets is a serious health problem in some countries.

Final Issues in S/V Agreement

Even when plural in form, the title of a creative work, the name of an organization, or the name of a country or city generally takes a singular verb.

E1: The United Nations was founded in 1945.E2: White Plains is home to several colleges.E3: “Greensleeves” is an old English folk song.