Download Subject-Verb Agreement

Subject-Verb Agreement
Singular Agreement
• A singular verb must accompany a singular
subject. For example:
• A classic 1950s Chevrolet in pristine condition
sells for top dollar.
Plural Agreement
• A plural verb must accompany a plural
subject. For example:
• Classic cars provide drivers with immense
pleasure.
Review
• Most singular verbs in
the third person are
formed by adding “s” to
the root verb (or “es”in
some instances)
Eats
Hears
Speaks
Does
• Most plural verbs are
formed with no letter
added at their ends.
Eat
Hear
Speak
Do
Compound Subjects
• If the parts of a compound subject are
connected by and, the sentence needs a plural
verb. For example:
• The pastry chef and her assistant bake cakes
beginning at 4:00 A.M.
Compound Subjects
• When the parts of a compound subject are
connected by or, the verb agrees with the part
of the subject that is closer to it. For example:
• The bakers or the assistant bakes only German
chocolate cakes every Thursday.
The Verbs Be, Have, and Do
• These verbs are irregular in the present tense.
Therefore, you need to memorize their forms
to avoid problems with them.
The Verb Be
• Here are some examples of the verb be.
• I am the owner of two cats.
• He is the owner of a dog.
• They are the owners of cats and dogs.
The Verb Have
• Here are some examples of the verb have.
• We have no children.
• She has only one daughter.
• They have two sons and three daughters.
The Verb Do
• Here are some examples of the verb do.
• He does the multiplication problems.
• They do the division problems.
• I do the addition and subtraction problems.
Words between Subject and Verb
• Overlook any words (a prepositional phrase,
for example) between a subject and a verb.
Instead, focus only on the subject to
determine the verb form. For example:
• The cathedrals in Germany are impressive, but
the ones in France are even more impressive.
Frequently Used Collective Nouns
army
band
class
club
committee
company
congregation
family
gang
government
group
jury
team
union
Collective Nouns (Singular)
• If all members of the collective noun are
acting as one unit, then it is singular and
needs a singular verb. For example:
• The jury reaches its verdict unanimously.
• In this instance, all twelve members of the
jury act as one unit to reach the same verdict.
Collective Nouns (Plural)
• If all members of the collective noun are acting
individually, then it is plural and needs a plural verb. For
example:
• The congregation leave church at different times: some
after communion, some at the end of the service, and
some at least an hour after the service so that they can
socialize.
• In this instance, members of the congregation act
individually. Some leave at one time, but others leave at
other times.
Common Indefinite Pronouns
• These indefinite pronouns are singular and
therefore require singular verbs:
anybody
anyone
everybody
everyone
somebody
someone
Indefinite Pronouns in Action
• If anybody submits entry forms at least two
weeks before the deadline, he or she is
eligible for the grand prize—a Caribbean
cruise.
Everyone
• Everyone enjoys a home-cooked Thanksgiving
dinner.
Somebody
• According to the librarian, somebody needs
the books about the Eiffel Tower before the
end of the day.
Verbs before Subjects
• A verb always agrees with its subject—even if
the verb comes before the subject, as in a
question. For example:
• Where is the nearest grocery store?
• “Mrs. Miller, are you shopping for groceries
today or tomorrow?” asks the neighbor.
Inverted Order
• When normal word order is inverted and the
subject follows the verb, the subject and verb
must agree.
– Standing at the door with grins on their faces
were the cheerleaders.
There Is and There Are
• The word there does not function as a subject.
If a sentence begins with this word, search for
the subject after the form of the verb be.
Make certain that the subject and verb agree.
For example:
• At the party, there is one guest from Brazil.
• There are several guests from Japan.
Practice Exercises
• Each one of you is going to read the sentence on each practice
slide and select CORRECT or INCORRECT depending on the
Subject-Verb agreement.
• Hint: Find the subject and the verb and see if they agree (Use a singular
verb form for a singular subject & a plural verb form for a plural subject)
Incorrect
Movies in today’s
market makes a
great deal of
money.
23
Revised
Movies in today’s
market make a
great deal of
money.
24
Incorrect
The American
audiences pays
for tickets at
the theater
and for cable at
home.
25
Revised
The American
audiences pay for
tickets at the
theater and for
cable at home.
26
Correct
The international
market, which
includes dozens
of countries,
produces even
more profit.
27
Incorrect
Films are very
expensive to
manufacture, so
American studios
creates far more
films than other
countries.
28
Revised
Films are very
expensive to
manufacture, so
American studios
create far more
films than other
countries.
29
Incorrect
There is many
advantages to
seeing a movie
in the theater rather than
watching
a video at home.
30
Revised
There are many
advantages to
seeing a movie
in the theater
rather than
watching a video
at home.
31
Correct
The dark theater
and the enormous
screen take the
movie viewer to
another world.
32
Incorrect
The background
music in movies
play an important
role.
33
Revised
The background
music in movies
plays an important
role.
34
Correct
The music creates
a mood and gives a
signal of something
to come.
35
Incorrect
Not everyone in
the entertainment
fields agree about
the quality of
movies.
36
Revised
Not everyone in the
entertainment field
agrees about the
quality of movies.
37
Incorrect
Neither the use of
subtitles nor black
and white
photography
demonstrate the
preferences of most
Americans.
38
Revised
Neither the use of
subtitles nor black
and white
photography
demonstrates the
preferences of most
Americans.
39
Any
Questions?
40