Download Subject-Verb Agreement - River Dell Regional School District

SUBJECT-VERB
AGREEMENT
WHAT IS IT?
 When writing a sentence, the subject (a noun or pronoun)
must agree with the verb
 Ex:
 He is
 We are
 I am
 By making sure your subject and verb fit together, you’ll make
your sentences easier to understand
 In short: singular nouns go with singular verbs, plural nouns
go with pluralized verbs
SINGULAR OR PLURAL
 One of the most common mistakes young writers make is the
use of mismatching of singular and plural subjects/verbs
 Ex:
 They is the best team in the league
 Everybody are supposed to have their homework ready for tomorrow’s
lesson
SO HOW CAN I TELL THE DIFFERENCE?
 When you come across any of the following words:
 Either, neither, none, each
 Anyone, no one, everyone, anybody, nobody, everybody
 ALL OF THESE TAKE SINGULAR VERBS!
 Ex: Either Patrick or Larry likes when we read as a group.
 Anyone who has Mr. D’Elia knows that he talks a lot.
 Nobody wants to stay after school on a Friday.
WHEN “OR” IS INVOLVED…
 Subjects joined by “or” can be singular or plural. The subject
closest to the verb decides whether it is singular or plural.
 The kids or my husband is/are driving me crazy.
 My husband or the kids is/are driving me crazy.
WHEN “AND” IS INVOLVED…
 When you come across two subjects joined by “and”, they are
PLURAL
 ex:
 Daryl and Merle is/are/am brothers.
 Bears and sharks is/are/am bad news; I hope they never team up.
 Ray Bradbury and Kurt Vonnegut was/were famous authors.
INDEFINITE PRONOUNS
 Collective nouns are words that represent an entire group
 Family, group, class, audience, team
 THESE WORDS REQUIRE A SINGULAR VERB
 Ex:
 My class is/are/am really excited for Spring Break.
TRIMMING THE FAT
 Subject-verb agreement is harder to identify in longer
sentences.
 We can fix this by going over the text and crossing out the
“interrupters” that get in the way of connecting the subject
and its verb.
TRIMMING THE FAT: EXAMPLE
After all, Elizabeth is the strongest candidate
A
for the job because her looks, experience,
B
and natural intelligence invites voters to cast
C
D
their ballots for her. No Error.
TRY IT OUT!
Everyone going on the spirit bus to Giants’
A
Stadium on Saturday for the State Playof f
B
Game are advised to wear warm clothes.
C
D
No Error.
REVIEW
To the disappointment of the crowd, neither
A
B
the president nor any of his aides were able
C
D
to attend the ceremony. No error.
REVIEW
Interest and applications to Stanford
A
University, an elite school in California,
B
has risen since Chelsea Clinton enrolled there.
C
D
No error.