Subject-Verb Agreement
Subject-Verb Agreement
Subject-Verb Agreement
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SUBJECT-VERB AGREEMENT
The rule for singular and plural verbs is just the opposite of the rule for singular and plural
nouns. Remember this when you match subjects and verbs. You might guess that “stays” and
“smells” are plural verbs because they end in s. They aren’t. Both “stays” and “smells” are
singular verbs.
RULE 2: The number of the subject (singular or plural) is not changed by words that come
between the subject and the verb.
One of the eggs is broken. “Of the eggs” is a prepositional phrase. The subject “one” and the
verb “is” are both singular. Mentally omit the prepositional phrase to make the subject verb-
agreement easier to make.
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RULE 3: Some subjects always take a singular verb even though the meaning may seem plural.
These subjects always take singular verbs:
RULE 4: The following words may be singular or plural, depending upon their use in a
sentence: some, any, all, most.
All of the words between the subject and verb in each of the sentences above are prepositional
phrases and have NOTHING to do with subject-verb agreement.
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RULE 5: Subjects joined by “and” are plural. Subjects joined by the conjunction “or” or “nor”
take a verb that agrees with the last subject after the conjunction.
RULE 6: “There” and “here” are never subjects. In sentences that begin with these words, the
subject is usually found later on in the sentence.
There were five books on the shelf. (“Were” agrees with the subject book)
Here is the report you wanted. (“Is” agrees with subject report)
RULE 7: Collective nouns may be singular or plural, depending on their use in the sentence.
A collective noun is a noun used to name a whole group. Following are some common examples:
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RULE 8: Expressions of time, money, measurement, and weight are usually singular when the
amount is considered one unit.
RULE 9: Some nouns, while plural in form, are actually singular in meaning.
RULE 10: “Don’t” and “doesn’t” must agree with the subject. Use doesn’t after he, she, and it.
SUBJECT-VERB EXERCISE IV
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Directions: Write the correct verb in the blank to the left of each sentence.