Grammar – Topic 3
Subject-Very Agreement
One of the most important
grammar items is Subject-Verb Agreement.
Using the correct form of the verb is important when forming sentences.
The subject of the sentence
is the person or thing that the sentence is about.
John is
happy. (The subject is ‘John’.)
Lucas buys
a packet of milk. (The subject is ‘Lucas’.)
The boxes are on the table. (The subject is ‘boxes’.)
Dogs enjoy
spending time with their owners. (The subject is ‘dogs’.)
The subject of the sentence
must agree with the verb.
(a) The
singular subject matches with the singular verb
When do we use the singular
verb?
Here are some rules:
- One person/thing
Examples:
Peter cycles to school every day.
Subject: Peter
Verb: cycles
He works
as a part-time deliveryman.
Subject: He
Verb: works
-
The apostrophe ‘s’ to show belonging
Examples:
Jack’s rabbit is white and fluffy.
Subject: rabbit (Note that the rabbit is what
the sentence is about.)
Verb: is
My grandparents’ house was first built in the
1900s.
Subject: house (Note that the house is what the sentence
is about.)
Verb: was
-
Phrases and Clauses that tell you more about the subject
Examples:
The lady living on the ground floor flat is ninety years old.
Subject: lady (Note that ‘living on the ground
floor’ tells you more about the lady. There is only one subject.)
Verb: is
The boy whom I babysit has fallen ill.
Subject: boy
Verb: has
The building which was flooded during the typhoon is at the end
of this street.
Subject: building
Verb: is
-
Noun clause as a subject
Examples:
Whatever you decide to do has nothing to do with me.
What the teachers told me was very interesting.
A person who can answer all these questions is a genius.
-
Subject before the ‘of’ phrase
Examples:
The list of items clearly states what the students need to prepare before the camp.
Subject: list (Note that the subject of the
sentence comes before the ‘of’ phrase.)
Verb: states
The quality of the food in this restaurant has fallen
drastically over the years.
Subject: quality
Verb: has
-
Singular subjects connected by ‘or’, ‘either…or’, ‘neither…nor’
Examples:
My brother or my sister is cooking dinner for me tonight.
Either Rachael or Ross helps to water the plants
every morning.
Neither the students nor the
teacher is in the classroom
now.
The subject closest to the
verb must match the verb.
-
Subject before ‘along with’, ‘as well as’, ‘together with’, ‘like’, ‘except’,
‘besides’
Examples:
The queen, along with the rest of the royal family, is expected to arrive at the press conference soon.
Subject: The queen (Note
that the phrase beginning with ‘along with’ is not part of the subject.)
Verb: is
-
Indefinite pronouns such as ‘everyone’, ‘no one’, ‘someone’
Example:
Everyone has agreed to share the cost of Ann’s birthday present.
Subject: Everyone
Verb: has
-
Uncountable nouns
Examples:
Milk is my favourite beverage.
Subject: Milk
Verb: is
All the equipment was destroyed in the fire.
Subject: equipment
Verb: was
-
Uncountable nouns with ‘containers’
Example:
The carton of milk is in the refrigerator.
Subject: carton
Verb: is
-
Nouns that are in pairs
Examples:
The pair of spectacles is mine.
The pair of scissors is sharp.
-
Collective nouns
Example:
The troupe of performers has/have trained hard for the past year.
Collective nouns can be in
the singular or plural form depending on the writer’s intent.
Be careful with the wording
of the rest of the sentence when forming sentences with collective nouns.
Examples:
The flock of birds flies overhead and I can hear it screech.
The flock of birds flies overhead and I can hear it screech.
The flock of birds fly
overhead and I can hear them screech.
-
‘The number of’
Example:
The number of customers queuing outside the store has increased.
-
Nouns joined by ‘and’ that represent a single idea
Example:
Fish and chips is a popular dish.
Subject: Fish and chips
Verb: is
-
Distances, periods of time, amounts that are taken as a singular unit
Examples:
Fifty dollars is all I am willing to spend on a dress.
Subject: Fifty dollars
Verb: is
Three kilometres was the distance I walked to get from home to the new mall.
Subject: Three kilometres
Verb: was
-
Gerunds (-ing form of verbs) as the subject
Examples:
Playing computer games is my hobby.
Running
along the beach is more interesting than running round a stadium track.
-
Two or more people/things
Examples:
The boys are at the swimming complex.
Subject: boys
Verb: are
They are
my friends.
Subject: They
Verb: They
-
Joined by ‘and’
Examples:
Ben and Peter live next to me.
Subject: Ben and Peter
Verb: live
Both Greg and myself enjoy reading science fiction stories.
Subject: Greg and myself
Verb: enjoy
-
Singular subjects connected by ‘or’, ‘either…or’, ‘neither…nor’
Examples:
Jack or his brothers visit their grandmother at the home for the elderly once a week.
Either the stray cat or the
stray dogs have overturned
the rubbish bin.
Neither my sister nor my parents enjoy fishing.
The subject closest to the
verb must match the verb.
-
‘A number of’
Example:
A number of complaints have been made against this shipping company.
-
‘I’ and ‘you’
Examples:
I help my mother with the household chores every Saturday.
Subject: I
Verb: help
You tell
the most hilarious jokes.
Subject: You
Verb: tell
-
Nouns that are always in the plural form (without using the word ‘pair
of’)
Examples:
The trousers are torn.
The spectacles are broken.
Let’s Practise!
Circle the correct answers.
Choose the correct answer in
the bracket.
1. The
tea in these cups (is/are) cold.
2. Jack
and Andrew (wash/washes) the sand off their shoes after playing at the beach.
3. The
deck of cards (is/are) damaged so we cannot use it for the game.
4. All
the students in the hall, together with the teachers, (is/are) waiting
expectantly for the principal to give her speech.
5. Either
the jewellery store or the watch store on the fifth floor of this building
(was/were) burgled last night.
6. What
I ate for dinner (has/have) given me a stomachache.
7. Fish
and chips (is/are) the signature dish in this restaurant.
8. My
sister’s pet dog always (annoy/annoys) me when I am trying to take a nap.
9. Every
contestant in both the halls (is/are) waiting for the judges to announce the
results.
10. Twenty
dollars (is/are) not enough for a week of food.
11. Saving
enough money for a trip (has/have) been his goal since he started working.
12. The
answers for this test (is/are) written in green ink.
13. Some
of the gold in the boxes (has/has) tarnished.
14. The
bowls of yam paste (is/are) for the guests.
15. A
number of onlookers (was/were) milling about at the accident scene even after
the accident vehicles were removed.
16. The
number of orders for coloured pencils (has/have) increased in the past few
months.
17. My
parents, like my aunt, (travel/travel) to Indonesia once a year.
18. The
reporters who interviewed the swimmer (was/were) from a popular sports
magazine.
19. Those
boys living on the top floor of this block (make/makes) a lot of noise on
weekends.
20. Whatever
you have said (is/are) wrong. You’ve misunderstood me.
Answers:
1. Is
2. wash
3. Is
4. are
5. was
6. has
7. is
8. annoys
9. is
10.
is
11.
has
12. are
13.
has
14.
are
15.
were
16.
has
17.
travel
18.
were
19.
make
20. is
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