Grammar

Verbs
Subject / Verb agreement

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"How do I know if a subject is first, second or third person - in order to agree with the verb form? For
instance, it's easy in these cases:

I have called; She has enough money; Does he know who I am?

But not with:

Nobody (has/have)called, (Do/Does)anyone know my problem?, Everything (goes/go) wrong,
That (don't/doesn't) impress me, My place (has / have) a big kitchen, (Do/Does) Colombia have
an external debt"
The examples above can be divided into two groups: those that use indefinite pronouns (Nobody; anyone;
everything), and those that use singular nouns (My place; Colombia) or demonstratives (That).
In the first group, the rule is simple - when the indefinite pronouns somebody/one, anybody/one,
everybody/one and nobody/one are the subject of the sentence they are used with singular verbs:
Nobody has called / Does anyone know my problem? / Everything goes wrong.
In the second group, the best approach is to consider what pronoun would substitute the noun or
demonstrative. In each case the answer is 'it', and this pronoun, as with 'he' and 'she,' is always followed
by a singular verb:
My place (it) has a big kitchen / Does Colombia (it) have an external debt? / That (it) doesnt
impress me.
For further information, please have a look at the web sites listed below. If you do a search through the
document for "indefinite pronoun" you should find the relevant information quickly.
http://webster.commnet.edu/grammar/sv_agr.htm
http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Aegean/6354/grammar.html#PA
http://www.fortunecity.com/bally/durrus/153/gramch19.html

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