Subject Verb Agreement

1. AND When the subject of a sentence is composed of two or more nouns or pronouns connected by and, use a plural verb. She and her friends are at the fair. However, when the two nouns refer to only one person or thing, use a singular verb. The singer and doctor is coming. 2. OR When two or more singular nouns or pronouns are connected by or, use a singular verb. The book or the pen is in the drawer. When a singular subject is connected by or to a plural object, put the plural subject last and use a plural verb. The serving bowl or the plates go on that shelf. 3. NOT ONLY BUT ALSO When the subject begins with Not only A but also B, the number of the verb is determined by B. 4. W T!" TO#$T!$R W T!" N%LUD N#" A%%O&'AN $D BY" N ADD T ON TO" AS W$LL AS !pressions such as with, together with, including, accompanied by, in addition to, as well as do not change the number of the subject. "f the subject is singular, the verb is too. The president, accompanied by his wife, is travelling to "ndia. #ll of the books, including yours, are in that bo!. (. A NU&B$R O)* T!$ NU&B$R O) # subject beginning with a number of usually takes a plural verb $because a number of is replaceable by some%. # number of applicants are bilingual. However, when an adjective is situated between a and number, a singular verb may be used. # higher number of applicants is e!pected this year. # subject beginning with the number of usually takes a singular verb. The number of applicants is higher this year.

But if an adjective is situated between the and number, a plural verb may be appropriate. The greatest number of applicants are from Boston. +. A &A,OR TY O)* T!$ &A,OR TY O) " A & NOR TY O)* T!$ &A,OR TY O) # majority of, the majority of, a minority of, the minority of & singular noun singular verb # majority of, the majority of, a minority of, the minority of & plural noun plural verb # majority of the population agrees with the president. # majority of the voters agree with the president. The majority of the electorate is in favour of the referendum. The majority of the voters are in favour of the referendum. -. $A%! ON$" $V$RYON$" $V$RYBODY" ANYON$" ANYBODY" NO ON$" NOBODY" SO&$ON$" SO&$BODY These words are singular and re'uire a singular verb. verybody knows (r. )ones. *o one knows where she comes from. .. $ T!$R OR * N$ T!$R NOR Either A or B/ Neither A nor B: the number of the verb is determined by B. *either he nor his friends are able to come. When I is one of the two subjects connected by either or / neither nor , put it second and follow it with singular verb am. *either she nor " am going to the festival. ither you or " am wrong. ither my father or my brothers are going to sell the house. B+T, Is either my father or my brothers going to sell the houseAre either my brothers or my father going to sell the house/. $ T!$R* N$ T!$R ither. *either & singular noun singular verb ither of. *either of & plural noun singular verb.plural verb *either parent has signed the form. *either of the bo!es was. were big enough. 10. $A%! ach & singular noun singular verb ach of & plural noun singular verb

ach day is better than the last. ach of her toenails was a different colour. 11. ANY O)* NON$ O) When a plural noun comes after any of, none of we can use either a singular verb or a plural verb. "s. #re there any of these old maps worth keeping*one of the plants have. has grown very much. 12. ALL #ll refers to things singular verb #ll refers to people plural verb #ll is calm. $(i vt /u im lng% #ll are 0ietnamese. 13. T &$" D STAN%$" 'R %$ AND W$ #!T #fter and amount of money, a distance, a weight or a length of time we normally use a singular verb. Ten dollars is too much for a lunch. # hundred metres isn1t far to swim. *inety kilos is too heavy for me to lift. 2ive minutes doesn1t seem long to wait. 14. )RA%T ON 1n2 '$R%$NTA#$ 2ractions and percentages with singular or uncountable nouns have singular verbs. With plural nouns, they have plural verbs. Two3thirds of the report is written. #bout twenty percent of the students are #sian. 1(. %OLL$%T V$ NOUNS3 army, audience, band, class, committee, council, crew, crowd, family, government, group, staff, team When we mean the group as a whole, we use a singular verb. The family is a very old and famous one. The orchestra consists of eighty si! musicians. The committee has made its decision. When we mean the individual people in the group, we normally use the plural. The family are delighted with their presents. The class will miss their lessons because they are all going on a trip. 1+. 'A R NOUNS3 binoculars, glasses, jeans, pants, pyjamas 4p1 m 56, shorts, tights, trousers, scissors 7air noun, a thing made of two parts which are the same. 7air nouns re'uire plural verbs. These scissors are dull. Those trousers are made of wool. When pair nouns are preceded by A pair of we use singular verbs.

# pair of plaid trousers is in the closet. $plaid 4pld6, len sc vu8ng% 1-. Civics, mathematics, dollars, measles, news When the subject looks plural but is really singular, we use singular verbs. The news is on at si!. (athematics is my favourite subject. *ote, the word dollars is a special case. When talking about an amount of money, it re'uires a singular verb, but when referring to the dollars themselves, a plural verb is re'uired. 2ive dollars is a lot of money. 9ollars are often used instead of rubles in :ussia. 1.. Police, people, cattle These nouns have a plural meaning and take a plural verb. The police have warned motorists to take e!tra care. 7eople don1t know what the future will bring. The cattle are going to be sold with the farm. 1/. "f the sentence compounds a positive and a negative subject, the verb should agree with the positive subject. The department members but not the chairman have decided not to teach on 0alentine1s 9ay. "t is not the faculty members but the president who decides this issue. "t was the speaker, not his ideas, that has provoked the students to riot. $riot 4;r t6, ni lon% 20. The phrase More than one takes a singular verb. (ore than one student has tried this. 21. Two and two is four 2our times four divided by two is eight. 22. Sometimes the pronoun who, that, or which is the subject of a verb in the middle of the sentence $defining relative clauses%. The pronouns who, that, and which become singular or plural according to the noun directly in front of them. Sarah is the scientist who writes the reports.