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We will use the standard of underlining subjects once and verbs twice.
Being able to find the right subject and verb will help you correct errors of
subject-verb agreement.
Basic Rule. A singular subject (she, Bill, car) takes a singular verb (is, goes,
shines), whereas a plural subject takes a plural verb.
Rule 1. A subject will come before a phrase beginning with of. This is a key rule
for understanding subjects. The word of is the culprit in many, perhaps most,
subject-verb mistakes.
Hasty writers, speakers, readers, and listeners might miss the all-too-common
mistake in the following sentence:
Incorrect: A bouquet of yellow roses lend color and fragrance to the room.
Correct: A bouquet of yellow roses lends . . . (bouquet lends, not roses lend)
Examples:
My aunt or my uncle is arriving by train today.
Neither Juan nor Carmen is available.
Either Kiana or Casey is helping today with stage decorations.
Rule 3. The verb in an or, either/or, or neither/nor sentence agrees with the noun
or pronoun closest to it.
Examples:
Neither the plates nor the serving bowl goes on that shelf.
Neither the serving bowl nor the plates go on that shelf.
This rule can lead to bumps in the road. For example, if I is one of two (or more)
subjects, it could lead to this odd sentence:
Better:
Neither she, I, nor my friends are going to the festival.
OR
She, my friends, and I are not going to the festival.
Rule 4. As a general rule, use a plural verb with two or more subjects when they
are connected by and.
Exceptions:
Breaking and entering is against the law.
The bed and breakfast was charming.
In those sentences, breaking and entering and bed and breakfast are compound
nouns.
Rule 5a. Sometimes the subject is separated from the verb by such words
as along with, as well as, besides, not, etc. These words and phrases are not
part of the subject. Ignore them and use a singular verb when the subject is
singular.
Examples:
The politician, along with the newsmen, is expected shortly.
Excitement, as well as nervousness, is the cause of her shaking.
Rule 6. In sentences beginning with here or there, the true subject follows the
verb.
Examples:
There are four hurdles to jump.
There is a high hurdle to jump.
Here are the keys.
NOTE:
The word there's, a contraction of there is, leads to bad habits in informal
sentences like There's a lot of people here today, because it's easier to say
"there's" than "there are." Take care never to use there's with a plural subject.
Rule 7. Use a singular verb with distances, periods of time, sums of money, etc.,
when considered as a unit.
Examples:
Three miles is too far to walk.
Five years is the maximum sentence for that offense.
Ten dollars is a high price to pay.
BUT
Ten dollars (i.e., dollar bills) were scattered on the floor.
Rule 8. With words that indicate portionse.g., a lot, a majority, some, allRule
1 given earlier in this section is reversed, and we are guided by the noun after of.
If the noun after of is singular, use a singular verb. If it is plural, use a plural verb.
Examples:
A lot of the pie has disappeared.
A lot of the pies have disappeared.
A third of the city is unemployed.
A third of the people are unemployed.
All of the pie is gone.
All of the pies are gone.
Some of the pie is missing.
Some of the pies are missing.
NOTE
In recent years, the SAT testing service has considered none to be strictly
singular. However, according toMerriam-Webster's Dictionary of English Usage:
"Clearly none has been both singular and plural since Old English and still is. The
notion that it is singular only is a myth of unknown origin that appears to have
arisen in the 19th century. If in context it seems like a singular to you, use a
singular verb; if it seems like a plural, use a plural verb. Both are acceptable
beyond serious criticism." When none is clearly intended to mean "not one," it is
followed by a singular verb.
Rule 9. With collective nouns such as group, jury, family, audience, population,
the verb might be singular or plural, depending on the writer's intent.
Examples:
All of my family has arrived OR have arrived.
Most of the jury is here OR are here.
A third of the population was not in favor OR were not in favor of the bill.
NOTE
Anyone who uses a plural verb with a collective noun must take care to be
accurateand also consistent. It must not be done carelessly. The following is
the sort of flawed sentence one sees and hears a lot these days:
Rule 10. The word were replaces was in sentences that express a wish or are
contrary to fact:
Shouldn't Joe be followed by was, not were, given that Joe is singular? But Joe
isn't actually here, so we say were, not was. The sentence demonstrates
the subjunctive mood, which is used to express things that are hypothetical,
wishful, imaginary, or factually contradictory. The subjunctive mood pairs singular
subjects with what we usually think of as plural verbs.
Examples:
I wish it were Friday.
She requested that he raise his hand.
In the first example, a wishful statement, not a fact, is being expressed;
therefore, were, which we usually think of as a plural verb, is used with the
singular subject I.
Normally, he raise would sound terrible to us. However, in the second example,
where a request is being expressed, the subjunctive mood is correct.
Note: The subjunctive mood is losing ground in spoken English but should still
be used in formal speech and writing.
Subject verb agreement simply means the subject and verb must agree in number. This means both need to be
singular or both need to be plural.
Compound Verbs
The following 15 sentences use compound verbs:
1. I will walk to the store tomorrow. (verb with auxliary)
2. What does he believe in? (prepositional verb)
3. His sad story made me tear up. (phrasal verb)
4. Mary said she would babysit for the Tom and Joan (compound single-word verb)
5. I don't want to bother you. (verb with auxliary)
6. The tightly woven fabric was easy to water-proof. (compound single-word verb)
7. Is the product something you can believe in? (prepositional verb)
8. I will take away the used parts. (phrasal verb)
9. Will the new balance carry over to the next bill? (compound single-word verb)
10. The new employee didn't know what to ask for. (prepositional verb)
11. The little boy was telling me all about the fair. (verb with auxliary)
12. He decided to air-condition the room. (compound single-word verb)
13. He didn't know what to work on. (phrasal verb)
14. Is he someone you can rely on? (prepositional verb)
15. I am willing to take the job. (verb with auxliary)
For many more examples, in different types of sentences, see Compound Verb Examples.
English speakers do just about everything they can to shorten, tighten and speed up what they want to say. By using
compound subjects and compound verbs, they do just that. Hopefully studying these sentences using compound
subjects and compound verbs will help you to communicate more efficiently as well.
Prepositions can be tricky for English learners. There is no definite rule or formula for choosing a
preposition. In the beginning stage of learning the language, you should try to identify a preposition
when reading or listening in English and recognize its usage.
to the office
at the desk
on the table
in an hour
about myself
On
At
He laughed at my acting.
I am good at drawing a portrait.
In
In preparing for the final report, we revised the tone three times.
A catch phrase needs to be impressive in marketing a product.
[Quiz 22.1]
After flying for many hours, we finally got off the airplane. We walked out the exit and went to the
baggage claim area. There were hundreds of different bags on the conveyer belt. I almost picked up the
wrong one because it looked like mine.
[Quiz 22.2]
To
Used to indicate the place, person, or thing that someone or something moves toward, or the direction
of something:
For
[Quiz 23.1]
1)I slept (of, to, for) only two hours last night.
2)It was my first trip (of, to, for) Hawaii.
3)Turn off the TV and go straight (of, to, for) bed.
4)This book was written (of, to, for) the people who want to learn how to play a guitar.
5)I was late (of, to, for) school.
6)Spencer is one (of, to, for) my best friends.
Prepositions "With," "Over," and "By"
With
Over
By
Used to indicate the person that does something in a passive voice sentence:
[Quiz 24.1]
1)If she left at 4 p.m., she should be here (with, over, by) now.
2)Go (with, over, by) there and catch my ball.
3) (With, Over, By) your determination, you will be able to achieve your dream.
4)I just found it! It was (with, over, by) the radio on my desk.
5)I knocked him (with, over, by) accidentally.
6)She was (with, over, by) me when the accident occurred.
Over
By
Used to indicate the person that does something in a passive voice sentence:
[Quiz 24.1]
1)If she left at 4 p.m., she should be here (with, over, by) now.
2)Go (with, over, by) there and catch my ball.
3) (With, Over, By) your determination, you will be able to achieve your dream.
4)I just found it! It was (with, over, by) the radio on my desk.
5)I knocked him (with, over, by) accidentally.
6)She was (with, over, by) me when the accident occurred.
Will
Shall
Mainly used in American English to ask questions politely (it has more usages in British English). For the
future tense, will is more frequently used in American English than shall.
Shall we dance?
Shall I go now?
Lets drink, shall we?
Used to express that you wish something had happened but it didnt or couldnt (should + have + past
participle):
You should have seen it. It was really beautiful.
I should have completed it earlier to meet the deadline.
We should have visited the place on the way.
[Quiz 20.1]
Will
Shall
Mainly used in American English to ask questions politely (it has more usages in British English). For the
future tense, will is more frequently used in American English than shall.
Shall we dance?
Shall I go now?
Lets drink, shall we?
Used to express that you wish something had happened but it didnt or couldnt (should + have + past
participle):
[Quiz 20.1]