The 20 Rules of Subject Verb Agreement in Standard English

1. Subjects and verbs must agree in number. This is the cornerstone rule that forms the background of the concept. The dog growls when he is angry. The dogs growl when they are angry. 2. Dont get confused by the words that come between the subject and verb; they do not affect agreement. The dog, who is chewing on my jeans, is usually very good. 3. Prepositional phrases between the subject and verb usually do not affect agreement. The colors of the rainbow are beautiful. 4. When sentences start with there or here, the subject will always be placed after the verb, so care needs to be taken to identify it correctly. There is a problem with the balance sheet.Here are the papers you requested. 5. Subjects don't always come before verbs in questions. Make sure you accurately identify the subject before deciding on the proper verb form to use. Does Lefty usually eat grass? Where are the pieces of this puzzle. 6. If two subjects are joined by and, they typically require a plural verb form. The cow and the pig are jumping over the moon. 7. The verb is singular if the two subjects separated by and refer to the same person or thing. Red beans and rice is my mom's favorite dish. 8. If one of the words each, every, or no comes before the subject, the verb is singular. No smoking or drinking is allowed.Every man and woman is required to check in. 9. If the subjects are both singular and are connected by the words or, nor, neither/nor, either/or, and not only/but also the verb is singular. Jessica or Christian is to blame for the accident. 10. The only time when the object of the preposition factors into the decision of plural or singular verb forms is when noun and pronoun subjects like some, half, none, more, all, etc. are followed by a prepositional phrase. In these sentences, theobject of the preposition determines the form of the verb. All of the chicken is gone.All of the chickens are gone.

11. The singular verb form is usually used for units of measurement. Four quarts of oil was required to get the car running. 12. If the subjects are both plural and are connected by the words or, nor, neither/nor, either/or, and not only/but also, the verb is plural.

Dogs and cats are both available at the pound. 13. If one subject is singular and one plural and the words are connected by the words or, nor, neither/nor, either/or, and not only/but also, you use the verb form of the subject that is nearest the verb. Either the bears or the lion has escaped from the zoo. Neither the lion nor thebears have escaped from the zoo. 14. Indefinite pronouns typically take singular verbs. Everybody wants to be loved. 15. * Except for the pronouns (few, many, several, both, all, some) that always take the plural form. Few were left alive after the flood. 16. If two infinitives are separated by and they take the plural form of the verb. To walk and to chew gum require great skill. 17. When gerunds are used as the subject of a sentence they take the singular verb form of the verb, but when they are linked by and they take the plural form. Standing in the water was a bad idea.Swimming in the ocean and playing drums are my hobbies. 18. Collective nouns like herd, senate, class, crowd, etc. usually take a singular verb form. The herd is stampeding. 19. Titles of books, movies, novels, etc. are treated as singular and take a singular verb. The Burbs is a movie starring Tom Hanks. 20. Final Rule Remember, only the subject affects the verb!

Pronoun: Word that takes the place of a noun Antecedent: Noun to which the pronoun is referring (original noun)
Ex: Mary (A) is happy; she (P) just finished all of her homework. The pronoun must agree with its antecedent in three ways:

1. Person: First (I), Second (You), or Third person (He) Mistake: A person (A) must be careful about whom he (P) tells his secrets to. You (P) never want to put yourself (P) in a position of weakness. 2. Gender: Masculine (He; Him), Feminine (She; Her); Neuter (It) Who: Refers to people That/Which: Refers to things or ideas Mistake: The snake (A) moved down the path; he (P) was fast. Mistake: The man (A), that (P) was angry, left. 3. Number: Singular or Plural *Singular antecedents get singular pronouns; plural get plural Mistake: That driver (A) just cut me off; they (P) should get a ticket! Mistake: A person (A) who tells lies eventually gets caught. Then, they (P) have to deal with the consequences

Pronoun-Antecedent Number Agreement Rules:

1. Use a singular pronoun to refer to a singular indefinite antecedent: anybody, each, either, everybody, everyone, nobody, one, someone Each of the children got (his/her, their) things ready. Everyone is responsible for (themselves, him/herself). 2. Use a plural pronoun to refer to a plural indefinite antecedent: Few, several, many Few of the students forgot (their, his/her) homework. 3. The indefinite pronouns all, any, none, and some do not clearly express singular or plural. Agreement depends on meaning: All of the apples are rotten. Throw (it, them) away. All of the apple is good. Use (it, them) in the pie. 4. Two or more antecedents take a plural pronoun Joan and Chris picked up (his, their) kids after school. 5. Alternative antecedentsjoined by or, nor, either/or, not only/but alsorequire a pronoun that agrees with the nearer antecedent Neither the kids nor the guide brought (their, his) cameras. 6. When the antecedent is a collective noun, pronoun agreement depends on whether the antecedent is acting as a unit (singular) or individually (plural). The jury has reached (their, its) decision. 7. The words each and every before an antecedent make it singular. Each of the children brought (their, his/her) lunch. Every man and woman must get (themselves, him/herself) home.

A preposition links nouns, pronouns and phrases to other words in asentence. The word or phrase that the preposition introduces is called the object of the preposition.

Rule1: In situations, the prepositions might be required to be placed at the end of the sentence. In such scenarios, they can be used following ways a) When the relative pronoun is that Example: Here is the book that you have been searching for. b) When the preposition governs the relative pronoun. Example: He is the person whom we are searching for. This is the baby which we are looking after. Relative pronouns-whom and which c) When the relative pronoun is understood. Example: This is the boy you spoke to. Those are the goals we aim at. d) In the case the preposition governs the interrogative pronoun or interrogative verb. Example: What is she looking at? What is the name of the person on whom the whole responsibility is laid on? e) The preposition is used as infinitive and is placed at the end of the sentence. Example: Dont you have a pen to write down? Dont you have a chair to sit on? f) When the object governed by the preposition is place first in the sentence. Example: This I rely on. She is known all the country over. This is the point the professor on that day insisted on. Rule 2: A preposition can be used in the beginning of an interrogative sentence. Example: From which section are you? To whom should I submit this? In which country did this culture originate? Before how many days did you ever open this book? Rule 3: There are many words which can be used as both prepositions and adverbs. Some of them are above, about, along, across, before, below, behind, besides, by, down, in, near, off, over, past, round, through, under, up, etc. Example:

Preposition She was here before six. She was behind us. The station is just round the corner.

Adverb She has done this before. He is long way behind. Come round and meet me this evening.

Rule 4: There is a specific list of words with prepositions which require gerunds after them. Note: Gerund: a verb form which functions as a noun. It used as ing in a sentence. Would you mind me taking your book tonight? Today I spent more than 10 hours watching movies. Examples: Refrain from hunting Prevent from working Succeed in doing Disqualified from doing Abstain from drinking Help in doing Addicted to gambling Bent upon doing Averse to playing