Subject—Verb Agreement We has to know it or we sounds like fools…

Number Refers to the form a word takes to tell whether it is singular or plural Verbs MUST agree in number with their subjects Plural subjects get plural verbs Singular subjects get singular verbs Incidentally, it is the singular verbs that usually end in an “s”…who knew?

Practice People (walk, walks) You (is, are) House (have stood, has stood) We (talk, talks) Crews (sail, sails) Women (seem, seems) Lauren and Sierra (laugh, laughs) To whisper (is, are)

IMPORTANT!! WORDS BETWEEN THE SUBJECT AND THE VERB DO NOT AFFECT THE NUMBER OF THE VERB!!! Take out any clauses, phrases, adjectives and adverbs that might be in the way Ex: The tent by that group of trees is mine. Ex: All the books, including Pride and Prejudice, belong to the library.

Practice Makes Perfect Page 514-515, Ex 3 Write the subject and the correct verb

Indefinite Pronouns Are tricky because both singular and plural forms of the verb will often sound correct…bummer Some indefinite pronouns are always singular, some are always plural, but some can work either way depending on the sentence.

Indefinite Pronouns SINGULAR Anybody - Anyone Anything - Each One - Somebody Something Someone Either - Everybody Everyone - Everything Neither - Nobody No one - Nothing PLURAL Both - Few Many - Several EITHER All - Most Any - None More - Some

Indefinite Pronouns All I want for Christmas is my one front tooth. All of my friends are going to the movies. Most of the lecture was interesting. Most of the books were still for sale.

Backwards Sentences Even if sentences are backwards (i.e. the verb comes before the subject), the same agreement rules apply Ex: Here are your assignments. Ex: Quiet! Here comes the teacher!

Practice Makes Perfect Page 518-519, Ex 4 and 5 Page 519, Rev B (if needed)

Compound Subjects Subjects joined by “and” take plural verbs Basil and thyme are the only spices I use in my spaghetti sauce. Mike and Joe answer the phone at the office. If a compound subject names ONE thing, use a singular verb Spaghetti and meat sauce is my favorite dinner. However, I’m tired tonight, so peanut butter and jelly is for dinner.

Compound Subjects Subjects joined by “or” or “nor” take singular verbs Either Mike or Joe answers the phone at the office. If a singular subject and a plural subject are joined by “or” or “nor”, the verb agrees with the closest subject. Neither the teacher nor the students want to have homework today. Neither the students nor the teacher wants to have homework today.

Practice Makes Perfect Page 521, ex 6

Collective Nouns Collective nouns, like some indefinite pronouns, can be either singular or plural depending on the sentence. Singular forms of collective nouns name a group AS A UNIT Plural forms of collective nouns name INDIVIDUAL MEMBERS of the group

Common Collective Nouns Army Assembly Audience Band Club Congregation Fleet Flock Ex: A number of students are taking the AP English test. Family Group Herd Number Squadron Staff Team Troop Ex: The number of students enrolling in AP English is rising.

Practice Makes Perfect Singular = it Plural = they Page 522-523, Ex 7 and Rev C

Expressions of Amount Expressions of amount (percentages, measurements, fractions, etc) may be singular or plural depending on how they are used. Singular when: The amount is thought of as a unit Refers to a singular word Plural when: The amount is thought of as separate parts Refers to a plural word

Expressions of Amount Singular Plural Ten pencils is plenty and should last English 11B students through the trimester. Twenty minutes is enough time to finish the assignment. Plural Five of my ten pencils are gone! Twenty computers are required to complete the assignment.

Nitty Gritty The titles of creative works, names of countries and cities, and names of organizations generally take singular verbs Subjects preceded by “every” take singular verbs Every freshman and sophomore takes the PLAN test. The contractions “don’t” and “doesn’t” should agree with their subjects When the relative pronoun that, which, or who is the subject of an adjective clause, the verb within the clause agrees with the word to which the pronoun refers. Ex: Billy and Jenny, who are class clowns, never do their homework. Ex: Michael, who is very studious, always does his homework.

Practice Makes Perfect Page 524-525, Ex 8 and Rev D Page 527, Ex 9 Page 528, Ex 10

Pronoun—Antecedent Agreement A student must apply his/herself to learn about pronouns and antecedents, and must study his/her notes in order to be successful on his/her quiz.

Pronouns and Antecedents A pronoun usually refers to another noun or pronoun, called the pronoun’s antecedent. A pronoun must agree number, gender, and person with its antecedent Number: That student aced his/her test! Gender: That student was Mary; she aced her test! Person: (1st ) I hope I ace my test! Person: (2nd ) I hope you ace your test! Person: (3rd ) I hope they ace their tests!

Indefinite pronouns, being indefinite, can be either singular OR plural Use singular pronouns with: Anybody - Anyone Anything - Each One - Somebody Something - Someone Either - Everybody Everyone - Everything Neither - Nobody No one - Nothing Use plural pronouns with: Both - Few Many - Several Determine usage with: All - Most Any - None More - Some These groupings should look familiar…

Practice Makes Perfect Page 534, ex 12

Compound Antecedents Use a plural pronoun (their, them, they, etc) to refer to two or more antecedents joined by “AND” Ex: When Jack and Jill get here, tell them I went up the hill to fetch a pail of water. Use a singular pronoun (him, her, it, etc) to refer to two or more antecedents joined by “OR” or “NOR” Ex: Neither Jack nor Jill was able to meet me, as he fell down and broke his crown, requiring Jill to care for him.

Compound Antecedents Be clear when using a pronoun to refer to antecedents of different number or gender Ex: Either Paul or Mary will sing his or her part with Peter. Ex: Neither Ms. VanderMeer nor the students want their test on Friday. Ex: Neither the students nor Ms. VanderMeer wants her test on Friday. It’s best to simply re-write the sentence to avoid confusion and awkwardness!

Collective Nouns and Antecedents A collective noun takes a singular form when the noun refers to the group as a UNIT. it A collective noun take a plural form when then noun refers to the INDIVIDUAL MEMBERS or PARTS of the group. they

Common Collective Nouns That take singular pronouns Civics - Gymnastics Mumps - Economics Mathematics News Electronics Measles Physics Genetics Molasses Summons That take plural pronouns Binoculars Pants Shears Eyeglasses Pliers Shorts Olympics Slacks Scissors

Common Collective Nouns That could be either singular or plural are words that end in –ics (athletics, acoustics, ethics, etc) “-ics” are singular when an –ics names a science, system, or skill “-ics” are plural when naming a quality, operation, activity, or individual item Ex: Ethics is the study of moral principles of the individual and the collective, and it is my favorite subject to study. Ex: Your ethics are questionable, and you should re-evaluate them.

Nitty Gritty Even when plural, titles of creative works and names of cities or countries take singular pronouns Ex: Los Angeles is a beautiful city; it has many beautiful parks. The gender and number of a relative pronoun (who, which, that) is determined by the antecedent Ex: My pot roast, which gets its flavor from my secret spice, won the cooking contest. An expression of amount can be either singular or plural depending on the sentence Ex: You have twenty minutes to complete the assignment; it is plenty of time. Ex: The ten pencils are apparently a hot commodity; they have disappeared!

Practice Makes Perfect! Page 538-540 Ex 13, Rev H

More Practice Makes More Perfect Page 541 Rev I, Rev J, Rev K

Test Review Chapter Review pg 543-545 Rev A, B, C