Agreement Yes, of course you can! Chapter 18 Agreement Yes, of course you can!

Agreement Subjects and verbs/pronouns and antecedents must agree Subjects perform the action of the sentence Verbs are the action in the sentence Mary goes to the store every Thursday. Pronouns replace nouns Antecedent is a fancy name for the noun the pronoun replaces Mary returned her shirt to the store because it was missing a sleeve.

Number (we don’t want to do Math in English class…) Singular = 1 Plural = more than 1 Singular subjects perform singular verbs Mary walks in the park on Mondays. Plural subjects perform plural verbs Ben and Jerry walk in the park on Fridays.

Intervening Clauses and Phrases (they are always getting in the way) Any clauses or phrases between the subject and verb have NO AFFECT on the number Mary, who is friends with my sisters, walks in the park on Mondays. Ben and Jerry, chatting continuously, walk in the park on Fridays.

Indefinite Pronouns (they are sort of tricky to understand maybe) Common Indefinite Pronouns All, many, one, another, more, other, both, most, several, each, much, some, either, neither, such, few, none, anybody, anyone, anything, everybody, everyone, everything, nobody, no one, nothing, somebody, someone, something Be careful! Some of these pronouns can be used as adjectives! Most people find Mrs. Anderson’s laugh hilarious. Most would never tell Mrs. Anderson that!

Indefinite Pronouns (just memorize them…) Singular Anybody, anyone, anything, Everybody, everyone, everything, Neither, either, each Nobody, no one, nothing, one, Somebody, someone, something Plural Both, few, many, several

Indefinite Pronouns (yes…you need to memorize this, too) Annoying All, any, more, most, none, some These pronouns are singular when they refer to singular words All of the paper is gone. These pronouns are plural when they refer to plural words All of the worksheets are gone.

Practice Makes Perfect! Complete Exercises 1 and 2 pg 580-582

Compound Subjects (and then…and then…and then…) A subject comprised of two or more elements combined with a conjunction Both subjects must have the same verb to be considered compound subjects Michael and Sarah drove to the store. Michael drove and Sarah biked to the store.

Compound Subjects (and again…and again…and again…) Subjects joined by and usually take a plural verb. Strength and flexibility are characteristics of gymnasts. Grammar and spelling count on this paper. Subjects joined by and that name only ONE person, place, or idea take singular verbs. Pasta and red sauce is my favorite quick dinner. The first-place finisher and winner of the competition is Sandy Meyer.

Compound Subjects (or and nor make me want more Oreos) Singular subjects joined with the conjunction “or” or “nor” take singular verbs. Either swimming or hiking is an option at camp. Neither Andy nor Natalie knows how to sing. When a singular subject and a plural subject are joined with the conjunction “or” or “nor”, the verb agrees with the closest subject. Neither the teacher nor the students want to work today. Neither the students nor the teacher wants to work today.

Practice Makes Perfect! Please complete Exercise 3 pg 586 Due by the end of the hour

Problems… (I knew I was going to have issues with you…) Sometimes the subject follows the verb. This usually happens in sentences beginning with “here” or “there”. Here are the quizzes you took last week. There is a good reason for doing this, I’m sure. Where did everybody go?

Problems… (I knew I was going to have issues with you…) Collective nouns can be either singular or plural. (pg 584) Singular = refers to the group as a unit Plural = refers to individual members of the group The track team is warming up on the infield. The track team are discussing relay handoffs. The family is taking a vacation. The family are bickering about where they want to go.

Problems… (I knew I was going to have issues with you…) Special Note: The expression “number of” The number of = singular A number of = plural The number of boats going through the Soo Locks has tripled in the last year. A number of boats have only inches to spare on each side!

Problems… (I knew I was going to have issues with you…) Expressions of amount can be either singular or plural. Amount as a unit = singular Amount as separate parts= plural Five thousand pieces of confetti makes for a fun celebration. Five thousand pieces of confetti are difficult to clean up. Two months is a long time to wait for a package. There are two months this year that I don’t need to work.

Problems… (I knew I was going to have issues with you…) Fractions and percentages are singular when they refer to singular words and plural when they refer to plural words. Two thirds of all students have summer jobs. Two thirds of the student body is traveling this summer. Fifty percent of business owners like to hire students. Fifty percent of schoolwork is homework.

Problems… (I knew I was going to have issues with you…) The following plural nouns take singular verbs…yes, you need to memorize this! Civics Economics Electronics Genetics Gymnastics Mathematics Measles Molasses Mumps News Physics Summons

Problems… (I knew I was going to have issues with you…) The following plural nouns take plural verbs, even when referring to a single item…yes, you need to memorize this as well! Binoculars Eyeglasses Olympics Pants Pliers Scissors Shears Slacks Trousers

Problems… (I knew I was going to have issues with you…) Titles of creative works (songs, movies, books, paintings, etc.) and names of countries, cities, and organizations—even if they are in plural form—usually take singular verbs. Examples Gymnastics is my favorite sport to watch during the Olympics. The Olympics are being held in London this summer. “Wild Ones”, by Flo Rida, is the theme song for this summer’s Olympics.

Problems… (I knew I was going to have issues with you…) The verb ALWAYS agrees with the subject, but doesn’t have to agree with a predicate nominative. Our first choice is you. You are our first choice. Subjects preceded by “every” and “many” take singular verbs. Every mother and father is proud of their baby’s first steps. Many a student has been reduced to tears by grammar. The contractions “don’t” and “doesn’t” should agree with their subjects Don’t = do not = plural subjects + I, you Doesn’t = does not = singular subjects (EXCEPT I, you)

Practice Makes Perfect! Please complete Exercise 4, Review B, Review C on page 588-591