Subject-Verb Agreement

EVERY VERB MUST AGREE WITH ITS SUBJECT Singular Subject Plural Verb Plural Subject Singular Verb

Watch the present tense verb endings! Singular oI walk oYou walk oHe/She/It walk s oJoe walk s oThe girl walk s Plural oWe walk oYou walk oThey walk oJoe and Maria walk oThe girls walk

Remember these three irregular verbs: SingularPlural oDO oHe doesThey do oHAVE oShe has They have oBE oHe is They are oShe wasThey were

Tip for present tense subject-verb agreement: If the subject does end in -s, the verb won’t. Generally, if the subject doesn’t end in -s, the verb will.

The girl dances. No -s on subject -s on verb

The girls dance. -s on subject No -s on verb

Compound subjects joined by and oIf there are two or more subjects joined by and, the subject must be plural, so the verb will not end in -s. oExample: oThe boy and the girl dance. (= They dance.) No -s on verb

Compound subjects joined by or oIf there are two or more subjects joined by or, the verb agrees with the part of the subject closest to it. oExamples: oThe professor or the students walk the halls. oThe students or the professor walks the halls.

What about indefinite pronouns? oAn indefinite pronoun does not refer to a specific person, place, or idea. oEXAMPLES: oSomeone is waiting for you. oAnything can happen at this school. oMany of his questions were answered. oSeveral of my disks are damaged.

A few indefinite pronouns are plural. many several few both some These will all take plural verbs. Many of the students have A’s. Few of the students are discouraged.

Most indefinite pronouns are singular. Most singular indefinite pronouns begin with and end with some -body any -one every -thing no

Examples of singular indefinite pronouns: Does anybody here like grammar? Everybody loves grammar! Is anybody lying? No one is lying! Well, someone is stretching the truth! Each of the students denies that.

Possible Pitfalls Sometimes several words come between the subject and the verb. The student, though she had lots of problems in other schools, finds/find (?) her new class easy. Correct: The student, though she had lots of problems in other schools, finds her new class easy. In other words: The student finds her new class easy.

Possible Pitfalls Sometimes people think the subject is one of the words in a prepositional phrase. It’s not! The subject can never be part of a prepositional phrase. Example The students in my class study / studies hard. X

Possible Pitfalls oSometimes the subject comes after the verb, particularly in questions or when the sentence begins with there. oExamples: oWhy are they falling asleep? oThere are no excuses for such behavior! oTIP! oThe subject can come anywhere in a sentence. oIdentify the subject correctly, and you’ll be okay! First locate the verb and then just ask yourself who or what is doing it.

Possible Pitfalls oRelative pronouns (who/which/that) can be either singular or plural, depending on the word they refer to. oThe student who works hard will succeed. oStudents who work hard will succeed.

How do I get this right? oIdentify the verb. oAsk who or what is doing the verb; this will identify the subject. oRead the subject and verb together. Do they sound right? oSee if the subject and verb match in number.

The Biggest Problems: oForgetting about word endings altogether oConfusing the subject with another noun in the sentence

Remember: o Subject: o Find the verb and then ask yourself who or what is performing that action. o The subject is never part of a prepositional phrase. o Verb: o The verb is always plural when subjects are joined by and. o The verb agrees with the part of the subject closest to it when subjects are joined by or. o Pronouns: o Most indefinite pronouns are singular. o Relative pronouns can be either singular or plural.

The subject and verb form the skeleton of every sentence. Make sure you fit the parts together correctly!

To review subject-verb agreement, see Chapter 16.