Subject-Verb Agreement

Subjects Subject = who or what the sentence is about Subjects can be –Singular = one person/thing –Plural = more than one person/thing

Verbs Verbs are action words; they show what the subject is doing or make a statement about the subject. Just like subjects, verbs can be –Singular: In the present tense, they end in “s” (throws, finds, jumps). –Plural: In the present tense, they do not end in “s” (throw, find, jump).

Agreement Singular subjects need singular verbs –My mom likes to go shopping. Plural subjects need plural verbs –My parents like my new shirt.

Practice (Present Tense) The iguana _______ (to drink) the water. The grasshoppers _______ (to hop) away from the iguana.

Disagreement is bad! There are a few tricky situations to watch out for: Separation of subject and verb Coordinating Conjunctions Collective nouns Pronouns

Separation of subject and verb Watch out for words between the subject and the verb –Incorrect: The reports, which covered the colonization of Africa, leaves out too much information. –Incorrect: My plumber, in addition to my grandparents, love to sing karaoke. To correct these errors, identify the subject and verb and make sure that both are singular or plural.

Practice (Present Tense) The lions, which ate a gazelle, (to be) satisfied. The man who lives down the street (to rake) his leaves every day! My dog, in addition to my cat, (to want) to be fed.

Coordinating Conjunctions And – The word and takes subjects and combines them. –Steve and Laura fail grammar tests. Or – The word or keeps subjects separate –Either Steve or Laura fails grammar tests. Nor – The word nor keeps subjects separate –Neither Steve nor Laura fails grammar tests.

Practice (Present Tense) Jim and Joe (to eat) their dinner. Neither she nor he (to know) the answer. Either the democrat or the republican (to win) the election.

Special Tricks Or and nor keep subjects SEPARATE, not necessarily SINGULAR! –Either the monkeys or the zebras eat donuts on Saturdays. If the two nouns are different (one is singular, one is plural) go with the noun that is closer to the verb. –Either the monkeys or that one zebra eats donuts on Saturdays.

Practice (Present Tense) Either the runner from Deerfield or the runners from VHHS (to win) the race. Neither The Smiths nor Mr. Johnson (to know) what time garbage day is.

Collective Nouns A collective noun is a singular noun which represents a group of people or things. If you are referring to the group as one unit, it is singular. –i.e. the class, the Bahamas The Philippines is a great travel destination.

Practice (Present Tense) The class (to learn) agreement. The United Nations (to be) an important institution. The team (to practice) on Tuesdays.

Pronouns Many pronouns which sound plural are singular. Singular Pronouns – everyone, everybody, nobody, anybody, each. –Each of the plays holds the audience’s attention. –Everyone dances the electric slide. Plural Pronouns – both, few, many, several –Few people dance as well as I do.

Practice (Present Tense) Everybody (to be) here on time today! Nobody (to understand) the problem. Several people (to listen) to the announcement.