Agreement Subject and Verb

Subject and Verb Agreement Nouns can be either singular or plural… When a noun is referring to only one person, place or thing, it is singular. When noun refers to more than one person, place or thing, it is plural. Example: boy, gym, car (singular) boys, gyms, cars (plural)

Agreement… A subject must AGREE in number with its verb Mrs. E’s tip to remember: Usually (not always) if the subjects has an “s” on it, the verb won’t, and if the subject doesn’t have an “s” on it, the verb will. Ex: The boy hits the ball. The boys hit the ball.

Examples: Singular examples: The ocean roars in the distance. Mark plays soccer well. Plural examples: Squirrels eat seeds and nuts. The dancers practice after school.

Practice: Choose the correct verb 1.Firefighters (risk, risks) their lives to save others. 2.Some dancers (like, likes) hip hop music best. 3.Some students (choose, chooses) to study regularly. 4.The winner (receive, receives) a gift certificate. 5.He (miss, misses) his brother now.

Easy right? Many times you can tell if the subject agrees with the verb because it “just sounds right”. But like I always say, as soon as you think it’s easy, here comes the curveball………. Here’s what you MUST remember: Find the verb, find the subject, disregard everything else and see if the subject and verb agree

Problems: Interrupting phrases Sometimes a phrase follows a subject and makes it confusing. Make sure you find the subject and verb. These shades of blue are my favorite colors. The smallest puppy of the three is sleeping in the basket.

Practice: Choose the correct verb 1.The second-largest island in the United States (is,are) in the Gulf of Alaska. 2.The thirteen thousand people in Kodiak Island (is,are) mostly of Native Arctic, Russian, or Scandinavian descent. 3.The citizens of Kodiak (call,calls) Alaska the mainland. 4.Industries in the community (has,have) suffered in recent years. 5.One cannery on the islands (cans,can) salmon eggs, or roe. 6.Many residents on the mainland (considers,consider) roe a delicacy. 7.Bears, such as a Grizzly, (catch,catches) fresh salmon. 8.However, their search for leftovers (create,creates) a problem for Kodiak.

Problems: Indefinite pronouns Remember those indefinite pronouns? Well, some indefinite pronouns are singular, some are plural, and some can be either. I’ll show you a way to remember which is which…

Problems: Indefinite Pronouns Singular: Each, either, neither, one, everyone, everybody, no one, nobody, anyone, anybody, someone and somebody. Notice that most of these end in –one or body – that reminds you that they are “one” or singular (one means one, duh; and you only have one body) Even though each, either, and neither don’t have -one or -body at the end, we usually say “each one” “either one” “neither one”

Practice: Indefinite Pronouns 1.Nearly everybody in Lee’s family (enjoy, enjoys) homemade chili. 2.Neither of them (was, were) wearing a helmet. 3.Somebody in the class (speak, speaks) French. 4.Each of these tapes (is, are) by Natalie Cole. 5.Everyone in the class (has, have) done well. 6.One of the band members (play, plays) lead guitar. 7.Either of these cakes (tastes, taste) delicious. 8.No one (was, were) listening to the speaker.

Problems: Indefinite Pronouns These indefinite pronouns are plural: Both, few, many, several Think about it: all of these are obviously more than one! Example: Few of the guests are wearing formal dresses. Many of the new houses have built-in smoke detectors.

Practice: Ind Pronouns, plural 1.Both of the girls (like, likes) to dance. 2.Many of the deer (cross, crosses) here. 3.A few of them (create, creates) their own web page. 4.Several of the students (want, wants) to go, too.

Problem: Indefinite pronouns These indefinite pronouns can be plural or singular: All, any, most, none, some To know if they are singular or plural, you must look at the noun in the phrase following the pronoun…look…

Problem: Singular or Plural??? All of the snow has melted. All of the snowflakes have melted. Some of the team has left the field. Some of the players have left their cars. Any of the cake is good. Any of the cupcakes are good. None of the milk was fresh. None of the milkshakes were fresh.

Practice: Singular or Plural??? 1.Most of the balloons (has, have) long strings. 2.Everyone in the purple uniforms (play, plays) on the softball team. 3.Both of the speakers (give, gives) a good speech. 4.Each of these recipes (use, uses) fresh peaches. 5.Some of the artists (paint, paints) landscapes. 6.Neither of these songs (was, were) composed by Duke Ellington. 7.None of the apartments (has, have) been painted. 8.All of the jewels (is, are) in the safe. 9.Many of these designs (is, are) found on Navajo rugs. 10.All of the writing (is, are) upside down.

Problem: Compound Subjects A compound subject is made up of two nouns or pronouns joined by “and”, “or” or “nor”. If two subjects are joined by “and”, they take a plural verb. Example: Red and blue are my favorite colors. New uniforms and instruments were ordered for the band.

Problem: Compound subjects When compound subjects are joined by “or” or “nor”, the subject agrees with the nouns closest to the verb. Example: New statues or a fountain has been planned for the park. A soft blanket or warm booties make a baby feel safe and secure. Neither Coach nor the players were happy with the decision.

Problem: Compound Subjects 1.Mary and the twins (want, wants) to go shopping. 2.Either Tink or Roo new (jump, jumps) higher. 3.Neither my father nor the boys (has, have) a new suit for the wedding. 4.Shelly and Donna (drive, drives) a silver car. 5.The cats or the dog (need, needs) some food.

Agreement: Collective nouns  A collective noun can be either singular or plural  A collective noun names a GROUP of persons, places or things  Common collective nouns: army, club, assembly, audience, class, committee, crowd, family, fleet, flock, group, herd, public, swarm, team, troop

Collective nouns  A collective noun takes a singular verb when the noun refers to the group as a unit  The science class is taking a field trip to the caverns. (the class as a unit is taking the field trip)

Collective nouns  A collective noun takes a plural verb when the noun refers to the individual parts or members of the group  Today, the science class are working on their astronomy projects. (the different members of the class are working on various projects)

Collective nouns - practice 1.The audience (love, loves) the performance. 2.The club (sponsor, sponsors) a car wash to raise money. 3.The public (differ, differs) in their opinions. 4.The herd of cattle (expect, expects) to eat soon.

Other problems:  When the subject follows a verb, find the subject and make sure the verb agrees with it. The subject usually follows the verb in sentences beginning with “here” or “there” and in questions

Subject following verb Here is my seat. Or Here are our seats. There is an exciting ride at the fair. Or There are exciting rides at the fair. Where is the bread? Or Where are the loaves of bread? Does he know them? Or Do they know him?

More problems practice 1.(Here’s, Here are) the CD I borrowed from you. 2.Andy’s gift to Amy (was, were) two roses. 3.Here (is, are) the letters I have saved. 4.Where (is, are) the poems you wrote? 5.(There’s, There are) my friends. 6.The map shows that (there’s, there are) seven countries in South America. 7.(Does, Do) they know the answers? 8.Where (is, are) the new books for class?

Review: 1. When (is, are) Bill’s parents coming to get us? 2. Mr. Smith says that it (don’t, doesn’t) look like rain today. 3. Neither of the parties (has, have) been scheduled for next month. 4. Everyone who wears glasses (is, are) having vision tests today. 5. My baseball bat and my catcher’s mitt (was, were) back in my room.

Continued review 6. Neither Steve or Sami (has, have) tried out yet for the play. 7. All of our guests (has, have) been to Ft. Worth’s Cowtown. 8. (Don’t, Doesn’t) the team captain plan to put her into the game? 9. One of the men (has, have) decided to leave early. 10. The Bill of Rights (give, gives) American citizens the right to worship where they please.

Continued review 11. The flock of geese (fly, flies) north this time of year. 12. Here (is, are) my favorite boots. 13. The majority of our members (is, are) new. 14. The distance between the two lines (is, are) ten yards. 15. The lights on the tree (light, lights) the entire room.

Review: all rules 1.Many vegetables (grow, grows) quite large during long summer days. 2.His mother and her sisters (teach, teaches) math. 3.All of the sailboats in the harbor (belong, belongs) to the village. 4.You and your cousins (is, are) invited to the party. 5.Either the wall clock or our watches (is, are) not accurate. 6.The magazines on the kitchen table (are, is) for the hospital. 7.My list of favorite singers (include, includes) Tracy Chapman and Bonnie Raitt. 8.Both my brother and my sister (deliver, delivers) the morning newspaper. 9.Neither pencils nor an eraser (are, is) permitted. 10.The clowns and jugglers (has, have) always been my favorite circus performers.