EOC Review: Grammar Subject/Verb Agreement Pronoun/Antecedent Agreement Fragments Run-ons Punctuation & Mechanics

Subject/Verb Agreement A subject is who or what is doing the verb. A verb is the action, linking, helping, or being word. Shakia knows that her book is overdue to the library.

Practice The bird flew out the window and disappeared. Cheese and walnuts are delicious additions to a salad. Richie and his sister learned French. For my birthday, my brother washed and waxed my car.

He/They Trick To help you figure out whether a verb is singular or plural: try it with he or they. If it goes with he: it’s singular. If it goes with they: it’s plural. Is it he _________ or they ________?

Practice creates are have know likes help exacerbate was follow moves is did smell walked go incarcerate teach

What about prepositional phrases? Subjects are never in prepositional phrases. A vase [of flowers] sits [on the table]. Always remember to bracket your prepositional phrases first!

Practice The students in my class (has, have) very poor work habits. Our team (play, plays) hard every night. The man with all the birds (live, lives) on my street. Traffic jams (is, are) a problem during construction.

Subject/Verb Agreement: Rule#1 Singular subjects generally take a singular verb. Dorothy wishes to go [over the rainbow]. Plural subjects take a plural verb. The munchkins wish to welcome you [to Munchkinland].

Practice Traditionally, college students (has, have) been very active in politics. He (doesn’t, don’t) want to be killed. Your pants (is, are) at the cleaner's.

Subject/Verb Agreement: Rule #2 Subjects joined by and generally take a plural verb. Dorothy and Toto follow the Yellow Brick Road. *And = +

Subject/Verb Agreement: Rule#2 Singular subjects joined by or or nor take a singular verb. Neither Dorothy nor Toto wants to stay [in Oz]. Plural subjects joined by or or nor take a plural verb. Either the munchkins or the flying monkeys were evil.

Subject/Verb Agreement: Rule #2 When you have one of each (one singular and one plural subject), the verb agrees with the subject closest to it. Neither Dorothy nor the munchkins were expected Glinda. Neither the munchkins nor Dorothy was expecting Glinda.

Practice Either the tortoise or the hare (win, wins) the race. Neither Kara nor her friends (like, likes) winter. Raisins or an apple (makes, make) a good snack. Neither the foxes nor dogs (eat, eats) only meat.

Subject/Verb Agreement: Rule #3 When a sentence has an indefinite pronoun as the subject, it agrees with the verb. Singular: another, anyone, anybody, anything, each, either, everybody, everyone, everything, neither, nobody, no one, nothing, one, other, somebody, someone, something

Subject/Verb Agreement: Rule #3 Plural: both, few, many, others, several Either/Or: all, any, enough, most, much, none, some Look into the prepositional phrase to determine whether it will be singular or plural. pl All [of my students] are going to sleep.

Practice Everything (tastes, taste) better when camping outside. The seniors have a group picture taken, and most of them (buys, buy) it. Both (was, were) driving too fast. Students read poems in school, but few (memorizes, memorize) them. Everybody (hopes, hope) for good health. All of the notebook paper (is, are) lined.