Can’t We All Just Get Along??? Subject Verb Agreement

Number When a word refers to one person or thing, it is singular in number.

Number When a word refers to more than one, it is plural in number.

Got number? Nouns and pronouns have number.

Singular The following nouns and pronouns are singular because they name only one person or thing: student, child, it, berry.

Plural The following are plural because they refer to more than one: students, children, they, berries.

Verbs Have It. Nouns and pronouns have number. Verbs have number, too.

Standard and Nonstandard English Standard English refers to the English generally used in well-edited newspapers, magazines, and books; by broadcasters; and by educated people of the English speaking community.

Standard and Nonstandard English Nonstandard English is the term used in our textbook to describe variations in usage that are limited to a particular region, group, or situation.

Standard and Nonstandard English Examples of nonstandard English are local speech dialects and slang words that do not become widely used.

So what??? In order to speak and write standard English, you must make verbs agree with their subjects.

Agreed? A verb agrees with its subject in number. “No, they doesn’t!”

Agreed? A verb agrees with its subject in number. “Yes, they do!”

Singular Singular subjects take singular verbs.

Singular Singular subjects take singular verbs. My friend likes algebra.

Plural Plural subjects take plural verbs. My friends like algebra.

Subject Verb Confusion? Generally, nouns ending in –s are plural (friends, girls), but verbs ending in –s are singular (likes, plays.

Subject Verb Confusion? A girl in my neighborhood plays in the school band.

Subject Verb Confusion? Other people I know also play in the school band.

What Person Is You? First person refers to self…I, me, we, us, our… Second person refers to the recipient of a direct address….YOU. “I am talking to YOU. Do not disrupt class !”

What Person Is them? Third person refers to pronouns that are not the speaker or those being directly addressed. Good students pay attention in class. It shows in their test performance.

3 rd Person Example (plural pronoun subject, plural verb) They arrive for class prepared and do all of their homework. (single noun subject, single verb) A poorly organized student neglects to bring necessary materials and fails to do his homework.

3 rd Person Example (plural pronoun subject, plural verb) They arrive for class prepared and do all of their homework. (single noun subject, single verb) A poorly organized student neglects to bring necessary materials and fails to do his homework. (My examples are preposterous, I know! They are only examples. We all AGREE that no reference is being made to individuals with the use of these fantastical scenarios!)

Person Since the form of the verb used with the singular pronouns I and you is regularly the same as the plural form, agreement in number presents problems mainly in the third person forms. But, wait! There’s, MORE!!!!

Stay with the subject! The number of the subject is not changed by a phrase following the subject. Remember that a verb agrees in number with its subject…

Prepositional Lookout The number of the subject is not changed by a phrase following the subject. A verb agrees in number with its subject… Not with the object of a prepositional phrase.

Where is the subject??? The subject is never part of a prepositional phrase.

Beware of Prepositions! Compound prepositions such as together with, in addition to, and along with following the subject do not affect the number of the subject.

Preposition Confusion? If it’s been a while since you’ve thought about prepositions, note pages There are so many exceptions to grammar rules regarding this important and ubiquitous part of speech, it is worth a student’s time to review them occasionally.

Again… A verb agrees in number with its subject…

Take a moment…to brush up on SV agreement! As a class, do exercise 3 on page 476.

Tricky Pronouns The following pronouns are singular: each either, neither, one, everyone, everybody, no one, nobody, anyone, anybody, someone, somebody.

Tricky Pronouns Example Each of the athletes runs effortlessly. (Each runs…)

Tricky Pronouns Example: Each of the athletes runs effortlessly. Don’t be tricked by the prepositional phrase, of the athletes.

More tricky pronouns… The following pronouns are plural: several, few, both, many.

More tricky pronouns… Many on the team practice daily. The subject, many, is plural, so the verb, practice, must be plural. (Remember that plural verbs usually do not end in –s.)

Any more tricky one? Yes… The pronouns some, all, most, any, and none may be either singular or plural. The words any and none may be singular even when they refer to a plural word if the speaker is thinking of each item individually, and plural if the speaker is thinking of several things as a group.

Any more tricky one? Yes… The pronouns some, all, most, any, and none may be either singular or plural. Any of these books is worth reading. (Any one book is worth reading.) Any of these books are worth reading. (All are worth reading.)