Transcript Subject/Verb Agreement Notes

Agreement:
SUBJECT/VERB
I. The basics:
You must first find the subject and
the verb in a sentence in order to
see if they match in number.
The student studies after school.
Students study after school.
Reminders:
 Note:
Some sentences have more than one set of
subjects and verbs.
I
missed class on Friday because I was sick.
 Note:
Sentences do not always start with the subject
and the verb; sometimes they are in the middle or
they’re separated by phrases.
 My
third grade teacher [with the short hair and long
dresses] runs [in the park] [on Sundays].
General Rules:
1.
Singular subjects take singular verbs, and
verbs usually end with an “s” in the PRESENT
TENSE. (1)
Sally
2.
skips (along the side walk).
Plural subjects take plural verbs, and verbs
DO NOT end with an “s” in the PRESENT
TENSE. (>1)
Horses
gallop (in the pasture).
General Rule:
3.
Compound subjects occur when the subject is more
than one noun combined with a conjunction, and they
take a plural verb.
 Carrie
 Both
4.
and Sabrina go [to the movies] [on Saturdays.]
cookies and brownies are my favorite desserts.
Compound verbs are when the subject is doing two
things combined with a conjunction.
 My
friends call and text me daily.
Exception to the Rule:
Collective nouns represents a group of things.
The verb is then determined by whether or not
the action is referring to the group as a whole
or the individuals within the group.
 The
flute ensemble are tuning their instruments.
 The
flute ensemble is playing its concert in the
gymnasium.
(Use any given pronouns as hints.)
Practice: Circle the verb and underline
the subject.
1.
Kent (explores, explore) the woods behind his house.
2.
In olden times, explorers (uses, use) maps and the stars as a guide.
3.
After school Maggie and Joyce (dances, dance) around their room.
4.
Athletes (stretches and practices, stretch and practice) before big
games.
5.
The classroom beside the kitchen (gets, get) hot during lunchtime.
Practice: Circle the verb and underline
the subject.
6. The English class (writes, write) reports on their summer
reading.
7. The public (supports, support) its travel baseball team.
II. Subjects Followed by Prep
Phrases/Clauses
Some
subjects can be hard to
find because they are surrounded
by other nouns that relate to the
verb within a prepositional phrase
or a relative clause.
General Rule: The verb should match the
actual noun doing the action.
Don’t match the verb to the nouns that surround the
subject and give more information about it.
 The
plate of cookies sits on the counter.
 The
bouquet of yellow roses costs too much money.
 Students
 The
who major in nursing are getting good jobs.
girl with the floral tattoos and multiple piercings is
my best friend.
Practice: Circle the correct verb and
underline the subject.
1.
The list of names (is used, are used) to take attendance.
2.
Apartments in this city (is, are) expensive.
3.
The box of games (belongs, belong) to my brother.
4.
The grove of orange trees (looks, look) beautiful in the
postcard.
5.
Sounds of music (floats, float) throughout the
neighborhood.
III. Indefinite Pronouns
Sometimes, pronouns can be the subject
of a sentence, including indefinite
pronouns.
“Indefinite” implies that the pronouns are
a general/unspecific one, amount or
number.
III. Indefinite Pronouns
1. Some indef. pronouns always act like a
singular noun, meaning their corresponding
verbs end with “s.”
Pronouns that are ALWAYS singular:
 Everyone,
anyone, someone, no one, one
Something,
anything, everything, nothing
Everybody, somebody, nobody
Each, neither, either, etc.
III. Indefinite Pronouns
1. Some indefinite pronouns are ALWAYS
plural:
 Both,
several, much, many, few
III. Indefinite Pronouns
2. Other indef. pronouns are either
singular OR plural depending on
the noun they describe and
whether or not that noun is a
number or an amount.
III. Indefinite Pronouns
Indefinite pronouns that are singular
OR plural depending on their noun:
All, any, more, most, some
Some of the water is for tomorrow.
Some of the people are unhappy.
(They’re followed by “OF ______”)
III. Indefinite Pronouns
NUMBER Nouns
AMOUNT Nouns
You CAN COUNT them; there are
several items.
You CAN’T COUNT them; it is a
whole unit.
How MANY?
How MUCH?
Examples: Bottles, ideas, dancers
Examples: Water, faith, advice
This kind of noun makes the verb
This kind of noun makes the verb
PLURAL
SINGULAR
Practice: Circle the correct
verb AND its subject.
THIS IS HOMEWORK FOR THURSDAY IF UNFINISHED.
Agreement:
PRONOUN/ANTECEDENT AGREEMENT
What is the “antecedent”?
The antecedent is the noun that the pronoun
is replacing.
 Mike and Sandra were partners because
they shared a table.
 John picked up a rock and threw it into the
creek.
 Some of the cookies were broken.
General Rule:
Plural antecedents take plural pronouns.
Students should review their notes
during clinic.
Singular antecedents take singular
pronouns.
Harold reviews his notes during clinic.
Remember:
Even though it might sound wrong, singular
antecedents cannot be replaced by
plural pronouns.
A student should review his or her notes
during clinic.
If a contestant wants to forfeit, he or she
will have to talk to the judge.
Remember:
Note: you will mostly see this issue with
indefinite pronouns.
Each student should review his or her
notes during clinic.
One of the cats didn’t eat his or her
dinner.
Practice: Circle the pronoun that agrees
with the underlined antecedent.
Everyone needs to bring (his or her,
their) homework to class tomorrow.
2. One of the sisters needs to clean (her;
their) room.
3. Some gymnasts earn perfect scores on
(his or her; their) routines.
1.
Subject vs. Object
The subject is the noun doing the action
and the object is the noun receiving the
action.
I turned in the paper.
Subject = I; Object = paper
Mike gave the book to me after class.
Subject = Mike; Object = me
The form of the pronoun depends on
whether it is the subject or object.
Subject
Object
I
Me
He, she
Him, her
They
Them
We
Us
(Who)
(Whom)
*Does not apply to indefinite pronouns*
He gave the book to me after the meeting.
Greg and I went to the gym on Saturday.
Tip: If the pronoun is in
a prepositional phrase,
it is the OBJECT.
Practice: Circle the correct form of
the pronouns.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
We wanted to buy (he, him) a new car.
His sister and (he, him) are very close.
(We, us) students want a break.
May John and (I, me) go to the nurse?
(They, them) sent the letters to your brother
and (I, me).