Transcript Agreement
AGREEMENT Subject – Verb Agreement When we refer to subjects, they come in two numbers: Singular Plural The person waits. The people wait. Some Common Rules With… Use a… I singular verb (no “s”) You plural verb (no “s”) He, She, It singular verb (“s”) We plural verb (no “s”) You plural verb (no “s”) They plural verb (no “s”) Subject – Verb Agreement Singular subjects take singular verbs. My grandfather trains dogs. She owns the red car. Plural subjects take plural verbs. My grandparents train dogs. They own the red car. Subject – Verb Agreement In a verb phrase, the first helping verb agrees in number with the subject. Has the dancer been rehearsing since noon? Have the dancers been rehearsing since noon? Do not be mislead by a phrase - a phrase does not affect the number of the subject. The teacher, as well as her students, was fascinated by the exhibit. The students, as well as their teacher, were fascinated by the exhibit. Subject – Verb Agreement Some indefinite pronouns are singular, some are plural, and some can be singular or plural when they are the SUBJECT of a sentence. ALWAYS SINGULAR as the subject: anybody, anyone, anything, each, either, everybody, everyone, everything, neither, nobody, no one, nothing, one, somebody, someone, something ALWAYS PLURAL as the subject: both, few, many, several Subject – Verb Agreement All, any, most, none, more, and some can being either singular or plural as the subject, depending on their meaning in a sentence. They are a singular subject when referring to singular words and a plural subject when referring to plural words. All of the vegetable garden has been planted. (all refers to garden) All of the vegetables have been planted. (all refers to vegetables) Subject – Verb Agreement A collective noun (functioning as the subject) is singular when it refers to the group as a unit and is plural when it refers to the individual members or parts of the group: Army, club, family, squadron, assembly, congregation, group, staff, audience, fleet, herd, team, band, flock, number, troop The team is on the field. [team as a unit] The team are working together. [team as individuals] Subject – Verb Agreement Compound subjects joined by and take a plural verb. Basil and thyme are plants of the mint family. Subjects joined by and may refer to only one noun. Such compound subjects take a singular verb. The secretary and treasurer is Gretchen. Grilled chicken and rice is the restaurant’s specialty. Subject – Verb Agreement Singular subjects joined by or or nor take a singular verb. Neither Jack nor Jill wants to see the movie. Has the cat or the dog been fed yet? If a singular and a plural subject is joined by “or” or “nor” the subject closest to the verb is used in agreement. Neither Mrs. Smith nor the Jones’ want to see the movie. Has the birds or the fish been fed yet? Subject – Verb Agreement An expression of amount (measurement, percentage, fraction) may be singular or plural, depending on how it is used. Five thousand bricks is a heavy load for this truck. Five thousand bricks are scattered on the lot. Subject – Verb Agreement TO MAKE LIFE DIFFICULT: The following nouns take singular verbs: Civics, genetics, news, economics, gymnastics, molasses, physics, mathematics, summons, electronics, mumps, measles These take plural verbs even when they are referred to as a singular item: Binoculars, pants, shears, eyeglasses, pliers, slacks, Olympics, scissors, trousers Subject – Verb Agreement Even if plural, the title of a creative work (book, song, movie, etc) or the name of a country, city, or an organization generally takes a singular verb. “The Birds” is a very scary story. The Philippines encompasses more than 7,000 islands. Pronoun – Antecedent Agreement A pronoun usually refers to a noun or another pronoun, which is called the pronoun’s antecedent. Pronoun – Antecedent Agreement A pronoun should agree in number, gender, and person with its antecedent. Singular pronouns refer to singular antecedents. Plural pronouns refer to plural antecedents Sandra Dee made her movie debut in 1980. The hikers took their canteens with them. Pronoun – Antecedent Agreement Use singular pronouns to refer to the following indefinite pronouns : anybody, anyone, anything, each, either, everybody everything, neither, nobody, everyone, no one, one somebody, someone, something, nothing Wrong Everybody forgot their homework. Right Everybody forgot his or her homework. Pronoun – Antecedent Agreement Indefinite pronouns do not indicate gender. Often, the object in the prepositional phrase that follows such a pronoun indicates gender. Each of the boys brought his own mitt One of the girls left her sweater on the bus. If the antecedent may be either masculine or feminine, use both pronouns to refer to it. Anyone who is going on the field trip needs to bring his or her lunch. Pronoun – Antecedent Agreement Use plural pronouns to refer to the indefinite pronouns: both, few, many, several Right : Both of the debaters persuasively presented their arguments. Pronoun – Antecedent Agreement Use a singular or plural pronoun to refer to the indefinite pronoun all, any, more, most, none, some depending on how it is used in the sentence. Some of the terminology is difficult to understand; perhaps Mrs. Grant can clarify its meaning. [some refers to terminology singular] Some of the terms are difficult to understand; perhaps Mrs. Grant can clarify their meaning. [some refers to terms plural] Pronoun – Antecedent Agreement Use a plural pronoun to refer to two or more antecedents joined by and. If Jesse and Ben call, tell them that I will not be home until later. NOTE: antecedents joined by and may name only one noun. Such compound antecedents take a singular pronoun. The corned beef and cabbage was delicious, so I ate two servings of it. Pronoun – Antecedent Agreement Use a singular pronoun to refer to two or more singular antecedents joined by or or nor. Either Keith or Kevin always finished his geometry homework in class.