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AGREEMENT Agreement of Subject and Verb A verb should agree with its subject in number. The boy delivers newspapers. They are attending college. Intervening Phrases The number of the subject is not changed by a phrase following the subject. For Example: The woman on the stairs is Senator Reyes. The women in the front row are cabinet officers. Singular Indefinite Pronouns The following indefinite pronouns are singular: each, either, neither, one, everyone, everybody, no one, nobody, anyone, anybody, someone, somebody. They are used as follows: No one leaves early. One of the guitar strings was broken. Someone who likes apple juice raids the refrigerator at night. Plural Indefinite Pronouns The following indefinite pronouns are plural: several, few, both, many. They are used as follows: Several of the women are pilots. A few in the crowd were rowdy. Many of the students write and edit using Word Perfect. Singular and/or Plural Indefinite Pronouns The indefinite pronouns some, all, any, most and none may be either singular or plural, depending on the word they refer to. They are used as follows: Most of the day was gone. Most of the steer were grazing. None of the damage was serious. None of the students have finished. Compound Subjects Subjects joined by and usually take a plural verb. Her brother, her uncle, and her mother are teachers. Singular subjects joined by or or nor take a singular verb. Bill or Mary knows the address. Neither our phone nor our doorbell was working. When a singular subject and a plural subject are joined by or or nor, the verb agrees with the subject nearer the verb. Either John or his aunts are planning the activities. Neither the potatoes nor the roast is done. When the subject follows the verb, make sure that the verb agrees with it. Here are the keys. Here is a set of keys. Words stating amount are usually singular. Two years is a long time. Ninety percent of the student body is present. The verb in a clause following one of those should be plural. Melba is one of those students who try their best. The title of a work of art, literature, or music, even when plural in form, takes a singular verb. Angels and Demons is a book written by Dan Brown. Some nouns, although plural in form, take singular verbs. Mathematics is my favorite subject. The expression the number takes a singular verb. The expression a number takes a plural verb. The number of female athletes is growing. A number of girls like football and hockey. Agreement of Pronoun and Antecedent Use a singular pronoun to refer to each, either, neither, one, everyone, everybody, no one, nobody, anyone, anybody, someone, or something. Each of the teams has its mascot. One of the boys left his pen behind. Use a singular pronoun to refer to two or more antecedents joined by or or nor. Neither Heidi nor Beth took her umbrella with her. Use a plural pronoun to refer to two or more antecedents joined by and. The guide and the ranger wrapped their rain ponchos in their saddle rolls.