AGREEMENT OF SUBJECT AND VERB

1. A singular noun takes a singular verb

Samy lives in Bukit Besi.Ali has a new car
She is a doctor.She is Madam Theresa who
lives in Dungun.She has gone on a holiday.
2. A plural noun takes a plural verb
They live in Ipoh.We are hungry.
The girls are here.The boys have gone home.
3. We use singular verb and singular nouns with this and
that.
This car is expensive.
That was a frightening story.
4. We use plural verbs and plural nouns with these and
those
These stamps are valuable.
Those boys are absent.
5. Uncountable nouns take singular verbs.
Oil has many uses.
There is a lot of information.
There is a lot of rubbish in the drain.
6. When a collective noun refers to a group as a whole,
we use singular verb
His family is quite large.
Our team has played well.

7. When collective noun refers to individuals within the

group, the noun takes a plural verb.
The audience areshouting at the singer.
The public are advised to stay at home.
8. The expression one of must take a plural noun but a
singular verb.
One of the activitiesis rock climbing.
One of the booksis missing.
9. Both, many , several and a few take plural verbs.
Both of them are sleepy. Several girls are ready
to leave.
Many boys love playing games. A few courts
are full .
10. When a singular noun is followed by expressions such
as together with, as well as or including, we use
singular verb.
The motorist, together with his passengers, was
killed.
The captain, as well as his crew, is missing.
EncikAhmad ,including his wife , has left.
11. Each and every take a singular verb
Each boy is required to pay RM5.
Every student in my school is hard working.

12. We use singular verbs with the following indefinite

pronouns.
Everyone, someone, anyone, no one, everybody,
somebody, anybody, nobody, everything,
something, anything, nothing
13. Abstract nouns take singular verbs.
Tolerance is important.
Beauty lies in the eye of the beholder.
14. Names of certain illness and sciences which end in
s are considered singular , therefore take a singular
verb.
Measles spreads fast.
Physics is my favourite subject.
15. When a plural number applies to distances, weight and
amount of money are used to represent a single
quantity,it must take a singular verb.
Seven days is a long time to find the missing
plane.
Ten thousand ringgit is a lot of money.
120 kilometres is a long distance.
16. If a certain percentage or a fraction forms of part of a
subject, the verb agrees with the subject in the phrase.
Fifty percent of the students are from Dungun.
Two-thirds of the girls hate games.
(Plural Noun-use plural verb)
Thirty per cent of the work is done by them.
One-third of the petrol comes from Kuwait.
(Singular Noun use- singular verb)

17. A number of means some. It should therefore take a

plural verb. The number of is a singular term and
should take a singular verb.
(some)
A number of students are going to London.
A number of teachers like our class.
The number of students going on the trip isthirty
.
The number of snatch theft has increased.
18. Two subjects separated by eitheror neither.nor,
the verb must agree with the noun nearest to it. It can
be singular or Plural
Either the president norhis deputy is present.
Neither the boy nor the girls are crying.
Either Lucy or her sister has to do it.
Neither he nor they were told about the meeting
19. I and you are special .Both take the root word .
I am a doctor. I do not like cycling. I love
swimming.
You are a student. You go to school every day.
20. Names of countries take singular verbs.
The United States is a big continent.
Malaysia is a multiracial country.
21. Some nouns take a plural verb.
The rich, the poor, the police, the youth, the cattle
, the children etc

PRACTISE 1 :Fill in the blanks with is, are, was , were.

1. The prices of the things .very high.
2. The owner or the three houses .. not here today.
3. He and his younger brother studying at this school this
year.
4. Every boy in the school.. asked to help in the concert last
month.
5. The man, together with his six children and twenty grandchildren ..
present at the family outing session just now.
6. Either Ramli nor Kasim going to win the badminton match
tonight.
7. Neither Larry nor his family members ..coming for the dinner
this evening.
8. Either I nor they to take things to your house afterwards.
9. The news that his relatives are coming today .. very good
indeed.
10. Neither he nor I .. wrong in this matter. So, dont blame either of
us.
11. She did not do well in Mathematics which not very good
indeed.
12. Too much salt .. bad for you for it will give you high blood
pressure.
13. The town council .proposing a law to make every house owner
pay extra tax.
14. But also his sister .there to send hm off when he went to China.
15. The Transformer popular among the children.
16. 150 centimetres .too short for a man.
17. 10 000 metres .. quite difficult to climb. You will needa lot of
training and special equipment.
18. Only a number of boys and girls present at the ceremony.
19. The number of participants in the program .. big.
20. A variety of activities .planned for the scouts who went camping.
21. There very little variety in the food they are serving in the
canteen.
22. The cost of the medicine too high for someone who
earning so little.
23. The children of a gambler like him .not going to get the
best opportunities in life.
24. The hijacker with all the crew and passengers not eaten for two
days.
25. He can never give up politics because politics in his blood.
26. The police ..setting up a road blocks everywhere to catch the
robbers.
27. The cattle .grazing in the field at this moment.
28. Too much sugar .bad for you.
29. Smoking a bad habit.
30. One of the outdoor activities ..kayaking.
PRACTICE 2 : Fill in the blanks with the correct form of the verbs in brackets.The first one has
been done.

I read (read) with interest, but alarm, the letter by Sara criticising residential
schools. I .(hope) hers ia an isolated opinion. The fact that residential
schools ( have) been around for a long time ..(prove) that
they .(be) a success. I (be) studying in one of the
residential schools in Selangor.
It may be a good idea for me to defend residential schools by explaining why I
chose to go one. Like many others, my main reason .(be) desire for
better facilities. My school .(have) excellent science better
laboratories, a swimming pool, a gymnasium, fifty computers and a large library. We
also .(have) a large field. How many schools ..(be) so
well-equipped?
It .(be) a well-known fact that residential schools
.(have) better teacher-student ratios than day schools. The classes
..(be) smaller whereas in most urban school there are as many as forty five
students in a class. Furthermore, it ..(be) believed that only the best
teachers are sent to residential schools.
Another point to consider .(be) that there (be)
keener competition in residential schools. Only the best students .
(be) selected. All my classmates .( have) 7As in the PMR. I
.(have) to study really hard to keep up with them.
It (be) useful, at this point, to remember that one of the main
objectives of establishing residential schools (be) to give equal
opportunities to bright rural children from poor families. They often ..
(lack) a conducive environment to study. Although that was not why I chose a residential
school, I ..(know) many friends who (come) here
because of that reason. Some of them come from large families or broken
homes.
Finally I .(feel) that discipline and the structures atmosphere of a
residential school ..(be) good for students who .
(lack) discipline. We .(have) fixed hours for work and play. Many
students .(do) well in this kind of atmosphere.
In my opinion, residential schools (be) here to stay. I
(have) no regrets being in one. I (do) miss my
family and home-cooked meals but for the sake of my education, I .(be)
glad to be in residential school.

PRACTICE 3: Rewrite the short text below in simple present tense. Pay attention to the agreement of
subject and verb. Underline the verbs

Friendship was definitely important in my life. I had a lot friends who understood me well. There
were two of my friends who would always be by side in whatever situation I was in. They often
raised my spirit and brought laughter in my life. They often made me feel great.
My two best friends were Tina and Mira. These two girls had always helped me through my most
difficult time. Tina always cheered me with her never ending jokes while Mira often motivated me
when I was down and depressed.I knew I depended on them too much but that was life in the
hostel. I was studying in one of the residential schools in Terengganu. I was far away from family.
Whenever I missed my family, these two adorable friends of mine would be there for me. I realized
they were my true friends.

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