SUBJECT-VERB AGREEMENT

BY: SYAFIQAH ZAINI

1. A singular subject needs a singular verb 2. A plural subject needs a plural verb

Reminder The verb is the action word in the sentence. sentence. The subject is who or what does the action

 Subjects and verbs must work together. A verb that ends in a single -s, -es, or -ies is used with a singular noun.
Singular Singular Verb Subject Old Dan bellows Little Ann Fire Mama shares glows fixes

 A verb that does not end in a single -s, -es, or -ies is used with a plural noun.
Plural Subject Old Dan and Little Ann The dogs The two fires Billy s parents Plural Verb bellow share glow fix

SUBJECTS WHICH TAKE SINGULAR VERBS

A Singular Subject Takes A Singular Verb

Example : Ali is a student. She has read the book. The table costs RM 250 My teacher has two children. He is going to school.

An Uncountable Noun Takes A Singular Verb

Water, air, sand, luggage, information, sugar, dust, advice, furniture, fruit, salt, news, fish

Example : Water freezes at 0 centigrade. The furniture is new. The ice is melting. The milk has gone bad. The news has shocked everyone.

Subject Names And Names Of Games Take Singular Verbs

Physics, statistic, economics, mathematics, psychology, politics, darts, billiards, chess

Example : Physics is a difficult subject. Some people say that politics is dirty. Billiards is a popular game among teenagers.

Each, Every, Everyone, Everybody, Anybody, Someone, Somebody, Nobody, Everything, Anything, Something And Nothing Take Singular Verbs
Example : Each boy gets a book. Every girl has to keep her room tidy. Someone is in the garden. Somebody has taken my coat.

POP QUIZ!!
Everyone selected to serve on this jury _____ to be willing to give up a lot of time. A. have B. has

POP QUIZ!!
Everyone selected to serve on this jury _____ to be willing to give up a lot of time. A. have B. has

Phrases like one of the, each of the, every one of the, none of the are followed by plural nouns but take singular verbs
Example : One of the students is sick. Each of the houses has a red roof. Every one of the boys is doing a project on water pollution.

The phrase the number of is followed by a plural noun but takes a singular verb
Example : Every year the number of road accidents in Malaysia keeps on increasing.

A gerund is always considered as singular

Example : Walking helps to improve my stamina. Eating vegetables and fruit is good for you.

An infinitive is always considered as singular

Example : To excel in your studies requires a lot of sacrifice. To help someone in need is a noble thing to do.

Titles of books, novels, plays, movies, and television shows take singular verbs
Example : Beauty and the Beast is my favourite fairy tale. The Incredibles has been shown on TV many times

An Abstract Noun Takes Singular Verbs

Example : Charity begins at home. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Poverty makes some people turn to crime.

POP QUIZ!!!!
WHICH IS CORRECT? 1. A. The hound search for mountain lions. B. The hound searches for mountain lions. A. Old Dan see raccoons. B. Old Dan sees raccoons.

2.

POP QUIZ!!!!
ANSWERS 1. A. The hound search for mountain lions. B. The hound searches for mountain lions. A. Old Dan see raccoons. B. Old Dan sees raccoons.

2.

SUBJECTS WHICH TAKE PLURAL VERBS

A Plural Subject Takes A Plural Verb

Example : The children are playing in the garden. The books are quiet expensive. The badminton players run 5km every day.

Goods, police, and people are always plural, so they take plural verbs
Example : The goods are in the warehouse. The police have arrested the robbers. Many people like to gossip.

Use a plural verb with these nouns; scissors, pliers, trousers, spectacles, binoculars, tweezers unless the phrase a pair of is used before the nouns
Example : The scissors cost RM 20. The trousers are too tight. but A pair of scissors costs RM 20

When the phrase a number of is used before a noun (the noun should be plural), use a plural verb
Example : A number of students have failed their English test

SUBJECTS WHICH CAN TAKE EITHER A SINGULAR OR PLURAL VERB

SUBJECTS JOINED BY OR /NOR To decide which verb to use, look at the subject nearest to the verb
Example : Either Maria or her sisters are going to the party. Neither the boys nor their father likes ice cream. The manager or colleague is having dinner with the chief executive officer.

POP QUIZ!!!
Either the physicians in this hospital or the chief administrator ____ going to have to make a decision. A.is B.are

POP QUIZ!!!
Either the physicians in this hospital or the chief administrator ____ going to have to make a decision. A.is B.are

SUBJECTS JOINED BY WITH, TOGETHER WITH, ACCOMPANIED BY, AND AS WELL AS To decide which verb to use, look at the subject placed before the phrases mentioned
Example : The king, as well as his soldiers, is preparing to go to war. The pupils, with their teachers, have arrived.

POP QUIZ!!!
Hamid, accompanied by his parents, ___ going to see the headmaster.
A. are B. is

POP QUIZ!!!
Hamid, accompanied by his parents, ___ going to see the headmaster.
A. are B. is

POP QUIZ!!!
Kara Wolters, together with her teammates, _________ a formidable opponent on the basketball court. A. presents B. present

POP QUIZ!!!
Kara Wolters, together with her teammates, _________ a formidable opponent on the basketball court. A. presents B. present

Collective nouns (a group of ) Words like class, team, committee, jury, audience and family are considered as singular unless otherwise stated
Example : The class is having a test on Monday. My family lives in Ipoh. The audience are in the Bunga Raya Auditorium. but My family have different hobbies and interests.

Percentage and fractions If the percentage or fraction refers to a plural countable noun, use a plural verb. If the percentage or fraction refers to an uncountable noun, use a singular verb
Example : Two-fifths of the desks in the class room are broken. Two-thirds of the air in the jar is nitrogen. Forty per cent of the respondents come from the rural areas. Twenty per cent of the acid has been neutralized.

Relative pronouns; who, which, that

Identify the noun that who, which, or that refers to, to determine the verb

Example : That is the girl who lives near my house. The books which are on the shelf belong to my brother.

When the subject is followed by a prepositional phrase, look only at the noun and NOT the prepositional phrase to decide the verb.

Example : The balls in the bowl are red. The milk in the bottle tastes sour. The boys in the bus are noisy.

When a sentence begins with here or there the subject comes after the verb. If the subject is singular, use a singular verb and if it is a plural, use a plural verb
Example : There are twenty girls in the bus. There is a lot of dust on the table.

POP QUIZ!!!

He seems to forget that there __________ things to be done before he can graduate. A. are B. is

POP QUIZ!!!

He seems to forget that there __________ things to be done before he can graduate. A. are B. is

Use a plural verb when using numbers to talk about distance, time and money, if the subject (which is plural) has plural meaning. Use a singular verb if the subject (which is also plural) has a singular meaning.
Example : Three hours is too long for a lecture. (a single period) There are sixty minutes in an hour. (separate minutes)

Words like Chinese, English, Japanese which end in the letters ese or sh. If they refer to languages, use singular verbs. If they refer to people, use plural verb
Example : Malay is the national language of Malaysia The Malay s are adventurous people.

THANK YOU