Subject and Verb Agreement
I. Definition: Subject and verb agreement deals with
making two parts of sentence match or agree; you decide whether the subject is
singular or plural and make the verb form match the subject.
a/
A singular subject takes a singular verb
Example:
-
The
book is interesting.
-
A
student at Angkor Language School writes grammar very well.
-
The
window opens easily.
-
The
shop assistant tells me that you are Mr. Satyak’s brother.
b/
A plural subject takes a plural verb
Example:
-
The
books are interesting.
-
Students at Angkor Language School write
grammar very well.
-
The
windows open easily.
-
The
shop assistants tell me that you are Mr. Satyak’s brother.
c/
When the subject follows the verb, as in question and in sentence beginning with
here, there or where, the subject and the verb must agree.
Example:
-
Where
is your stapler?
-
Here
is your stapler.
-
Where
are your shoulder bags?
-
Here
are your shoulder bags.
-
There
is a pencil sharpener in my drawer.
-
There
are six books on the table.
@ Sentences
with compound subjects can cause confusion. To avoid these errors, study the
following rules.
d/
When a singular subject and a plural subject are joined by either…. or,
neither…..nor, not only…..but( also), the verb agree with the nearest subject.
Ex:
-
Neither
John nor his friend is going to the beach today.
-
Either
the students or the teacher is studying grammar for writing.
-
Neither
the boys nor Carmen has seen this movie before.
-
Neither
the director nor the secretary wants to help him because he is so lazy.
Example:
-
Neither John nor his friends are going to the beach
today.
-
Either the students or the teachers want to visit the
United States of America.
-
Either Reaksa or her parents work in ANZ.
-
Neither brother nor my sisters want to study in Phnom
Penh.
not only + noun + but also + singular noun + singular verb
Example:
-
Not only the students but also the teacher works in
Cambodia.
-
Not only my brothers but also my sister travels around
the world.
not only + noun + but also + plural noun + plural verb
-Not only the students but also the teachers work in Cambodia.
-Not only my
brothers but also my sisters travel around the world.
Example:
-
The
actor, along with her manager and some friends, is going to a party tonight.
-
Mr.
Robin, accompanied by his wife and children, is arriving tonight.
-
My
teacher, as well as his students, wants to see the concert.
-
The students, accompanied by their mothers, have gone to
the US to see the football match.
f/
Most compound subjects joined by ‘and’
take plural verbs.
Example:
-
The
book and the pencil are in my bag.
-
The
cook and the waiters are from Battambang.
-
Solida
and Makara work in the office.
-
Sophorn
and Riam study at Angkor Language School.
g/ A phrase beginning with
a verb form ending with –ing can be the subject of the sentence. The phrase
like this always takes a singular verb.
Example:
-
Ridding
the horse is the men’s favorite sport.
-
Walking
on the mountain makes me happy.
-
Learning
grammar for writing is the best step to know English well.
-
Running
around the house in the morning is my habit.
h / When a relative
pronoun is a subject, the verb must agree in number with the word the relative
pronoun stands for.
Example:
-
There
are two apples that are still green.
-
He
is a man who tells me the problem.
-
I
can tell you the reason that makes me unhappy.
-
Can
you tell me the student who wants to study academic Writing English?
i/ Often words may not
seem clearly singular or plural. The following list will have you to avoid
confusion in determining agreement.
Always singular always plural
either singular or plural
anybody,
anyone, anything several, few,
both, many,.. all, some, any, most,
none, no,..
everybody, everyone, everything
somebody, someone, something
nobody, no one, nothing ……
Example:
-
Every
body comes from Phnom Penh.
-
No
one tells me that you are going to USA next week.
-
Nobody
works hard here.
-
Several
students go out without telling me the reason.
-
None
of the students have finished exam yet.
-
None
of the counterfeit money has been found.
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