Subject Verb Agreement (Part

Subject Verb Agreement (Part - 1)

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Lesson 380

Subject Verb Agreement (Part - 1)

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Subject verb agreement: Subject verb agreement simply means the subject and verb must agree in number and person.

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Rule 1: A singular subject uses a singular verb and a plural subject uses a plural verb.

E.g. The list of items is on the table.
'List' (and not 'items') is the subject here and, 'is' is the verb. Since 'list' is singular, the verb form ('is') is also singular.

Also, the verb agrees with the 'person'. With first person pronouns, first person forms of verbs are used; with second person, the second person forms; and with third person, the third person forms.

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Understanding subjects: A subject comes before a phrase beginning with 'of'. This is a key rule for understanding subjects. The word of is the culprit in many, perhaps most, subject–verb mistakes.

Incorrect: A bouquet of yellow roses lend color and fragrance to the room.

Correct: A bouquet of yellow roses lends . . . ('bouquet' the subject 'lends'; the 'roses' don't 'lend'.)

Choose the correct word.

Everyone ______

want

wants

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Rule 2: If two subjects are joined by 'and', they typically require a plural verb form.
E.g.
i) The cow and the pig are jumping over the moon.
ii) A car and a bike are my means of transportation.

Exception: The verb is singular if the two subjects separated by 'and' refer to the same person or thing.
E.g.
i) Red beans and rice is my mom's favorite dish. ('Red beans and rice' represent a single dish).
ii) The bed and breakfast was charming.

The pair of gloves isn't mine.

Correct

Not correct

The Stars and Stripes fly over the court building.

Correct

Not correct

Pick the correct option:

Mr. Grey and Mr. Lawrence ______

believes

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Rule 3: Two singular subjects connected by or, either/or, or neither/nor require a singular verb.

E.g.
i) My aunt or my uncle is arriving by train today. (Of the two, only 1 person is arriving)
ii) Neither Amy nor Jennifer is available.
iii) Either Catherine or Lisa is helping today with stage decorations.

Neither Katy nor Miley are performing at the concert.

Not correct

Correct

Either wine is fine, thank you.

Correct

Not correct

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Rule 4: The 'verb' in an 'or, either/or, or neither/nor sentence' agrees with the noun or pronoun closest to it.

E.g.
i) Neither the plates nor the serving bowl goes on that shelf. ('Goes' agrees with 'bowl')
ii) Neither the serving bowl nor the plates go on that shelf. ('Go' agrees with 'plates')

This rule can lead to bumps in the road.
E.g. if 'I' is one of the two (or more) subjects, it could lead to this odd sentence:

Awkward: Neither she, my friends, nor I am going to the festival.

If possible, it's best to reword such grammatically correct, but awkward sentences.

Better: Neither she, I, nor my friends are going to the festival.
OR
She, my friends and I are not going to the festival.

Pick the correct option:

Neither my dad nor my brothers ______

know

knows

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'Neither of' and 'either of' are followed by a plural noun/pronoun and a singular or plural verb.
A plural verb, however, is more informal:
E.g. Neither of my parents speaks/speak a foreign language.

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Rule 5: The determiners each, every, every one, anybody, either, neither, no one, nobody and many a should be followed by a singular noun and a singular verb.
E.g.:
i) Many a man has lost his life at sea. (Here the expression 'many a' is followed by a singular noun and a singular verb.)
ii) Neither candidate is fit for the job. (NOT Neither candidates are fit for the job.)
This rule is not valid for the pronouns: few, many, several, both, all and some, that always take the plural form.