SUBJECT- VERB AGREEMENT

When you write a sentence you must make sure that the subject and the verb agree.

Some rules are the following:

a) A word that refers to one person or thing is singular in number. A word that referd to more than one thing is plural in number.

Examples:

Singular  ----------> table, man, this, she, it.

                         

Plural  ------------>  tables, men, theses,they.

b) A verb agrees with its subject in number.

1. Singular subjects take singular verbs.

Examples:

* Lorena enjoys music.

*The child was playing basketball.

2. Plural subjects take plural verbs.
Examples:

* Lorena and Blanca enjoy music.

* The children were playing basketball.

Also, it is important to say that all past tense verbs have the same form in the singular and the plural with the exception of be, which has the special form was.

Examples:

    Singular                                            Plural

I read a book.                             They read a book.    

He took a shower.                      We took a shower.

She was in her house.                 They were in their house.

Intervening Phrases and Clauses.

c) The number of the subject is not changed by a phrase or clause following the subject.

Examples:

* This novel is by Jane Austen.

* This novel of short chapters is by Jane Austen.(novel is still the subject).

* Rosibel is our classmate.

*Rosibel who writes some beautiful poems is our classmate. (Rosibel is, not poems are)

Indefinite Pronouns

The indefinite pronouns like some, any, someone, many, everything can present usage problems. Some of theses words are always singular, some always plural, and some can be either, depending on the meaning of the sentence.

d)The following common words  are singulars: each, either, neither, one, everyone, no one, nobody, anyone, anybody, someone, somebody, everybody, much.

Examples:

* Neither of the pens is (not are) on the desk.

Such a construction is easier to analyze if neither is treated as an adjective or made to stand alone as a pronoun.

* Not one of the blouses looks (not look) dirty.

* Not one blouse looks dirty.

* Everyone on both classrooms has (not have) to be the best.

e) The following common words are plural: several, few, both, many,others.

Examples:

* Both of the cellphones ring in the house.

* Many of our people were immigrating to the U.S.

* Few of the books were interesting .

f) The words some, any,none, all, and most may be either singular or plural, depending of the meaning of the sentence.

When the words some, any, all , and most refer to a singular word, they are singular. When they refer to a plural word,they are plural.

Examples:

* Some of the water was very fresh.(some refers to water, which is singular).

* Some of the tables were broken.(some refers to tables, which is plural).

Compound Subjects

Theses words are usually joined by and or or and may take singular or plural verbs depending on what the connecting word is  and on whether the words joined are singuar or plural.

g) Subjects joined by and take a plural verb.

Examples:

* A flight attendant and pilot work very hard.

* Monday,Tuesday, and Friday are days of the week.

Exception

When a compound subject is consider as a unit, not as two or more distintc things, it takes a singular verb.

Example:

*Apple pie and ice cream (one dish) is a favorite American dessert

h) Singular subjects joined by or or nor take a singular verb.

Examples:

* Neither Kim nor Rocio reads magazines.

* Either Roberto or Carlos wins the prize.

i) When a singular subject and a plural subjet are joined by or or nor, the verb agrees with the nearer subject.

Examples:

* Neither the flowers nor the tree grows without water.

Whenever possible, this awkward construction should be avoided.

* The flowers do not grow without water, and neither does the tree.