Grammar Unit 16: Subject-Verb Agreement

1. Grammar Unit 16: Subject-Verb Agreement

2. Subject Verb Agreement • The subject and verb must agree in NUMBER. • 1=1 • 1 does not equal more than one • More than one = More than one • More than one does not equal 1

3. Singular form of present tense verb • Averb usually ends in –s or –es • Example: A frog leaps. Frog = one; leaps = one An ecologist studies. The boy learns about ecology Judy plants seedlings.

4. Plural forms of the verb • Ecologists study nature. • The boys learn about ecology. • Judy and Kim plant seedlings.

5. If the subject is a pronoun, the verb must also agree. • Singular Plural • Ihike. We hike. • You hike. You hike. • He, she, or it hikes. They hike.

6. Turn to page 542 • Exercise 1: ODD ONLY: turn the singular subjects into plural subjects and make the verbs agree. • Exercise 2: EVEN ONLY: write the correct verb

7. Problems with Locating the Subject • Making the subject and verb agree is easy if the verb follows the subject. Subject + Verb • HOWEVER, it is difficult if another noun comes between the subject and verb. • Example: • The desert, except in the polar regions, becomes very hot.

8. Difficult sentence structures. • The desert, except in the polar regions, becomes very hot. • What about these?: • In the desert roam herds of camels. • There is a high mountain near the desert. • Here at the top are many damp rocks.

9. Tricky sentences • Inverted Sentences: *In the desertroam herds of camels. Usually begins with a prepositional phrase. Subject follows the verb. ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Inverted Sentence beginning with THERE or HERE Subject is after the verb, “there” or “here” are not the subject. There is a high mountain near the desert. Here at the top are many damp rocks.

10. The trick? Rewrite the sentences. • In the desert roam herds of camels. Herds of camels roam in the desert. • There is a high mountain near the desert. A high mountain there is near the desert. • Here at the top are many damp rocks. Many damp rocks are here at the top.

11. What if the sentence is a question? • In some interrogative sentences, an auxiliary verb comes before the subject. Look for the subject between the auxiliary verb and the main verb. • Do any deserts contain large animals? ________________________________________ • Deserts do contain any large animals.

12. Your turn! Page 544 • Exercise 3: ALL • Write the subject, verb, then correct if they are in agreement or write the correct form of the verb. • Exercise 4: EVEN • Write the correct form of the verb.

13. COLLECTIVE NOUNS: remember these? • Collective nouns name a group. • They are singular if it is used as a single group. • They are plural if each member of the group is used. • Ex. • The team agrees to save papers. (one unit, sing.) • The team agree to store them in their homes. (individual, plural)

14. Some nouns ... • Like mathematics, news, etc. end in –s but take a singular verb. • Other nouns that end in –sand name one thing, such as trousers and pliers, take a plural verb. • ___________________________________________________________________________________________________ • Mumps is a disease that is spread through the air (singular). • Scissors are not practical or shredding paper. (plural)

15. Titles of books or art • A title of a book or work of art is considered singular even if a noun within the title is plural • Ex. • Recycling Successes is now a best-selling book. (one book)

16. Turn to page 546 • Exercise 5 ALL • Write the subject, verb, then correct if they are in agreement or write the correct form of the verb. • Exercise 6 EVEN • Look for clues in the sentence (their, we, etc)

17. Indefinite pronouns as subjects • Indefinite pronouns do not refer to a specific person, place, or thing. • Some are singular. Some are plural

18. Copy this chart

19. Some are both plural and singular • All • Any • Most • None • Some

20. What about those Prepositional Phrases? • Remember how prepositional phrases don’t help with most things we do in grammar? • They help with indefinite pronouns!! • If the object of the preposition is plural, the verb is plural. • If the object of the preposition is singular, the verb is singular

21. Examples: plural? Singular? • Most of the forest lies to the east. • Most of those scientists study the process or respiration. • Some of her lawn is brown. • Some of the ferns are large.

22. Turn to page 548 • Exercise 7: ALL • With your partner • Exercise 8: Even: independently!

23. Agreement with compound subjects • Compound subjects contain two or more subjects for the same verb. • Plural and singular depend on how many parts of the subject are joined. • If simple subjects are joined by and or both, the verb is plural.

24. Examples • New York, Denver, and London have smog. • Both automobiles and factories create smog. • Air inversion and the absence of wind aid the conditions.

25. Sometimes and joins two words that are part of one unit = singular verb • The captain and leader of the air-testing team is Joan. • When two or more subjects are joined by the conjunctions or or nor, either/or, or neither/nor, the verb agrees with the subject closest to it. • The city or the state responds to complaints. • Either smoke or gases cause the smog.

26. Turn to page 550 • Exercise 9: ODD • Exercise 10: ALL