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Subject-Verb Agreement

Subject-Verb Agreement. EVERY VERB MUST AGREE WITH ITS SUBJECT. Plural Subject. Singular Subject. Singular Verb. Plural Verb. Singular I walk You walk He/She/It walk s Joe walk s The girl walk s. Plural We walk You walk They walk Joe and Maria walk The girls walk.

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Subject-Verb Agreement

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  1. Subject-Verb Agreement

  2. EVERY VERB MUST AGREE WITH ITS SUBJECT Plural Subject Singular Subject Singular Verb Plural Verb

  3. Singular I walk You walk He/She/It walk s Joe walk s The girl walk s Plural We walk You walk They walk Joe and Maria walk The girls walk Watch the present tense verb endings!

  4. Remember these three irregular verbs: SingularPlural • DO • He does They do • HAVE • She has They have • BE • He is They are • She was They were

  5. Tip for present tense subject-verb agreement: Generally, if the subject doesn’tend in -s, the verb will. If the subject does end in -s, the verb won’t.

  6. No -s on subject -s on verb The girl dances.

  7. -s on subject The girls dance. No -s on verb

  8. Compound subjects joined by and • If there are two or more subjects joined by and,the subject must be plural, so the verb will not end in -s. • Example: • The boy and the girl dance. (= They dance.) No -s on verb

  9. Compound subjects joined by or • If there are two or more subjects joined by or, the verb agrees with the part of the subject closest to it. • Examples: • The professor or the students walk the halls. • The students or the professor walks the halls.

  10. What about indefinite pronouns? • An indefinite pronoun does not refer to a specific person, place, or idea. • EXAMPLES: • Someone is waiting for you. • Anything can happen at this school. • Manyof his questions were answered. • Several of my disks are damaged.

  11. A few indefinite pronouns are plural. many several few both some These will all take pluralverbs. Many of the students have A’s. Few of the students arediscouraged.

  12. Most indefinite pronouns are singular. Most singular indefinite pronouns begin withandend with some-body any-one every-thing no

  13. Examples of singular indefinite pronouns: Doesanybody here like grammar? Everybodyloves grammar! Isanybody lying? No oneis lying! Well, someone is stretching the truth! Each of the students denies that.

  14. Possible Pitfalls Sometimes several words come between the subject and the verb. The student, though she had lots of problems in other schools, finds/find (?) her new class easy. Correct: The student, though she had lots of problems in other schools, finds her new class easy. In other words: The student finds her new class easy.

  15. Possible Pitfalls Sometimes people think the subject is one of the words in a prepositional phrase. It’s not! The subject can never be part of a prepositional phrase. Example The students in my class study/ studies hard. X

  16. Possible Pitfalls • Sometimes the subject comes after the verb, particularly in questions or when the sentence begins with there. • Examples: • Why are they falling asleep? • There are no excuses for such behavior! • TIP! • The subject can come anywhere in a sentence. • Identify the subject correctly, and you’ll be okay! First locate the verb and then just ask yourself who or what is doing it.

  17. Possible Pitfalls • Relative pronouns (who/which/that) can be either singular or plural, depending on the word they refer to. • The student who works hard will succeed. • Students who work hard will succeed.

  18. How do I get this right? • Identify the verb. • Ask who or what is doing the verb; this will identify the subject. • Read the subject and verb together. Do they sound right? • See if the subject and verb match in number.

  19. The Biggest Problems: • Forgetting about word endings altogether • Confusing the subject with another noun in the sentence

  20. Remember: • Subject: • Find the verb and then ask yourself who or what is • performing that action. • The subject is never part of a prepositional phrase. • Verb: • The verb is always plural when subjects are joined by and. • The verb agrees with the part of the subject closest to it • when subjects are joined by or. • Pronouns: • Most indefinite pronouns are singular. • Relative pronouns can be either singular or plural • .

  21. The subject and verb form the skeleton of every sentence. Make sure you fit the parts together correctly!

  22. To review subject-verb agreement, see Chapter 16.

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