GrammarSubjects

VerbsSubject-Verb Agreement

Subjects / Verbs - REVIEW

Subject Who or what the sentence is about Could be a noun or pronoun Performs the action of the verb

Verb / Predicate Action of the sentence

Ex.) He ran around the block. Subject

Who or what is the sentence about? – He (pronoun) Verb

What is the action of the sentence? - ran

Simple vs. Complete Simple Subjects and Predicates (Verbs) vs.

Complete Subjects and Predicates (Verbs): Complete: includes words that modify the subject/verb (I.e.

– adjectives) Simple: essential words only - that can’t be left out

Ex.) Simple vs. Complete Subject Complete Subject: The angry man ran down the street. Simple Subject: The angry man ran down the street.

Complete Predicate: The angry man ran down the street. Simple Predicate: The angry man ran down the street.

Subject-Verb AgreementBasic Principle…

Singular subjects require singular verbs Plural subjects require plural verbs

There’s always exceptions to the rules, and there are tons with the above rules– but we’re going to start basic, and then move forward.

All of the following examples deal with rules in the present tense!

Present Tense rules…

Correcting errors with subject-verb agreement: basic solution #1 (when in the present tense) Add an “s” to the verb if its subject is singular Don’t add an “s” to the verb if its subject is plural

Example: Jamie sings in the car on the way to work. (Jamie = singular subject / sings = verb = added

an “s”) Example: My sisters sing in the car on the way to

work. (sisters = plural subject / sing = verb = didn’t

add an “s”)

Other present tense rules… Add an “s” to the verb if the subject is any

one of the third-person singular pronouns (he, she, it, this, that) He drives a minivan.

She follows a different drummer.It looks like rain.This confuses me.That takes the cake.

Other present tense rules… Do NOT add an “s” to the verb if the subject

is the pronoun: I, you, we, or they. I make my own rules.

You drive a hard bargain.We take pride in our work.They sing out of key.

Other present tense rules… Do NOT add an “s” to the verb if two subjects

are joined by and. Jack and Sawyer often argue with each other.

Charlie and Hurley enjoy music.

Subject-Verb AgreementPractice Exercise

For each pair of sentences below, write out the correct form of the verb in parentheses. Keep it in the present tense, and use the rules I just gave to you.

1. This convenience store closes at midnight. The other stores (close) at 11.

2. Kyle complains about everything. He even (complain) about the color of the sky.

3. My sisters play musical instruments. My brother and his friend would rather (play) with their iPods.

4. I care about her very much. She (care) about no one but herself.

Practice cont. 5. This coffee tastes horrible. You (taste) it and tell

me what you think. 6. Our refrigerator leaks. Water (leak) onto the floor

everyday, leaving a huge mess. 7. Every afternoon, they hurry down to the station to

meet their mother. She (hurry) home from work. 8. Sally carries a leather bag filled with change. We

don’t (carry) as much as she does. 9. We grow corn and potatoes on our farm. My

brother (run) our farm market every Saturday. 10. Mary criticizes everyone she works with. She

never (criticize) herself.

Check your answers!

1. close 7. hurries 2. complains 8. carry 3. play 9. runs 4. cares 10. criticizes 5. taste6. leaks

That was the easy part! Now…there are cases when this can get

tricky…1. Making subjects and verbs agree when words

come between them2. Finding agreement when the subject is an

indefinite pronoun and/or your dealing with compound subjects

3. Making irregular verbs have, go, do, and be agree with their subjects

Problem 1… words in between your subject and verb Compare these two sentences:

This box belongs in the attic. This box of ornaments belongs in the attic.

In both cases, the verb is belongs In both cases, the subject is box

Prepositional phrases (like the one above), adjective clauses, appositive, and participle phrases can all come between your subjects and verbs.

You need to mentally cross out interruptions like these, to ensure you are creating agreement between a subject and its verb – and NOT a subject and a clause or phrase.

Practice for problem #11. One of my sisters friends is a pilot.

Verb = Subject = 2. The people who survived the explosion are in a

shelter. Verb =

Subject =

Answers: #1 – is / one #2 – are / people

Problem 2 – indefinite pronouns / compound subjects Indefinite pronouns are words which replace

nouns without specifying which noun they replace. Singular: another, anybody, anyone, anything,

each, either, everybody, everyone, everything, little, much, neither, nobody, no one, nothing, one, other, somebody, someone, something

Plural: both, few, many, others, several Singular or Plural: all, any, more, most, none,

some

Indefinite Pronouns cont. Singular indefinite pronouns take singular

verbs. Correct: Each of the members has one vote.

(The subject, each, is singular. Use has.) Plural indefinite pronouns take plural verbs.

Correct: A few of the justices were voicing their opposition. (Few is plural, so are were and their.)

Indefinite Pronouns cont. For indefinite pronouns that can be singular

or plural, it depends on what the indefinite pronoun refers to. Correct: All of the people clapped their hands.

(All refers to people, which is plural. Use their.) Correct: All of the newspaper was soaked.

(Here all refers to newspaper, which is singular. Use was.)

Problem 2 cont. – compound subjects Every verb in a sentence must have at least

one subject. But that doesn't mean that a verb can have only one subject.

When a verb has two or more subjects, you can say that the verb has a compound subject.

Compound subjects cont. When two or more subjects are compounded

with and, they agree with a plural verb. A pencil and eraser make writing easier.

pencil + eraser = plural make = plural

Compound Subjects cont. When subjects are compounded with either,

or, neither, or nor, the verb agrees with the subject closest to it. Neither the director nor the actors are following

the lines closely. 1st Subject – director – singular 2nd Subject – actors – plural Verb – are – plural (closer to actors)

Problem 3 – Irregular Verbs Not all verbs work in a regular way. Some of the most common verbs are

irregular.e.g. be, go, do, have

Verbs and subjects must still agree, but you have to learn and remember the way the irregular ones work.

Irregular Verbs cont.

to do = I do - he / she / it does (NOT do) She does karate on Thursdays. They do lots of karate during the week.

to have = I have - he / she / it has (NOT have) It has soft fur. They have soft hands.

to go = I go - he / she / it goes (NOT go) She goes sailing every month. I go every week. They ______ every week.