Subject-Verb Agreement

The group ____ made up of nine students.

The group____ dancing happily.

is

are

The team ____ some good players. (have)The team ____ handsome. (be)

hasare

 

Group discussion: Can you find out the grammar rules?

Collective nouns can have a singular or plural verb. If the noun refers to a whole unit, the verb is singular. If it refers to the different members of a unit, the verb is plural.

group, family, class, government, team, public, enemy, crowd, company, audience, club, party, police, army, band, minority and so on.

Collective nouns （集体名词）

由集体名词，如 group, family, class, government, team, public, enemy, crowd, company, audience, club, party, crew 等作主语时 , 如果看成一个整体，谓语动词用单数形式 , 如果看成其中各成员， 则用复数形式 .

注意：集体名词为 people, police, cattle ，谓语动词用复数形式

e.g. The police are searching for the thief.

Choose the correct verb form to complete the following sentences.

1.The research group (is, are) made up of five people. 2.What (do, does) the group want for their lunch?3.Our family (is, are) not poor any more.4.He has to worry. His family (is, are) waiting for him.5.The class (is, are) more than forty in number.

is

do

isare

is

6.The class (have, has) disagreed among themselves about where they should go and have a picnic.

7.The government (has, have) spent more than two million yuan in planting trees.

8.The city government ( has, have) different opinions about next year’s plan.

have

has

have

•Neither dog _____ big. ( A. is B. are )

•Neither of them _____ big. ( A. is B. are )

A

•Neither of the rabbits _____ handsome.. ( A. is B. are )

A / B

•Neither rabbit _____ handsome. ( A. is B. are )A

A / B

＿＿

＿＿＿＿

＿＿＿＿

＿＿＿

一、代词作主语

neither ofnone of

n. (U)

n.(C)

neither + n.(singl.)

V. singl. plural.

How to use none and neither

V.(singl.)

V.(singl.)

3.Neither of us ________ (was/were) ready when the party began.

4. None of them ________ (has/have) watched the talk show.

have/has

was/were

1.None of these people ___ doctors. A. has B. is C. are D. was 2.Neither of them ___ a good singer. A. are B. is C. were D. is used to be

C

B

everybody

当这些词做主语时，谓语动词用单数，在句中我们可以用 they 来代替它们，有时我们可以用 he/she 来代替。

anybody everyone nobody

somebody everything anything nothing

something

Indefinite pronouns

1. Nothing________difficult in the world if you set your mind to it .

2. Nobody thought_________________ would have to pay for_____________________ own ticket(s).

they/he/shetheir/his/her

is

Bob

Bob _____ a worker.is

Mike

Mike and Bob _____ workers.are

Both Mike and Bob _______ workers.

are

Neither Mike nor Bob _______ a teacher.

is

Bill

Neither of them _______ (know) how to teach English.

knows/know

None of them ___________ (know) how to teach English.

knows/know

二、用作主语的两个名词或代词由 or, either… or, neither… nor,

both… and 或 not only… but also 连接

A or B

Not A but B

Either A or B

Neither A nor B

Not only A but also B

Verb

Here

There+Verb

A and B

A , B and C

•Not only you but also he ____ wrong. (is/are)

•Neither you nor he ___ right. (is/are)

•There ___ two shops and a cinema beside the railway station. (is/are)

•Here __ a map and a handbook for you. (is/are)

is

is

are

is

＿

＿＿＿＿＿

______

＿

The singer and dancer _____ on the stage.is

The gift is used to have western meals.What is it?

A knife and fork is used to have meals.

三、由 and 连接的两个并列主语指同一个人或物，谓语动词用单数，这时后面的名词没有冠词。

1).The worker and writer ______ our school today.( visit )

2).The worker and the writer _________ to the meeting . (have come / has come )

have come

visits

Each man and woman ______ the same rights.

A. has    B. have   

　　 C. had    D. is having

由 each, every, no, many a 所修饰的名词，即使用 and 连接作主语，谓语动词一般用单数。

Ａ

四、当主语后面跟有 as well as, as much as, no less than, along with,with ,like, rather than, together with , but , except, besides, ,including 等引导的词组时，其谓语动词的单、复数由主语的单、复数而定。

1. The teacher with two students ______ at the meeting . (was / were)

2.E-mail, as well as the telephones, ________ an important part in daily communication.

A. is playing B. have played C. are playing D. play

was

A

1) A library with five thousand books ___ to the nation as a gift. A. is offered B. has offered C. are offered D. have offered

2) Nobody but Jane ___ the secret. A. know B. knows

C. have known D. is known

五、分词、量词作主语 由分数或百分数或 a lot of, lots of, plenty of,

half of, the rest of, some of, most of, all of , (a) part of + 名词作主语时，谓语动词的形式与of 后面的名词的数一致

e.g. Lots of damage was caused by fire.

Some students are planting trees. The rest of them are watering them.

e.g. Tom is one of the students who good at playing football.

Tom is the only one of the students who good at playing football.

are

is

[ 注意 ] 在“ one of+ 复数名词 + 关系代词” 的结构中，定语从句中谓语动词用复 数形式；但是若前有 the only, 将其限定为只有一个时 , 谓语动词用单数形式 .

六、名词化的形容词作主语e.g. The rich are to help the poor.

The wounded was a young boy.

以定冠词 the + adj. （或过去分词）结构作主语，谓语动词常用复数形式，如 the brave, the poor, the blind, the sick, the unemployed 等，但有少数过去分词与定冠词连用时指个体，用单数形式。

七、当主语由不定式、动名词或疑问词引导的 句子充当时，谓语动词用单数。1).To hold the Olympic Games____ a rich prize for a country. (be)

2). Choosing what to eat ___ no longer as easy as it once was.

is

is

What we need is more time and more materials.

由 what, who, why, how, whether 等引导的主语 从句，谓语动词通常用单数， ( 但所指的具体内 容为复数意义，则可以用复数形式 . What we

need are teachers.)

3)

八、表示时间、金钱、距离、重量等复数名词，在表示单位数量用作主语时，通常被看作整体，谓语动词用单数。

A million dollars __(is/are) really a lot of money.is

Sixty years a long time.

Three thousand miles a long distance.

Fifty kilogrammes not too heavy to be carried.

is

is

is

1 ． One or two days ____ enough to see the city ． A ． is B ． are

C ． am D ． be2 ． Neither my wife nor I myself ____ able to persuade my daughter to change her mind ． A ． is B ． are C ． am D ． be

Exercises:

3 ． Not only I but also Jane and Mary ____ tired of having one examination after another ． A ． is B ． are C ． am D ． be4 ． Not the teacher ， but the students ____ looking forward to seeing the film ． A ． is B ． are

C ． am D ． be

5 ． Nobody but Betty and Mary ____ late for class yesterday ． A ． was B ． were C ． has been D ． have been6 ． A woman with some children ____ soon ． A ． is coming B ． are coming C ． has come D ． have come

7 ． No one except my parents ____ anything about this. A ． know B ． knows C ． is known D ． are known8 ． The teacher as well as the students ____ the book already ． A ． has read B ． have read C ． are reading D ． is reading9 ． All but one ____ in the accident ． A ． was killed B ． were killed C ． will be killed D ． are killed

10. When and where to build the new factory ___ yet. A. is not decided B. are not decided C. has not decided D. have not decided 11. The number of people invited ___fifty, but a number of them ___ absent for different reasons. A. were; was B. was; was C. was; were D. were; were12. ____ of the land in that district ____ covered with trees and grass. A. Two fifth; is B. Two fifth; are C. Two fifths; is D. Two fifths; are

Homework

Finish workbook page 43 using structures 1 and page 44 using structures 2.

Thank you!

See you!