Grammar

Journalism – 2009-2010

Rules• A verb should agree in number with its subject.

– Singular subjects take singular verbs.• Dominic writes an essay.

– Plural subjects take plural verbs.• The students write essays.

• The number of the subject usually is not determined by a word in a phrase of clause following the subject.– The apartments across the street do not have balconies.

More Rules• Use a singular pronoun to refer to anybody,

anyone, anything, each, either, everybody, everyone, everything, neither, nobody, no one, nothing, one, somebody someone, or something.

• Use plural pronouns to refer to both, few, many and several.

• The indefinite pronouns all, any, more, most, none and some may be singular or plural, depending on their meaning in a sentence.

– All of the ice has melted. It is pooling in the valley.

– All of the streams were full. They are rushing torrents.

Subject-Verb Agreement - 1

1. None of the students was/were on time for class.

2. According to news editors, there is/are not enough experienced reporters to cover the news.

3. Both of us intend/intends to play tennis before going to the party on Saturday night.

4. Alexa, along with her two best friends, is/are going to study in Rome next semester.

5. All of the steps in the registration process take/takes time.

Subject-Verb Agreement 2

1. Both the cha-cha and the rumba is/are Cuban dances.

2. Either nachos or celery was/were served with the guacamole.

3. Arturo or Beatrice always lead/leads our class discussions.

4. Red beans and rice is/are a popular Saturday night meal.

5. Pang and Jamyce probably have/has the directions.

Subject Verb Agreement 3

1. About three quarters of the book focus/focuses on modern artists from Latin America.

2. Harlem Shadows is/are considered one of Claude McKay’s most important works.

3. Sports was/were one of the topics of discussion at lunch yesterday.

4. The scissors is/are lying on the counter next to the sink.

5. “Strange Legacies” is/are a poem by Sterling A. Brown.