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Subject/Verb Agreement

Subject/Verb Agreement. Subjects and Verbs Must Agree!

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Page 1: Subject/Verb Agreement. Subjects and Verbs Must Agree!

Subject/Verb Agreement

Page 2: Subject/Verb Agreement. Subjects and Verbs Must Agree!

Subjects and Verbs Must Agree!

Page 3: Subject/Verb Agreement. Subjects and Verbs Must Agree!

What is the Subject of a Sentence?

• The subject tells who or what the sentence is about.

• The subject is always a noun or pronoun.

• The subject can be singular or plural.

• The subject does the action in a sentence.

Page 4: Subject/Verb Agreement. Subjects and Verbs Must Agree!

Subjects

The car needs gas.

The workers eat lunch at noon.

Page 5: Subject/Verb Agreement. Subjects and Verbs Must Agree!

What Is the Verb of a Sentence?

A verb is a word that indicates an action.

A verb is a word that indicates an event.

A verb is a word that indicates a state of being.

A verb can be singular or plural.

Page 6: Subject/Verb Agreement. Subjects and Verbs Must Agree!

Verbs

The car needs gas.

The workers eat lunch at noon.

Page 7: Subject/Verb Agreement. Subjects and Verbs Must Agree!

Singular and Plural

The subject of a sentence must agree in number with its verb.

If the subject is singular, a singular verb is needed.If the subject is plural then the plural verb must be

used.

The child is outside.The children are outside.The athlete runs fast.The athletes run fast.

Page 8: Subject/Verb Agreement. Subjects and Verbs Must Agree!

The Verb To BePresent

amis (singular)are (plural)

Pastwas (singular)were (plural)

Futurewill be

Past Participlebeen (used with has, have or had)

Page 9: Subject/Verb Agreement. Subjects and Verbs Must Agree!

Sometimes a group of words gets in the way.

It comes between the subject and the verb.

These groups of words are called

Prepositional Phrases.

The subject of a sentence never comes after a preposition.

Page 10: Subject/Verb Agreement. Subjects and Verbs Must Agree!

Common Prepositions

Have position in their name.

Page 11: Subject/Verb Agreement. Subjects and Verbs Must Agree!

Common Prepositionsof atinonwithfrom

fortothrougharoundbetweenbelow

Page 12: Subject/Verb Agreement. Subjects and Verbs Must Agree!

Take the Prepositional Phrase Out!

The decision of the judges (was, were) final.

Cars with convertible tops (need, needs) extra care.

A flock of pigeons (are, is ) on the roof.

The decision (was, were) final.

Cars (need, needs) extra care.

A flock (are, is) on the roof.

Page 13: Subject/Verb Agreement. Subjects and Verbs Must Agree!

Collective NounsSome nouns are tricky. They seem to be plural, but

they are really singular. These nouns are thought as one thing even though they are made up of many things.

Here are some collective nouns.

band group team jury army

family flock swarm money bunch

Can you think of more?

Page 14: Subject/Verb Agreement. Subjects and Verbs Must Agree!

Collective Noun Examples

The team loses every game.

All the money is gone.

A group of workers forms a union.

The band plays rap music.

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Page 16: Subject/Verb Agreement. Subjects and Verbs Must Agree!

1. The band with two drummers (sound, sounds) great!

2. The chair with broken legs (need, needs) repairs.

3. A dog with fleas (need, needs) a bath.

4. A swarm of bees (is, are) attacking me.

5. The staff (works, work) hard.

Page 17: Subject/Verb Agreement. Subjects and Verbs Must Agree!

6. The jury on those cases (have, has) a hard choice.

7. The bunch of grapes (is, are) sour.

8. A group of us (are, is) planning the trip.

9. The stack of books (need, needs) to be returned.

10. The army of ants (were, was) hard to exterminate.

Page 18: Subject/Verb Agreement. Subjects and Verbs Must Agree!

Words Like “One Of”There is a group of words that often come before

plural nouns in a sentence. They tell how many. These words

often end with “of:” one of, each one of, any of, neither one of.

All these words mean a single thing. They are singular even

though they may appear to be plural.

Examples:Neither one of the stores is open.One of the cats has a sore paw.Neither of the plants has blooms.Each one of the officers looks for clues.

Page 19: Subject/Verb Agreement. Subjects and Verbs Must Agree!
Page 20: Subject/Verb Agreement. Subjects and Verbs Must Agree!

1. One of the students (are, is) absent today.

2. Neither one of the bottles (are, is) open.

3. Each one of the children (plays, play) with the toys.

4. One of the jars (is, are) cracked.

5. Neither one of the women (shop, shops) at that store.

Page 21: Subject/Verb Agreement. Subjects and Verbs Must Agree!

6. Any one of the recipes (tastes, taste) delicious.

7. Every one of the bottles (leak, leaks).

8. Neither of the players (was, were) injured.

9. One of us (have, has) to make the decision.

10. Any one of the books (looks, look) good.

Page 22: Subject/Verb Agreement. Subjects and Verbs Must Agree!

More Singular Verbs

Always use a singular verb with subjects that end in:-body-thing-one

Examples:Everybody brings his own lunch.Everything makes Marcia mad.

Page 23: Subject/Verb Agreement. Subjects and Verbs Must Agree!

“And” Use a Plural Verb!Always use a plural verb if the subject has

two parts and is connected by the word “and.” These are called compound

subjects.

Examples: Andrea and Pete like to drink coffee.Dogs and cats fight most of the time.

Page 24: Subject/Verb Agreement. Subjects and Verbs Must Agree!
Page 25: Subject/Verb Agreement. Subjects and Verbs Must Agree!

1. Anyone who (plays, play) can win.

2. Everybody (bring, brings) her or his own lunch.

3. Lynne and Crystal (likes, like) to travel.

4. Everything (happens, happen) for the best.

5. Love and happiness (make, makes) the world go around.

Page 26: Subject/Verb Agreement. Subjects and Verbs Must Agree!

6. Everything (be, is, are) your fault!

7. The pencil and pen (be, is, are) on the table.

8. Jack and Jill (works, work) together.

9. Nouns and verbs (be, is, are) tricky.

10. The work students and teachers (does, do) together is important.

Page 27: Subject/Verb Agreement. Subjects and Verbs Must Agree!

Nor, Or, But Also….

Neither…nor…Either…or…

Not only…but also……or…

Whenever a compound subject is split by these words, the verb must agree with the part of the subject that comes closer to the

verb.

Page 28: Subject/Verb Agreement. Subjects and Verbs Must Agree!

Examples

Neither the teacher nor the students (know, knows) the answer.

Neither the students nor the teacher (know, knows) the answer.

Not only the plumber, but also the electricians (cost, costs) a lot of money.

Not only the electricians, but also the plumber (cost, costs) a lot of money.

Page 29: Subject/Verb Agreement. Subjects and Verbs Must Agree!
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1. Not only the men, but also the woman (like, likes) the movie.

2. Neither the teacher nor the students (know, knows) the answer.

3. Either he or she (lose, loses).

4. Tom, Jim or Bill (make, makes) the decision.

5. Neither the neighbors nor the sheriff (see, sees) the suspect.

Page 31: Subject/Verb Agreement. Subjects and Verbs Must Agree!

6. Either Tom or Jerry (win, wins) the race.

7. Neither Skyler nor Patrick (do, does) anything around the house.

8. Not only the fox, but also the raccoon (are, is) chased by the dogs.

9. Either you or he (wins, win).

10. Neither the cat nor the dog (likes, like) a bath.

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Page 33: Subject/Verb Agreement. Subjects and Verbs Must Agree!

1. Everything (make, makes) him mad.

2. Dogs and cats (fight, fights) most of the time.

3. The decision of the umpires (were, was) final.

4. A flock of seagulls (are, is) on the beach.

5. Cars with a convertible top (need, needs) extra care.

Page 34: Subject/Verb Agreement. Subjects and Verbs Must Agree!

6. The Giants (lose, loses) most games.

7. A group of workers (form, forms) a union.

8. A herd of bulls (are, is) chasing me.

9. Neither one of the banks (are, is) open.

10. One of the skiers (have, has) a broken leg.

Page 35: Subject/Verb Agreement. Subjects and Verbs Must Agree!

11. Each one of the flight attendants (hand, hands) out nuts.

12. Neither the sun nor the stars (shine, shines).

13. Either the players or the coach (win, wins) the bet.

14. Not only the robber but also the guards (are, is) in the museum.

15. Tom, Dick or Harry (need, needs) ten points to win.