“THE RESUME OF
THE PPT SLIDE AND ANSWER THE EXERCISES”
“Subject Verb
Agreement”.
What is subject? Subject is the
person/people/thing that do the activity.
Example of the subject : I, you, they,
we, she, he, it, Mr. Edwin, Mrs. Edwin, my aunt, my grandmother, the house, the
driver, etc.
What is verb? Verb is a word used to
describe an action, state, or occurrence, and forming the main part of the
predicate of a sentence.
Verb have a 3 kinds, that is :
1.
Action Verbs
Action verbs is
verb to explain that something happen. This verb also be said to be “dynamic verbs”. Action verbs are words
that express action (give, eat, walk, etc) or possession (have, own, etc).
Ation verbs can be either transitive (with object) or intransitive (without
object). The verbs that action verbs appertain that is explain activity,
process, and momentary action.
There is some
example to acton verbs :
a.
Linda raises her hand. (kkt)
b.
Alfian gave Marco the pencil. (kkt)
c.
Linda rises slowly from her seat. (kki)
d.
He was pontificating about art and history. (kki)
2.
Linking Verbs
A linking verbs
connects the subject of a sentence to a noun or adjective that renames or
describes the subject.
To Be : is, am,
are, was, were
Example : a. Lisa is in love with Jason
b. We were there!
c. I am happy
Verb : seem,
appear, become, grow, remain, get, prove, turn, look, sound, smell, taste,
feel.
Example : a. She looks pale
b. I feel happy
c. That sounds great!
d. Your cook smells good
3.
Helping Verbs
Helping verbs
are used before action or linking verbs to convey additional information
regarding aspects of possibility (can, could, etc) or time (was, did, has,
etc).
Modals always
function as Helping verbs. Modals : can, could, may, might, shall, will, ought
to, should, would.
For example :
a.
Tejo is (helping verb) going (main verb) to Florida.
b.
The trip might (helping verb) be (main verb) dangerous.
c.
Tanya could learn to fly helicopters. (could helps the
main verb, learn).
d.
Janine will drive to Idaho tomorrow. (will helps the main
verb, drive).
Main Rule of
“Subject Verb Agreement”
Only the subject
affects the verb!
Rule 1 :
Subjects and
verbs must agree in number. This is the cornerstone rule that forms the
background of the concept.
Example : a. The dog growls when it is angry
b. The dogs growl when
they are angry
Rule 2 :
Don’t get
confused by the words that come between the subject and verb; they do not
affect agreement.
Example : The
dog, who is chewing on my jeans, is usually very good.
Rule 3 :
Prepositional
phrases between the subject and verb usually do not affect agreement.
Example : The
colors of the rainbow are beautiful.
Rule 4 :
When sentences
start with “there” or “here”, the subject will always be placed after the verb,
so care needs to be taken to identify it correctly.
Example : a. There is a problem with the balance
sheet.
b. Here are the papers
you requested
Rule 5 :
If two subjects
are joined by and, they typically require a plural verb form.
Example : The
cow and the pig are jumping over the moon
Rule 6 :
The verb is singular if
the two subjects separated by and refer to the same
person or thing.
Example : Red beans and rice is my mom's
favorite dish.
Rule 7 :
If one of the words each,
every, or no comes before the subject, the verb is
singular.
Example : a. No smoking or drinking is allowed.
b. Every
man and woman is required to check in.
Rule 8 :
If the subjects are both
singular and are connected by the words or, nor,
neither/nor, either/or,
and not only/but also the verb is singular.
Example : Jessica or Christian is to
blame for the accident.
Rule 9 :
The only time when the
object of the preposition decides plural or singular verb forms is when noun
and pronoun subjects like some, half, none, more, all, etc. are
followed by a prepositional phrase. In these sentences, the object of the
preposition determines the form of the verb.
Example : a. All of the chicken is gone
b. All of the chickens are gone
Rule 10 :
The singular verb form is
usually used for units of measurement or time.
Example : Four quarts of
oil was required to get the car running.
Rule 11 :
If the subjects are both
plural and are connected by the words or, nor, neither/nor, either/or, and
not only/but also, the verb is plural.
Example : Dogs and cats are both
available at the pound.
Rule 12 :
If one subject is singular
and one plural and the words are connected by the words or, nor,
neither/nor, either/or, and not only/but also, you use the verb form of the
subject that is nearest the verb.
Example : a. Either the bears or the lion has
escaped from the zoo
b. Neither the lion nor the bears have escaped from the zoo
Rule 13 :
Indefinite pronouns (everything,
anything, everyone, someone, somebody, nothing, etc) typically take
singular verbs.
Example : a. Everybody wants to be loved
b. Everything is gonna be alright
Rule 14 :
Except for the pronouns
(few, many, several, both, all, some) that always take the plural form.
Example : a. Few were left alive after the flood
b. Several students understand the
material
Rule 15 :
If two infinitives are
separated by and they take the plural form of the verb.
Example : To walk and to chew gum
require great skill
Rule 16 :
When gerunds are used as
the subject of a sentence, they take the singular verb
form of the verb; but,
when they are linked by and, they take the plural form.
Example : a. Standing in the water was a bad idea
b. Swimming in the ocean and playing drums are my
hobbies
Rule 17 :
Collective nouns like
family, committee, herd, senate, class, crowd, etc. usually take a singular
verb form.
Example : a. The herd is stampeding
b. Cooper family always attends the
annual party
Rule 18 :
Titles of books, movies,
novels, etc. are treated as singular and take a singular
verb.
Example : a. The Burbs is a movie
starring Tom Hanks
b. Harry Potter has reached
Top 3 Best Seller books.
Exercise : Subject and Verb
Agreement Exercise
Choose the correct
form of the verb that agrees with the subject.
1.
Annie and her brothers (is,
are) at school.
2.
Either my mother or my father
(is, are) coming to the meeting.
3.
The dog or the cats (is,
are) outside.
4.
Either my shoes or your coat (is,
are) always on the floor.
5.
George and Tamara (doesn't,
don't) want to see that movie.
6.
Benito (doesn't, don't)
know the answer.
7.
One of my sisters (is, are)
going on a trip to France.
8.
The man with all the birds (live,
lives) on my street.
9.
The movie, including all the
previews, (take, takes) about two hours to watch.
10. The players, as well as the captain, (want, wants) to win.
11. Either answer (is, are) acceptable.
12. Every one of those books (is, are) fiction.
13. Nobody (know, knows) the trouble I've seen.
14. (Is, Are) the news on at five or six?
15. Mathematics (is, are) John's favorite subject, while Civics (is, are)
Andrea's favorite subject.
16. Eight dollars (is, are) the price of a movie these days.
17. (Is, Are) the tweezers in this drawer?
18. Your pants (is, are) at the cleaner's.
19. There (was, were) fifteen candies in that bag. Now there (is, are)
only one left!
20. The committee (debates, debate) these questions carefully.
21. The committee (leads, lead) very different lives in private.
22. The Prime Minister, together with his wife, (greets, greet) the
press cordially.
23. All of the CDs, even the scratched one, (is, are) in this case.
