“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.