Subject-Verb Agreement: Explanations, Examples, Exercises, and Cats!

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Subject-Verb Agreement
STEVENS ENGLISH EDUCATION

• Explanations and Exercises

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Subject-Verb Agreement
STEVENS ENGLISH EDUCATION

• SubjectsEvery sentence needs a subject, verb,
  and complete thought. A subject is a noun that
  does an action in a sentence. In the statement
  My cat complains too often, my cat is the
  subject because it is the one who complains. Cat
  is doing the action.Linking VerbsSome verbs,
  however, are not actions. These include verbs
  like am, appear, are, being, been, become, and
  be, among others. These are called linking verbs
  because they connect the subject to additional
  information My cat is a cantankerous creature.
  Here, the verb is connects My cat to the
  adjective cantankerous, which means that she is
  argumentative and bad-tempered.

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Subject-Verb Agreement
STEVENS ENGLISH EDUCATION

• Complete and Simple Subjects The
  single noun that does a verb is referred to as
  the simple subject. The simple subject and all of
  its modifiers is called the complete subject. In
  the following sentence, the complete subject is
  underlined and the simple subject is colored
  blue The hunched-over, cantankerous cat looked
  at me with wide-eyed disdain. We know cat is
  the subject because it is doing the verb. Who
  looked? The cat looked. The, hunched-over,
  and cantankerous are part of the complete
  subject, because they are modifying cat.

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Subject-Verb Agreement
STEVENS ENGLISH EDUCATION

• Subject-Verb Agreement Subjects and
  verbs need to agree in number. This means that if
  a plural subject is used it needs to be matched
  to a plural verb form, and if a singular subject
  is used it needs to be matched to a singular verb
  form. Not all verbs change their form. In fact,
  of the twelve verb forms in table 1 below, only
  the six in red boxes change depending on their
  subject.

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Subject-Verb Agreement
STEVENS ENGLISH EDUCATION
Why it Matters Subject-verb agreement
is important because it signals competency to
your reader. Additionally, while readers may be
able to understand sentences with subject-verb
agreement errors, they will distract from your
message and undermine your credibility.
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Subject-Verb Agreement
STEVENS ENGLISH EDUCATION

• Directions The following sections will
  help you avoid subject-verb agreement errors.
  Begin by
• 1. Reading each rule carefully.2. Underlining
  the complete subject, double underlining the
  simple subject, and circling the main verb in
  each example sentence. 3. Creating your own
  examples to demonstrate each rule.

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Rules for Singular Verbs
STEVENS ENGLISH EDUCATION

• 1. Each and EveryTypically, when two or more
  subjects are joined together by and, the main
  verb is plural however, when a subject is
  modified by each and/or every the subject is
  singular. Single subjects modified by each
  and/or every are also followed by singular
  verbs.Examplesa. Each and every one of us
  has the capacity to be an oppressor. I want to
  encourage each and every one of us to interrogate
  how we might be an oppressor and how we might be
  able to become liberators for ourselves and for
  each other Laverne Cox b. Every new
  beginning comes from some other beginnings end.
  Seneca

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Rules for Singular Verbs
STEVENS ENGLISH EDUCATION

• 2. Collective Nouns
• Words like swarm, family, and band refer to a
  group and are called collective nouns. Singular
  collective nouns like family refer to one group
  and use a singular verb form.Examplesa.
  Family is not an important thing. Its
  everything. Michael J. Foxb. A swarm focuses
  a group together, in real time, and has them work
  together as a system to answer a question
  Louis B. Rosenberg

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Rules for Singular Verbs
STEVENS ENGLISH EDUCATION

• 3. Singular Nouns that End in SSome singular
  nouns end in S. Examples include diseases like
  mumps, school subjects like linguistics, and
  economics, and other words like news. These
  nouns require a singular verb.Examplesa.
  Linguistics is very much a science. Its a human
  science, one of the human sciences. And its one
  of the more interesting human sciences. Samuel
  R. Delanyb. Good news is rare these days, and
  every glittering ounce of it should be cherished
  and hoarded and worshipped and fondled like a
  priceless diamond. Hunter S. Thompson

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Rules for Singular Verbs
STEVENS ENGLISH EDUCATION

• 4. Indefinite Pronouns Everything and everyone
  are two examples of indefinite pronouns. There
  are many indefinite pronouns in English and most
  of them are singular and require a singular
  verb.Examplesa. I can accept failure.
  Everyone fails at something. But I cant accept
  not trying. Michael Jordanb. Every day I
  feel is a blessing from God, and I consider it a
  new beginning. Yeah, everything is beautiful.
  Prince

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Rules for Singular Verbs
STEVENS ENGLISH EDUCATION

• 5. Units of MeasurementMeasurements (e.g.
  space, time, and money) are sometimes used as
  subjects. In these cases, the unit is considered
  singular and takes a singular verb.Examplesa.
  Some days, 24 hours is too much to stay put in,
  so I take the day hour by hour, moment by moment.
  I break the task, the challenge, the fear into
  small, bite-size pieces. Regina Brett b.
  Five million dollars is too much to spend on
  anything unless it will do some very wonderful
  things for people. Peter Hall

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Rules for Plural Verbs
STEVENS ENGLISH EDUCATION

• 6. Compound SubjectsAs stated earlier, when two
  or more subjects are joined by and, they take a
  plural verb. Two or more subjects joined together
  are called compound subjects.Examplesa.
  Your successes and happiness are forgiven you
  only if you generously consent to share them.
  Albert Camusb. Gratification and happiness
  are becoming important measures of our quality of
  life. Charles Kennedy

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Rules for Singular and Plural Verbs
STEVENS ENGLISH EDUCATION

• 7. Or / Nor / But
• When two subjects are joined together with or,
  nor, or but the verb must agree with the
  subject closest to it.
• Example a. Neither a wise man nor a brave
  man lies down on the tracks of history to wait
  for the train of the future to run over him.
  Dwight D. Eisenhowerb. Either the doctor or
  the patients are terribly confused. Emanuel
  Nilsson

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Rules for Singular and Plural Verbs
STEVENS ENGLISH EDUCATION

• 8. Modifying PhrasesDont be confused by
  prepositional or verbal phrases that modify a
  subject. The verb only needs to agree with the
  subject. Isolate a subject by asking, what is
  doing the verb? For instance, in He kicked
  the can, who is kicking the can? He is kicking
  the can therefore, he is the subject.a. The
  sun with all its natural powers removes poop
  stains. Franklin Goose (a blog)b. The actor
  with all his poses is hissed off the stage.
  Desiderius Erasmus

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Rules for Singular and Plural Verbs
STEVENS ENGLISH EDUCATION

• 9. Prepositional Phrases that Change a Subjects
  PluralitySometimes, a prepositional phrase is
  needed to determine whether a subject is plural
  or singular. This includes indefinite pronouns
  like all, none, and some.
• Examplesa. Some of the greatest blues music
  is some of the darkest youve ever heard. Bruce
  Springsteen
• b. None of the abstract concepts comes closer
  to fulfilled utopia than that of eternal peace.
  Theodor Adorno

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Rules for Singular and Plural Verbs
STEVENS ENGLISH EDUCATION

• 10. Questions and Here/There In many questions
  and sentences with there and here, verbs come
  before a subject.
• Examples
• a. Where is the wisdom we have lost in
  knowledge? Where is the knowledge we have lost in
  information? T. S. Eliotb. Here is the test
  to find whether your mission on Earth is
  finished if youre alive, it isnt. Richard
  Bach

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Rules for Singular and Plural Verbs
STEVENS ENGLISH EDUCATION

• 11. That, Which, and Who When that, which, and
  who are used as subjects, their plurality depends
  on the noun they are referring to.Examplesa.
  Misfortune shows those who are not really
  friends. Aristotle b. It is the working man
  who is the happy man. It is the idle man who is
  the miserable man. Benjamin Franklin

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Rules for Singular and Plural Verbs
STEVENS ENGLISH EDUCATION

• 12. Gerunds Gerunds are words that end in ing
  but are nouns. Dont be confused. Gerunds follow
  the same rules as other subjects.
• Examples a. Fighting is not something you can
  just turn off. Gerry Cooneyb. Living is
  abnormal. Eugene Ionesco

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Composition and Analysis
STEVENS ENGLISH EDUCATION

• Composition and AnalysisIts time to apply what
  youve learned to your own writing.1. Summarize
  a news or magazine article of your choice in 250
  words. 2. Underline all of the complete
  subjects, simple subjects, and verbs in your
  writing. 3. Correct any subject-verb agreement
  errors. Make it perfect!4. Explain subject-verb
  agreement rules for at least five sentences.

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