Subject-Verb Agreement

Intervening Prepositional Phrases• A verb must agree with its subject in person and

number.– Example: • She advises. (singular)• They advise. (plural)

• Do not mistake a word in a prepositional phrase for the subject of a sentence.– Example:• The islands near the Equator of South America are

the Galapagos. (Islands is the subject – not South America.)

Practice

• Chinese Americans in the field of science (has/have) excelled in many areas.

• In the tenth edition of American Men of Science, the list of names (includes/include) not only that of Dr. Li but also those of his three brothers, each distinguished in his own right.

Agreement with Linking Verbs

• Do not be confused by a predicate nominative that is different in number from the subject.

• Only the subject affects the number of the linking verb.–Example:• The footprints were the only clue.•My favorite breakfast is eggs scrambled

with onions.

Practice

• As evidenced by Inuit art, the central element in the life of the Inuit people (is/are) the splendors of nature.

• The lifelike carvings of animals such as birds, seals, and bears (is/are) a popular art form.

Inverted Sentences

• In an inverted sentence—a sentence in which the subject follows the verb—take care in locating the simple subject, and make sure that the verb agrees with the subject..

• Inverted sentences often begin with a prepositional phrase. Look out for those pesky prepositional phrases!!– Examples• Beyond the Milky Way lies the Andromeda galaxy.• Beyond the Milky Way lie countless galaxies.

V S

Practice

• (Does/Do) your friend from school own any of these new computer games?

• There (is/are) thousands of computer games available from software developers and amateur programmers.

• In even the simplest games (lies/lie) the challenge of outwitting a “smart” machine.

Special Subjects – Collective Nouns

• A collective noun names a group. • Consider a collective noun singular when it

refers to a group as a whole.– Example: The family loves to travel.

• Consider a collective noun plural when it refers to each member of a group individually.– Example: The family take turns choosing places to

visit.

Special Subjects – Special Nouns

• Certain nouns that end in –s, such as mathematics, measles, and mumps, take singular verbs.

• Certain nouns that end in –s, such as scissors, pants, binoculars, and eyeglasses, take plural verbs.

• Many nouns that end in –ics may be singular or plural, depending upon their meaning.– Ethics is the branch of philosophy that most

interests me.– His ethics in this matter are questionable.

Special Subjects – Amounts and Titles

• When a noun refers to an amount that is considered one unit, it is singular.

• When it refers to a number of individual units, it is plural.– Two dollars is the fee. (one amount)– Two dollars are in his pocket. (two individual dollar

bills)

• A title is always singular, even if a noun within the title is plural.– The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is perhaps Mark

Twain’s greatest novel.

Practice

• The audience (roars/roar) as its favorite player steps onto the court.

• The star player’s statistics (justifies/justify) the fans’ reaction.

• Ten years (was/were) the number of years the star player had spent with the team.

• The basketball team (depends/depend) upon one another for inspiration.

• The crowd (marvels/marvel) at each team member’s ability to leap into the air.

Compound Subjects – Joined by And• A compound subject joined by and or both…and is

plural unless its parts belong to one unit or they both refer to the same person or thing.

• Plural examples:– The librarian and the student read in different parts of the

library.– Both duck and chicken are found in local markets.

• Singular examples:– Macaroni and cheese is a delicious late-night snack.– Her teacher and counselor meets with her daily. (One

person is both the teacher and the counselor.)

Compound Subjects – Joined by Or or Nor

• With compound subjects joined by or or nor (or by either…or or neither…nor), the verb always agrees with the subject nearer the verb.

• Plural examples:– Either the violinists or the cellists need practice– Either Pedro’s father or his sisters are listening.– Neither the adult nor the children listen.

• Singular examples:– Neither the violinists nor the cellist needs practice.– Either the adult or the child is listening.– Neither the adults nor the child listens.

Compound Subjects – Many a, Every, and Each

• When many a, every, or each precedes a compound subject, the subject is considered singular.

• Many a cook and waiter works late.• Every man, woman, and child was safe.• Each adult and child is listening.• Each father and son enjoys the dinner.

Intervening Expressions• If a singular subject is linked to another noun by an

intervening expression, such as accompanied by, the subject is still considered singular.

• The actress, accompanied by her boyfriend, attends the benefit.

• Loyalty, in addition to common interests, is necessary for a lasting friendship.

• The cook, as well as the waiter, works hard at that restaurant.

• Deep in the jungle the tigress, together with her cubs, is resting quietly.

Practice• Every chef and gourmet cook (knows/know) the

importance of the appropriate kitchen implements.

• Preparation and service often (depends/depend) upon conveniently placed, high-quality cookware.

• Many an inexperienced cook and homemaker (needs/need) advice from established cooks.

• A food processor, often accompanied by a variety of handy accessories, (makes/make) everything from juices to garnishes.

Indefinite Pronouns as Subjects

Indefinite Pronouns• Singular– Everyone wants a ticket to the concert.– No one in the group seems eager to leave.

• Plural– Many of the best runners eat pasta the night before a

race.– Few of us believe in magic.

• Both– Some of his music was quite sophisticated. (singular)– Some of his songs were fun to sing. (plural)

Practice• Everyone in our class (is/are) expected to

present a ten-minute report.

• Most of my friends (has/have) chosen a novelist or a poet as the subject for the report.

• I found that both of my favorite writers (was/were) already taken.

• Each of these authors (seem/seems) popular with other students.

Adjective Clauses

• When the subject of an adjective clause is a relative pronoun, the verb in the clause must agree with the antecedent of the relative pronoun.

• The Mexican grizzly is one of the bears that were thought to be extinct.

• The antecedent of that is bears, not one, because all the bears, not just the Mexican grizzly, are thought to be extinct.

• Another example:• The whalebone whale is the only one of the

whales that has two rows of baleen instead of teeth.

• The antecedent of that is one, not whales, because only one kind of whale (the whalebone wale) has two rows of baleen.

Adjective Clauses

Practice

• The Asian tree shrew is one of the mammals that (is/are) difficult to classify.

• Charlotte Bronte was the only one of the Reverend Patrick Bronte’s daughters who (was/were) married.

• Rocky Mountain spotted fever is one of the diseases that (is/are) spread by ticks.

• Gloria Estefan is one of the contemporary music stars who (has/have) successfully combined pop and Latin rhythms.