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Subject Verb Agreement 10 Rules

The document discusses subjects, verbs, and subject-verb agreement. It provides the following key points in 3 sentences: A subject is the person, place, or thing a sentence is about, while the verb tells what the subject does or links it to another word. Subjects and verbs must match in number, with singular subjects taking singular verbs and plural subjects taking plural verbs. The document reviews many rules and exceptions for determining subject and verb agreement.

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Zainab Shah Khan
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269 views19 pages

Subject Verb Agreement 10 Rules

The document discusses subjects, verbs, and subject-verb agreement. It provides the following key points in 3 sentences: A subject is the person, place, or thing a sentence is about, while the verb tells what the subject does or links it to another word. Subjects and verbs must match in number, with singular subjects taking singular verbs and plural subjects taking plural verbs. The document reviews many rules and exceptions for determining subject and verb agreement.

Uploaded by

Zainab Shah Khan
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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• What is a Subject?

– Your subject is the person, place, or thing


that your sentence is about.
– Important reminders:
• Your sentence may have a compound
subject.
• Your subject will never be in a
prepositional phrase.
• Usually your subject comes before your
verb.
 What is a Verb?
 The main verb tells what the subject does or links
the subject to another word that describes it.
▪ Action Verb: shows action subject performs
▪ I walk three miles every day.
▪ Linking Verb: connects subject to another word
or words that describe it
▪ I am tired.
▪ Helping Verb: joins an action verb to form the
complete verb
▪ I was walking three miles every day when the
weather was warmer.
• Subject-verb agreement means your
subject and verb must match, or agree, in
number.
– If you have a singular subject, then you
must use a singular verb.
• The dog barks at every sound he hears.
– If you have a plural subject, then you must
use a plural verb.
• The dogs bark at every sound they hear.
 It is important to know how your singular and plural subjects
and verbs are formed!
 For your subject, which is a noun
▪ The singular form does not end in an –s
▪ The dog barks at every sound it hears.
▪ The plural form ends in an –s
▪ The dogs bark at every sound they hear.
 For your verb
▪ The singular form ends in an –s
▪ The dog barks at every sound it hears.
▪ The plural form does not end in an –s
▪ The dogs bark at every sound they hear.
 Subjects and verbs must agree in
number. This is the cornerstone rule that
forms the background of the concept.

 The dog growls when he is angry.


The dogs growl when they are angry
 Don’t get confused by the words that come
between the subject and verb; they do not
affect agreement.

 The dog, who is chewing on my


jeans, is usually very good
 If two subjects are joined by and, they
typically require a plural verb form.

 The cow and the pig are jumping over the


moon.
 verb is singular if the two subjects
separated by and refer to the same person
or thing.

 Red beans and rice is my mom's favorite dish.


 If one of the words each, every, or no comes
before the subject, the verb is singular.
 No smoking or drinking is allowed.
 Every man and woman is required to check in.
 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.
 Singular subjects separated by or, nor, and
either….or take a singular verb.
 Plural subjects separated by or, nor take a plural
verb.
 Jessica or Christian is to blame for the accident.
 Neither the teachers nor the parents are to
blame.
 The singular verb form is usually used for
units of measurement.

 Four quarts of oil was required to get the car


running.
 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.
 Either the bears or the lion has escaped from
the zoo.
 Neither the lion nor the bears have escaped
from the zoo.
 Indefinite pronouns typically take singular
verbs.
 Everybody wants to be loved.
 Collective nouns like herd, senate, class,
crowd, etc. usually take a singular verb
form.
 The herd is stampeding
 Titles of books, movies, novels, etc. are
treated as singular and take a singular verb.
 The Burbs is a movie starring Tom Hanks.
 Watch for words that name something that we
think of as a single unit, but that actually consist of
two parts; these are always plural.
 Scissors, pants, trousers, tweezers.
▪ The scissors are on the table.
▪ The pants need ironing.
 If you add “pair of” to the front of any of these,
then they become singular.
▪ The pair of scissors is on the table.
▪ The pair of pants needs ironing.
 Final Rule – Remember, only
the subject affects the verb!
Rashid Sajjad

Make a mind which never Minds.


Make a heart which never Hurts.

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