-
C2 Grammar Focus: Subject -Verb Agreement
Making Subjects and Verbs Agree1. When the subject of a sentence
is composed of two or more nCIuns orpronouns connected by amd, use
a plural verb.
She and her friends are at the fair"
2. When two or more singular nouns or pronouns are connected by
or or nar,use a singular verb.
The haok or the pen is in the drawer.
3. When a compound subject contains both a singular and a plural
noun orpronoun joined by or or rrer, the verb should agree with the
part of the subjectthat is nearer the verb^
The boy or his friends run every day.His friends ar the hoy runs
every day.
4. Don't be misled by a phrase that come$ between the subject
and the verb.The verb agrees with the subject, not with a noun or
pronoun in the phrase.
One af fhe boxes is openThe peaple who listen to that music are
few.The team captain, as wellas hr's players, is anx.ious.The book,
including allthe chapters in the first sectian, is boring.The woman
with all the neighborhoad dogs walks down my street every day.
5. The words eacfi, eaeh one, either, neither, everye{re,
everyhody,anybody, anyorre, nobody, somebody, saffieone and no orle
are singularand require a singular verb.
Each of these hof dogs is juicyEverybody knows Mr. Jones.Either
is correct.
6. Nouns such as civics, mathematics, dollars, measfes, and news
requiresingular verbs.
The news is om at six.
Note: the nouns dollars, pounds, etc. are a special case. When
talking aboutan amount of money, it requires a singular verb, but
when referring to thedollars or pounds themselves, a plural verb is
required.
Five dollars r.s a lot of money.Pounds are stillused in the
UK.
-
?. Nouns such as scissors, tweezers, frousers, 3'eans, sforfs
and pliersrequire plural verbs. (There are two parts to these
things.)
These scr'ssors are dull.Ihose trousers are made of woal.
il. ln sentences beginning with "there r.s" or "the{e are" the
subject followsthe verb. Since "there" is not the subject, the verb
agrees with what follows.
There are many questions.There is a question.
8. Collective nouns are words thai imply more than one person
but that areconsidered singular in American English and take a
singular verb. Collectivenouns are nouns such as group, team,
committee, band, class, and family.
The team runs during practice.The committee decides how to
praceed.Thefamily has a long history.My family has never been able
to agree.The crew is preparing to dock the ship.
This sentence is refenring to the individual efforts of each
crew member.However, particularly in British English, the same
nouns are often used witha plural verb.
The team have wan lhe game.
ts. Expressions such as with, together with, including,
accompanied by,in addition to, or as well do not change the number
of the subject. lf thesubject is singular, the verb is too.
The President, accompanied by his wife, is traveling to
fndia"All of the books, inclading youts, are in that bax.
71, The numbervs. a number. Compare the examples:
*The numbcr i* s su&i*ct in {1}*ln tzl: A number of -an
et(pressionof quantffy = "a lot of-*lt is followed by a Ftural noun
and aplur*l re'rb.
-
I EXERCISE Subject-verbogreement,Directions: Choose the correct
answer in parentheses.
1. The extent of Jane's knowledge on various complex subjects
@astound) me.2. The subjects you will be studying in this course
(is,are) listed in the syllabus.3. Letruce (is, are) good for
you.4. Oranges) tomatoes, fresh strawberries, cabbage, and lettuce
(is, are) rich in vitamin C,5. The professor and the srudent
(agrees, agree) on that point.6. Almost every professor and student
at the university (a1ryroaes, approae) of the choice
of Dr. Brown as the new president.7. Each girl and boy in the
sixth-grade class (has, haae) to do a science project.8. Making
pies and cakes (ar, are) Mrs. Reed's specialry.*9. Getring to know
srlrdents from all over the world (is, are) one of the best parts
of my job.
10. Annie had a hard time when she was coming homefrom the store
because the bag of groceries (was, taere)too heavy for her to
carry.
I i. lWhere (does, do) your parents live?12, '\Vhy (was,were)
Susan and Alex late for the meeting?13. (Is,Are) having the
responsibility for taking care of
pets good for young children?14. AIex, as well as his two older
brothers, (hasrhaae) a
good full-time job.
SINGUI.ARYERB PLURALVERB(a) Some oJ the booh rs good.(c) A lot
of thc equi?meflt i.s
new.(e) Two-third.s oJ the rnoney ismine.
(b) Some oJ the books aregood.(d) A lot of my friends arehere.(f
) Two-thirds of the penniesane mine.
In rnost expressions of quantiry, rhe verb isdetermined by the
noun (or pronoun) thatfollows ol For example:ln (a): Somc of +
singular noun = singular oerb.In (b): Sorne of + plural noun =
plural wrb.
One of my fri*zds ls here.Each of m9 ftiends is here.Eoery one
of rry friends ishere.
(e)(h)(i)
ExcErfIoNS: One of, each of, and eoery oneo/mke singular
verbs.
one of \each of t1 + plural noun = singular aerb
etsetg one of )(i) None of the brys rs here. ( k ) Noze of the
boys are here.(inforrnal) Subjects with none o./are considered
singularin very formal English, but plural verbs are
often used in inforrnal speech writing"
(l) The nutnber of students inthe class rs fifteen.
(m) A nurnber of studentsanerelate for class.
coMpARE: ln (l): The number is the subject.In (m): A nutnber o1f
is an expression ofquantiry meaning "a lot of." k is followed bya
plural noun and a plural verb.
*Specialty = American English; speciality = Brirish Engiish.
Sublect-Verb Agreement
-
tr EXERCISE Using expressions of quontity. (Chort
6-3)Directions: Choose the correct answer in parenfheses.
l. Some of the fruit in this bowl (is, are) rotten.2. Some of
the apples in that bowl (ls, are) rotten.3. Half of the students in
the class (as, are) from Arabic-speaking countries.4- Half of this
money (israre) yours.5. A lot of the students in the class (zs,
are) from Southeast Asia.6. A lot of clothing in those stores (is,
are) on sale this week.7. One of my best friends (is, are) coming
to visit me nexr month.8. Each boy in the class (has, haue) his own
notebook.9. Each of the boys in the class (has, haae) his own
notebook.
10. Every one of the students (is, are) required to take the
final test.I l. None of the animals at the zoo (is, are) free to
roam. Al1 of them (is, ar") in enclosures.12. A number of students
(is, are) absent today.13. The number of employees in my company
(is, are) approximately ten thousand.14. One of the chief materials
in bones and teeth (is, are) calcium.15. (Does, Do) all of the
children have their books?16. (Daes, Do) all of this homework have
to be finished by tomorrow?17. Why (was, were) some of the students
excused from the examination?18. Why (was,were) one of the students
excused from the examination?19. What percentage of the people in
the world (is, are) illiterate?20. What percentage of the earth's
surface (is, are) covered by water?21. (Does, Do) any of you know
the answer to that question?
(a) There are t:iilenty students in my class.(b) There's a fly
in the room.
In the structure there + be, there is called an"expletive," It
has no meaning as a vocabulary word.It introduces rhe idea tleat
something exisrs in aparticular place.Pattern: there * be + subject
* expression of plau
(c) Therc are seven continents. Sometimes the expression of
place is omitted whenthe meaning is clear. In (c): The implied
expressionof place is clearly in the anrld.
(e) There are some books onthe shelf.
The subject foilows be when ,Irere is used,In (d): The subiect
is book.In (e): The subfect is books.
(f) nm'onuar: There's some books on the shelf. In very informal
spoken English, some native speakersuse a singular verb even when
the subject is plural,as in (0. The use of this form is fairly
frequent but isnot generally considered to be grammatically
correct.
-
SINGUI-AR\rERB(a) The United States is big.(b) The Philippines
consrsds of more than 7,000 islands.(c) The United Nations lras its
headquarters in
NewYork City.( d ) Sears is a department store.
Sometimes a proper noun that ends in -s is singular, Inthe
examples, if the noua is changed to a pronoun, thesingular pronoun
l't is used (not the plural pronounrlrqy) because the noun is
singular. In (a): The UniudStates = it (not the!).
( e ) The news is interesdng. Nerps is sing::iar.(f )
Marhematics is easy for het. Plqtsics rs easy for her
too.Fields of srudy that end in
-r'cs require singular verbs.
(g) Diabetes rs an iilness. Certain illnesses thar end in -s are
singular: diabeus,measles, lnumps, rabies, ritkex, shinglzs.
(h) Eight hours of sleep zs enough,( i ) Ten doilars is too much
to pay.( i ) Fiae thousand. miles is roo far to travel.
Expressions of time, mon4), and distance usually requirea
singular verb.
(k) Two and rwo rs four.Two and nlo equals four.Two plus ruo
islequals four.(l) Fixe rimes five rs twenry-five.
Arithmetic expressions require singular verbs.
PLURALVERB(m) Those people are from Canada.(n) The police hazte
been called.(o) Canle are domesdc animals.
Peoplc,* police, and, cdttlc do not end in -s, but areplural
nouns and require plural verbs-
SINGUII\R VERB PLLIRALVERB(p) English rs spoken in
many countries.(r) Chinese rs his nativelanguage.
The English drink tea.The Chinese haue arrinreresting
history.
(q)(s)
In (p): English = Ianguage. In (q): The English=people from
England. Some nouns of nationality thatend in -$ht -eset and -ch
can mean either languageor people, e.9., English, Spanish, Chinese,
Japanese,Vie mamese, Portu gles e, French.
{t) The poor hatse maayproblems.(u) The ich get richer.
A few adiecrives can be preceded by the and used as aplural noun
(without fural -s) to refer to people whohave that qualiry. Odrer
examplesl- tfu young, the elder$t,rfu hting,the deal,tfu blind,the
deat, thz disabled
rThe word "people" has a final -s (peopks) only when it is used
to refer to ethnic or nadonal groups: ld the peapks of rfuz::orw
dcsire peace,
-
X EXERCISE ' lrregulorities in subieci-verb ogreement. (Chort
6-5)Directions: Choose the correct answer in parentheses.
l. The United States (has, haae) a population of around 250
million.2. Ttie news about Mr. Hogan (is, are) surprising.3.
Massachusetts (is, are) a state in the northeastern part.of the
United States.4. Physics (seeks, seek) to understand the mysteries
of the physical world.5. Statistics (is, are) a branch of
mathematics.6. The statistics in ttrat report on oil production
(is, are) incorrect.*7. Fifry minutes (is, are) rhe rnaximum length
of dme allowed for the exam.8. Twenry dollars (is, are) an
unreasonable price for the necklace.9. Six and seven (is, ere)
thirteen.
10. Many people in the world (doeE do) not have enough to
eat.11. The police (is, are) prepared in case there is a riot.12.
Rabies (is, are) an infectious and often fatal disease.13. The
English (is, are) proud, independent people.14. English (is, are)
not my native language.15- Many Japanese (commuus, commuu) to their
places of work.16. Portuguese (zb are) somewhat similar to Spanish,
(isn't, aren't) it?17. The poor (rs, are) helped by government
programs.18. Theeffectof ahoneybee'sstingonahumanbeing
(depends,depend) onthatperson's
susceptibility to the bee's venom. Most people (is, are) not in
danger if ttrey are snrng,but there (has, haoe) been instances of
allergic deaths from a single honeybee sting.
tr EXERCISE . Review: subject-verb ogreement. (Chorts 6-2 *
6-5)Directinns: rVork in pairs, in groups, or as a class.Speaker A:
Your book is open. Read the cue.Speaker B: Your book is closed.
Respond with rs at are.Examples:srEAKER e, (book open): Some of my
classmates . . . .sPEA.I(ER n (book clased): . . . aresrEAKER t
(book open): Some of that information . . . .sPEAKER n (book
clased): . . . is1. His idea . . . .2.Hisideas....3. People....4.
Each of the students . . . .5. Most of the fruit. . . .6. Most of
the students . . . .7. The United States . . . .
10. French....11. TheVietnamese....12. Two-thirds of the food .
. . .13. The number of students . . . .14. Some of the people. ..
.15. Ninety-three rnillion people . . . .16. The story about his
adventures . . . ,
8. The news in this morning's paper . . . . 17. Alot of the
chairs . . . .9. One of the girls . . . . 18" A lot of the
furniture . . . .
*Suristits is singular when it refers to a feld of study: e.g.,
Stalrsf,r'cs is at interuting fuld of sudy. When it refers
toparticular numbers, it is used as a count rorn: singular = one
statktic (no final -s); pfural = run statistics,. Forexample: This
statistb is cmrect. Those stat*tics are incorrect.
Subject-Verb Agreemenl
-
15.
16.
Unless rhere are a profound and extensive reform of government
policies in tlle near
future, the economic conditions in that country will continue to
deteriorate.
Whiie I was in Paris, some of the best food I found were not at
the well-known eating
places, but in small out-of-the-way cafes.
17. rJThere's my gloves? Have you seen them anywhere? I can't
find them.
18. lWhere's Kenya? Can you find it for me on the map?
19. Approximately 80 percent of all the datar in computers
around the world is in Engiish.
20. tX/hy are the police here?
21. Studying a foreign language often lead students to learn
about the culture of the
countries where it is spoken.
22. Turo hours is too long to wait, don't you think?
23. Some of the movie about the gangsters were surprisingly
funny.
*Datais an irreguiar plural noun. (See Chart 7-1, p. 100.) Even
rhough it is grammatically plural, it typicallytakes a singular
verb, but a plural verb is also used, especially in very forrna.l
English:
The data in the census repmt, is atry interesting. clx The dats
in the cerxus report ate oery interesting.
I Id
Subject-Verb Agreemeni
-
i9. Everyone in the English classes. . . . 27. Over half of the
books by that20. Theclothesinthatstore.... author.'..21. Most of
the information in those 28. A million dollars . . . .
books.... 29. Therich....22- The news from home. . . . 30. His
method of doing things . . . .23" Fitry percent of the people in
the 31. A number of people . . . .
world.... ?2. Mostof thesroresinthisciry....24. FiW percent of
the worid's 33. Mathematic$ . . . ,population.... 34.
Thepolice....25. The clothing in those stores . . . . 35. Everybody
in the whole world . . . .26. H.er husband's relatives . . . .
f EXERCISE Error cnolysis: subject-verb ogreement. (Chorts 6-2
-- 6-5)Dir;;:tions: Correcr the errors in subject-verb agreernent.
Some sentences contain no errors-
AYE1. The books in my office is very valuable to me.
2. Nl of the windows in our house were broken in the earthquake
. (no errors)3. Nl of the employees in that company is required to
be proficient in a second language.4. A 1ot of the people in my
class works during the day and attends class in the evening.
5. Listening to very loud music at rock concerts have caused
hearing loss in some teenagers.
6. Many of the satellites orbiting the earth is used for
communications.
7. The news about the long-range effects of air pollution on the
development of
children's lungs is disturbing.
B. Chinese have more than fifty thousand written characters.
9. About two-thirds of theVietnamese works in agriculture.
10. A number of planes were deiayed due to the snowstorm in
Denver.
11. The number of passengers affected by the delays was
great.
l2- More men than women are left-handed.
13. Every girl and boy are required to have certain
immunizations before enrolling in
public school.
14. Sevenry-five percent of the people in NewYork City lives in
upstairs apartments, not
on the ground floor.