Being able to find the right

subject and verb will help you

correct errors of subject-verb
agreement.
Basic Rule. A singular subject
(she, Bill, car) takes a singular
verb (is, goes, shines), whereas a
plural subject takes a plural
verb.
Example: The list of items is/are
on the desk.
If you know that list is the
subject, then you will choose is
for the verb.
Rule 1. A subject will come
before a phrase beginning with
of. This is a key rule for
understanding subjects. The
word of is the culprit in many,
perhaps most, subject-verb
mistakes.
Hasty writers, speakers, readers,
and listeners might miss the alltoo-common mistake in the
following sentence:
Incorrect: A bouquet of yellow
roses lend color and fragrance
to the room.
Correct: A bouquet of yellow
roses lends . . . (bouquet lends,
not roses lend)
Rule 2. Two singular subjects
connected by or, either/or, or
neither/nor require a singular
verb.
Examples:
My aunt or my uncle is arriving
by train today.
Neither Juan nor Carmen is
available.

Either Kiana or Casey is

helping today with stage
decorations.
Rule 3. The verb in an or,
either/or, or neither/nor sentence
agrees with the noun or pronoun
closest to it.
Examples:
Neither the plates nor the
serving bowl goes on that shelf.
Neither the serving bowl nor the
plates go on that shelf.
This rule can lead to bumps in
the road. For example, if I is one
of two (or more) subjects, it
could lead to this odd sentence:
Awkward: Neither she, my
friends, nor I am going to the
festival.
If possible, it's best to reword
such grammatically correct but
awkward sentences.
Better:
Neither she, I, nor my friends
are going to the festival.
OR
She, my friends, and I are not
going to the festival.
Rule 4. As a general rule, use a
plural verb with two or more
subjects when they are
connected by and.
Example: A car and a bike are
my means of transportation.
But note these exceptions:
Exceptions:
Breaking and entering is against
the law.

The bed and breakfast was

charming.
In those sentences, breaking and
entering and bed and breakfast
are compound nouns.
Rule 5. Sometimes the subject is
separated from the verb by such
words as along with, as well as,
besides, not, etc. These words
and phrases are not part of the
subject. Ignore them and use a
singular verb when the subject is
singular.
Examples:
The politician, along with the
newsmen, is expected shortly.
Excitement, as well as
nervousness, is the cause of her
shaking.
Rule 6. With words that indicate
portionsa lot, a majority,
some, all, etc.Rule 1 given
earlier is reversed, and we are
guided by the noun after of. If
the noun after of is singular, use
a singular verb. If it is plural,
use a plural verb.
Examples:
A lot of the pie has disappeared.
A lot of the pies have
disappeared.
A third of the city is
unemployed.
A third of the people are
unemployed.
All of the pie is gone.
All of the pies are gone.
Some of the pie is missing.
Some of the pies are missing.
NOTE

In recent years, the SAT testing

service has considered none to
be strictly singular. However,
according to Merriam-Webster's
Dictionary of English Usage:
"Clearly none has been both
singular and plural since Old
English and still is. The notion
that it is singular only is a myth
of unknown origin that appears
to have arisen in the 19th
century. If in context it seems
like a singular to you, use a
singular verb; if it seems like a
plural, use a plural verb. Both
are acceptable beyond serious
criticism." When none is clearly
intended to mean "not one," it is
followed by a singular verb.
Rule 7. In sentences beginning
with here or there, the true
subject follows the verb.
Examples:
There are four hurdles to jump.
There is a high hurdle to jump.
Here are the keys.
NOTE:
The word there's, a contraction
of there is, leads to bad habits in
informal sentences like There's
a lot of people here today,
because it's easier to say
"there's" than "there are." Take
care never to use there's with a
plural subject.
Rule 8. Use a singular verb with
distances, periods of time, sums
of money, etc., when considered
as a unit.
Examples:
Three miles is too far to walk.
Five years is the maximum

sentence for that offense.

Ten dollars is a high price to
pay.
BUT
Ten dollars (i.e., dollar bills)
were scattered on the floor.
Rule 9. Some collective nouns,
such as family, couple, staff,
audience, etc., may take either a
singular or a plural verb,
depending on their use in the
sentence.
Examples:
The staff is in a meeting.
Staff is acting as a unit.
The couple disagree about
disciplining their child.
The couple refers to two people
who are acting as individuals.
NOTE
Anyone who uses a plural verb
with a collective noun must take
care to be accurateand also
consistent. It must not be done
carelessly. The following is the
sort of flawed sentence one sees
and hears a lot these days:
The staff is deciding how they
want to vote.
Careful speakers and writers
would avoid assigning the
singular is and the plural they to
staff in the same sentence.
Consistent: The staff are
deciding how they want to vote.
Rewriting such sentences is
recommended whenever
possible. The preceding
sentence would read even better
as:

The staff members are deciding

how they want to vote.
Rule 10. The word were
replaces was in sentences that
express a wish or are contrary to
fact:
Example: If Joe were here,
you'd be sorry.
Shouldn't Joe be followed by
was, not were, given that Joe is
singular? But Joe isn't actually
here, so we say were, not was.
The sentence demonstrates the
subjunctive mood, which is
used to express things that are
hypothetical, wishful, imaginary,
or factually contradictory. The
subjunctive mood pairs singular
subjects with what we usually
think of as plural verbs.
Examples:
I wish it were Friday.
She requested that he raise his
hand.
In the first example, a wishful
statement, not a fact, is being
expressed; therefore, were,
which we usually think of as a
plural verb, is used with the
singular subject I.
Normally, he raise would sound
terrible to us. However, in the
second example, where a request
is being expressed, the
subjunctive mood is correct.
Note: The subjunctive mood is
losing ground in spoken English
but should still be used in formal
speech and writing
.

Chapter 6In Sunny Spain (18821885)(Summary)Introduction

Jose Rizal finished his medical
course in the University of Santo
Tomas.Then he decided to
complete his studies in Spain
due to the radical prejudice
of Dominican Professors against
Filipino Students. Aside from
this ostensible reason,
he had a
Secret Mission
, which was more important than
finishing his studies.
Rizals Secret Mission
The secret mission of Rizal is to
observe keenly the life and
culture,languages and customs,
industries and commerce, and
government laws of European
nation in order to prepare
himself in the mighty task of
liberating hisfellow-men.His
mission was approved by his
older brother Paciano, Rizal
leave withoutpermission and
blessing from his parents.
Secret Departure for Spain
The departure of Rizal was kept
secret to avoid the detection by
theSpanish authorities and the
friars, even his own parents.
Only selected personknows the
secret departure of Rizal,
including his brother Paciano
and the AteneoJesuit fathers.
The Jesuit priests gave him
letters of recommendation to
themembers of their Society in
Barcelona. On May3, 1882,
Rizal departed on board
theSpanish steamer
Salvadora
bound for Singapore.
Singapore
During the voyage, Rizal
observed the he is the only
Filipino on the ship.The ship
captain, Donato Lecha, from
Asturias, Spain, befriend him.
On May 9,1882, the Ship
docked at Singapore. Rizal
landed, registered at the Hotel
de la Paz,and spent two days for
sightseeing; there he saw the

statue of Sir Thomas

StanfordRaffles (founder of
Singapore).
From Singapore to Colombo
Rizal transferred to ship
Djemnah
, and he left to Europe on May
11. It wasa French vessel
therefore French mostly spoken
on board. On May 17,
Djemnahreach Point Galle, a
seacoast town in southern
Ceylon (now Sri Lanka).The
following day, Djemnah resume
the voyage, after a few hours
of sailing, they reach Colombo,
the capital of Ceylon on the
same day.
First Trip through Suez Canal
From Colombo, Djemnah
continued the voyage crossing
the Indian Oceanto the Cape of
Guardafui, Africa, and then a
stopover on Aden. From Aden
Djemnahproceeded to the city of
Suez, the Red Sea terminal of
the Suez Canal. It took fivedays
to traverse the Suez Canal.At
Port Said, the Mediterranean
terminal of the Suez Canal,
Rizal landedand he was
fascinated to hear the multiracial inhabitants speaking a
babel of tongues.
Naples and Marseilles
From Port Said, the Djemnah
proceeded on its way to Europe.
On June 11,Rizal reached
Naples. On the night of June 12,
the steamer docked at the
Frenchharbor of Marsielles. He
stayed two and a half day in
Marsielles, he visited the
famous Chateau dlf, wh
ere Dantes, hero of The Count of
Monte Cristo.
Barcelona
On the afternoon of May 15,
Rizal left Marseilles by train; he
crossed thePyrences and stopped
for a day at Port Bou. After the
passport inspection at PortBou,
he contribute his journey, and he
reached Barcelona on June 16,
1882.

Rizals first impression of

Barcelona was unfavorable; he
found out that the
people were open-hearted,
hospitable, and courageous. The
Filipinos in Barcelona,some of
whom even his schoolmates on
the Ateneo, welcome Rizal.
Amor Patria
Rizal wrote a nationalistic essay
entitled Amor
Patria
(Love of Country)
,
his first article written on
Spanishs soil. He sent the
article to Basilio Teodoro
Moran, publisher of Diaryong
Tagalog, under his pen-name
Laong Laan. Amor
Patriaappeared on the newspaper
on August 20, 1882, with
tagalong version translatedby
M.H.Del Pilar.Rizal wrote again
for Diaryong Tagalog; Los
Viajes (Travels), Revisita
deMadrid (Review of Madrid),
unfortunately Diaryong Tagalog
had ceased publicationfor lack
of funds.
Manila Moves to Madrid
Sad news, on September 15,
1882, Rizal received a letter
from Paciano,according to the
letter, Philippines was ravaging
by epidemic. Another sad
newsfrom Chengoy (Jose M.
Cecilio, intimate friend),
Leonora Rivera was began to
beunhappy because of the
absence of Rizal.In one of his
letters (dated May 26, 1882)
Paciano adviced Rizal to finish
hismedical course in Madrid,
therefore, Rizal establish
himself to Madrid.
Life in Madrid
On November 3, 1882, Rizal
enrolled in Universidad Central
de Madrid(Central University of
Madrid) in two courses

Medical and Philosophy and

Letters.Rizal is thirst for
knowledge; he studied a lot in
Madrid and on his leisure times

arereading and writing,

sometimes he is attending the
reunions of Filipino Students
Romance with Consuela Ortiga
y Perez
Rizal, being a lonely young man
in a foreign country, he was
attracted by
Consuelos beauty. On August
22, 1883 he expresses his
admiration; he made apoem
entitled A La Seiorita C.O. y
P.. The Romance didnt
blossom because of
two reasons- Engage to Leonora
Rivera- Eduardo de Lete (his
friend) is madly in love with
Consuelo.
They Ask me For Verses
Rizal joined the Circulo
Hispano-Filipino (HispanoPhilippine Circle). Uponthe
request of the members, Rizal
wrote a poem entitled, Mi Piden
Versos, he
declaimed it during New Years
Eve, December 31, 1882

Rizal as Lover of Books

A favorite past time of Rizal in
Madrid was reading. Rizal
economized onhis living
expenses, he purchase books
from a secondhand book store. Rizals
wasdeeply affected by Uncle
Toms Cabin and the Wandering
Jew.
Rizals First Visit to Paris (1883)
His first summer vacation to
Paris, France, June 17 to August
20, 1883 andhe live at cheap
hotel on 124 Rue de Rennes in
Latin Quarter. Like all tourist,
Rizalwas amazed on the
beautiful sceneries of Paris.
Rizal is an unordinary
touristbecause he was observing
the life and culture of French; he
was spending time onmuseums.
Rizal as a Mason
In Spain Rizal came close to
with Masons including Miguel
Morayta,Francisco Pi y Margal,
Manuel Bacerra, Emilio Junoy,

and Juan Ruiz Zorilla. Rizal

wasimpressed by the Spanish
Masons, and he joined Masonic
lodge called Acacia inMadrid.
Later he transferred to Lodge
Solidaridad (Madrid), were he
became aMaster Mason on
November 15, 1890, he was
awarded the diploma of
MasterMason on February 15,
1892.
Financial Worries
After Rizals departure to Spain,
the things turned worse in
Calamba
. Dueto hard time in Calamba,
the monthly allowances of Rizal
in Madrid were late inarrival and
there were times they were
never arrived. On June 24,
1884 , a touchingincident
to Rizals life; he was empty
stomach that day but he still
attended to his
classes and events