Subject-Verb Agreement WS1OL ED, TFL INTRODUCTORY PROJECT As you read each pair of sentences below, place a check mark beside the sentence that you think uses the underlined word correctly. ‘There was many applicants for the position ‘There swere many applicants for the position. ‘The pictures in that magazine is very controversial. ‘The pictures in that magazine are very controversial. Everybody usually watch the lighted numbers while riding in the elevator, Everybody usually watches the lighted numbers while riding in the elevator. On the basis of the above examples, see if you can complete the following statements. 1. Inthe first wo pairs of sentences, the subjects are and - Since both these subjects are plural, the verb must be plural. 2. Inthe last pair of sentences, the subject, Everybody, is a word that is always (singular, plural) and so the verb must be (singular, plural). —— P83A verb must agree with its subject in number. A singular subject (one person or thing) takes a singular verb. A plural subject (more than one person or thing) takes a plural verb. Mistakes in subject-verb agreement are sometimes made in the fol- lowing situations: When words come between the subject and the verb. When a verb comes before the subject With indefinite pronouns. With compound subjects. With who, which, and thas weune Each situation is explained on the following pages. WORDS BETWEEN THE SUBJECT AND THEVERB Words that come between the subje agrecment. In the following sentence, and the verb do not change subject-verb The breakfast cereals in the pantry are made mostly of sugar. the subject (cereals) is plural and so the verb (are) is plural. The words in the pantry that come between the subject and the verb do not affect subject-verb agreement To help find the subject of certain sentences, you should cross out prepositional phrases (explained on page 87): One ofthecrookedt potiticians was jailed for a month. The posters ormmy-titthe-brother's-wait included rock singers, monsters, and blond television stars. Following is alist of common prepositions: about before by inside over above behind during into through across below except of to among beneath for off toward around beside from on under at between in onto withWSIOLED, IF a ree, Practice Underline the subject and lightly cross out any words that come between the sub- ject and the verb. Then double-underline the verb choice in parentheses that you believe is correct. Example ‘The price of the-steree-speakers (is, are) too high for my wallet 1. The blue stain on the sheets (comes, come) from the cheap dish towel that T put in the washer with them. 2. The sport coat, along with the two pairs of pants, (sells, sell) for just fifty dollars. 3. The roots of the apple tree (is, are) very shallow. 4. Nick’s sisters, who wanted to be at his surprise party, (Was, were) unable to come because of flooded roads. 5, The dust-covered photo albums in the attic (belongs, belong) to my grand- mother. 6. The cost of personal calls made on office telephones (is, are) deducted from our pay. Two cups of coffee in the morning (does, do) not make up a hearty breakfast ‘The moon as well as some stars (is, are) shining brightly tonight, ‘The electrical wiring in the apartment (is, are) dangerous and needs replacing. 10. Chapter 4 of the psychology book, along with six weeks of class notes, (is, are) to be the basis of the test. yen VERB BEFORE THE SUBJECT A verb agrees with its subject even when the verb comes before the subject. Words that may precede th> subject include there, here, and, in questions, who, which, what, and where. Inside the storage shed are the garden tools. At the street corner were two panhandlers. There are times I’m ready to quit my job. ‘Where are the instructions for the microwave oven’? If you are unsure about the subject, ask who or what of the verb. With the first sen- tence above, you might ask, “What are inside the storage shed?” The answer, gar- den tools, is the subject.‘WS101 ED, FL = = D.86 Practice Underline the subject in each sentence. Then double-underline the correct verb in parentheses. 1. There (is, are) long lines at the checkout counter Scampering to the door to greet Martha Grencher (was, were) her two little dogs. 3. Filling the forest floor (was, were) dozens of pine cones. 4. There (is, are) pretzels in the kitchen if you want something to go with the cheese. 5. Atthe end of the line, hoping to get seats for the movie, (was, were) Janet and Maureen. . There (is, are) rats nesting under the backyard woodpile . Swaggering down the street (was, were) several tough-looking boys On the very top of that mountain (is, are) a house for sale. . At the soap opera convention, there (Was, were) fans from all over the county. Serres Under a lange plastic dome on the side of the counter (lis, lie) a single gooey pastry. INDEFINITE PRONOUNS ‘The following words, known as indefinite pronouns, always take singular verbs: (one words) (-body words) _—_(-thing words) one nobody nothing each anyone anybody anything either everyone everybody everything neither someone somebody something Note: Both always takes a plural verb.‘iSHO1 ED, 1 Ignores, ignore dances, dance deserves, deserve was, were appears, appear offers, offer owns, own has, have thinks, think has, have vo eemenac P.8T Practice Write the correct form of the verb in the space provided. 1. Everyone in the neighborhood __ Char lie Brown, 2. Nobody the way he does. 3. Either of our football team's guards ___ to be an all-state suard. 4, Both of the race drivers injured. 5. Everyone who received an invitation _ to be here. 6. No one ever, to work on that committee. 7. One of my sisters a VW convertible. 8. Somebody been taking shopping carts from the super- market, 9, Everyone that I talked to __ the curfew is a good idea. 10, Each of the candidates talked about withdrawing from the race. COMPOUND SUBJECTS Subjects joined by and generally take a plural verb. ‘Yoga and biking are Lola's ways of staying in shape. ‘Ambition and good luck are the keys to his success. When subjects are joined by or, either... or, neither... nor, not only . .. but also, the verb agrees with the subject closer to the verb. Either the restaurant manager or his assistants deserve to be fired for the spoiled ‘meat used in the stew, The nearer subject, assistants, is plural, and so the verb is plural.‘S10 ED IE - Practice Write the correct form of the verb in the space provided. matches, 1, This tie and shirt ____ the suit, but the shoes look terrible. match fras,have 2, The kitehen and the bathroom to be cleaned, is, re 3. A good starting salary and a bonus system ____ the most attractive features of my new job plan, plans 4. Neither Ellen nor herbrothers _to work ata temporary job during their holiday break from college. is,are For better or worse, working on his van and playing video games Pete’s main interests in life. WHO, WHICH, AND THAT When who, which, and that are used as subjects, they take singular verbs if the word they stand for is singular and plural verbs if the word they stand for is plural, For example, in the sentence Gary is one of those people who are very private. the verb is plural because who stands for people, which is plural. On the other hand, in the sentence Gary is a person who is very private. the verb is singular because who stands for person, which is singular. Practice Write the correct form of the verb in the space provided, was,were 1. Temoved the sheets that__ jamming my washer. stumbles, 2, This job isn’t for people who over tough decisions. stumble blares, blare 3, The radio that all night belongs to my insommiac neighbor,WS101 ED, 1 P89 gives,give 4, ‘The Saturn is one of the small American cars that high gasoline mileage. appears, 5, ‘The strange smell that in our neighborhood on rainy appear days is being investigated. @ ReviewTest | In the following sentences, underline the subject. Then complete each sentence using és, are, was, were, have, oF hes Example The hot dogs in that luncheonette _# Neither of the songs 2. The new state tax on alcohol and cigarettes _ 3. The shadowy figure behind the cemetery walls 4, The movie actress and her agent 5. Larry is one of those people who 6, The football coach, along with ten of his assistants, 7. Coming up the back alley 8. Someone sitting in the left-field bleachers of the ballpark 9. The first several weeks that I spent in college 10. Tony's gentle voice and pleasant smile @ Review Test 2 Underline the correct word in the parentheses. 1, Excessive use of alcohol, caffeine, or cigarettes (damages, damage) a mother’s unborn child. 2. Neither of the newspaper articles (gives, give) all the facts of the murder case, 3. There (is, are) five formulas that we have to memorize for the testWS101 ED, pt 4, The rug and the wallpaper in that room (has, have) to be replaced. 5. The old man standing under the park trees (does, do) not look happy. 6. The scratch on the record (was, were) there when I bought it. 7. Heavy snows and months of subfreezing temperatures (is, are) two reasons Why I moved to Florida. 8. Idon’t enjoy people who (likes, like) to play pranks. 9. The price of the set of dishes you like so much (is, are) $345, 10. What time in the motning (does, do) planes leave for Denver? @® Review Test 3 There are eight mistakes in subject-verb agreement in the following passage, Cross out each incostect verb and write the correet form above it. In addition, underline the subject of each of the verbs that must be changed. ‘There are several things that makes Tracy want to quit her job as a waitress. First of all, she is never permitted to sit down. Even when there is no customers seated at her tables, she must find something useful to do, such as folding napkins or refilling ketchup bottles. By the end ofthe night, her fet feel like two chunks of raw hamburger. Second, she finds it difficult to be cheerful all ofthe time, one of the qualities that is expected of her. People who go out to eat in a restaurant wants to enjoy themselves, and they don’t like their spirits dampened by a grouchy waitress, This means that when Tracy feels sick or depressed, she can’t let her feelings show. Instead, she has to pre- tend thatthe occasion is as pleasant for her as it is for her customers, night after night. Neither of these problems, however, bother her as much as people who are fussy, Both the child who demands extra fudge sauce on her ice cream and the adult who asks for cleaner silverware has to be satisfied. In addition, each night at least one of the cus- tomers at her tables insist on being a perfectionist. As Tracy learned her first day on the job, the customeris always right—even if he complains that the peas have too many ‘wrinkles. Though she may feel like dumping the peas in the customer's lap, Tracy must pretend that each of her customers are royalty and hurry to find some less ‘wrinkled peas. Sometimes she wishes people would just stay home and eat,