Basic Grammar

Subject-verb Agreement
Group 8

Member of the group :

Asri Astuti
Mentari Rambe Putri
Rafli Ramadhan
Radityo M. Prasetyo

UNIVERSITAS PAMULANG
Jl. Puspitek, Buaran, Kecamatan Pamulang, Kota Tangerang Selatan,
Banten 1531
 SUBJECT-VERB AGREEMENT

Contents:
1. The general rules
1.1 And
1.2 Or, nor
1.3 With, together with, along with, as well as
2. Subject – verb agreement: using expressions of quantity
2.1 Collective nouns
2.2 Indefinite pronoun
2.3 Quantity phrases
3. Subject – verb agreement: some irregularities
3.1 Singular nouns ending in -s
3.2 Plural nouns not ending in -s
3.3 Adjectives preceded by the that are used as plural nouns
3.4 Arithmetic expressions
3.5 Citations and titles
4. Subject – verb agreement: using who, which, that, what, there + be
4.1 Who, which, that
4.2 What
4.3 There + be
5. Complex sentences
6. References
 1. The general rules

The verb agrees with its subject in number and person.

The agreement applies whenever the verb displays distinctions in person
and number.
For all verbs other than be, the distinctions are found only in the present
tense, where the singular subject has the -s form and the plural subject
has the base form:
[1] The noise distracts them.
[2] The noises distract them.

The verb be makes further distinctions in the present and introduces

distinctions in the past. These are as follows:
Subject pronoun Present tense Past tense
I am was
You are were
They are were
We are were
She is was
He is was
It is was

The distinctions for third person agreement with be are illustrated in [3]
and [4] for the present and in [5] and [6] for the past:
[3] The noise is distracting them.
[4] The noises are distracting them.
[5] The noise was distracting them.
[6] The noises were distracting them.
The modal auxiliary verbs (will, would, shall, should, can, could, might,
must, and ought to) do not conjugate for singular or plural subjects—
they always remain the same. For instance:
• “This phone can also surf the Internet!” (singular)
• “Most phones can do that now.” (plural)
• “The president will arrive in Malta next week.” (singular)
• “The other diplomats will arrive shortly after that.” (plural)

If the subject is a noun phrase, the main noun determines the number of
the phrase:
 The noise of the demonstrators is distracting them.
 The noises of the demonstrators are distracting them.

Noun phrases coordinated with and are generally plural, even though the
individual noun phrases are singular:
 The President and the Vice-President were at the ceremony.

Clauses are generally singular:

 Playing handball relaxes me.
 To make mistakes is only human.
 That he needs a shave is obvious.

The rule of number agreement between subject (S) and verb applies to
all finite clauses, whether they are main clauses or subordinate clauses:
 Inflation (S) is decreasing, and productivity (S) is rising.
 Nature (S) has arranged that no two flowers (S) are the same, even
though they (S) appear very similar.
Spelling final -s vs. -es
 Sing → sings
 Song → songs
For most words (whether a verb or a noun), simply a simple -s is added
to spell the word correctly.

Final -es is added to words that end in -sh, -ch, -s, -z, and -x
 Wash → washes
 Watch → watches
 Buzz → buzzes
 Box → boxes
 Class → classes

For words that end in -y:

If -y is preceded by a vowel, only -s is added.
If -y is preceded by a consonant, the -y is changed to -i and -es is added
 Toy → toys
 Buy → buys
 Baby → babies
 Cry → cries
1.1 And

The subject is plural if it consists of two or more phrases that are linked
by and, even if each is singular:
 Your kitchen, your living-room, and your dining-room are too
small.

The subject is also plural if and is implied though not actually present:
 Your kitchen, your living-room, your dining-room, are too small.

On the other hand, if the linked units refer to the same thing, the subject
is singular.
Ex:
 The first serious poem I read in grade school and one I later
studied in high school was ‘Ozymandias’ by Shelley. (The first
serious poem was identical with the one later studied.)
 A conscientious and honest politician has nothing to fear. (A
politician who is both conscientious and honest has . . . )

In some instances, two linked units may be viewed as either a

combination (and therefore singular) or as separate units (and therefore
plural).
Ex:
 Bread and butter is good for you. (Bread with butter on it is . . . )
 Bread and butter have recently gone up in price. (Both bread and
butter have . . . )
 If the noun phrases are introduced by each or every, the subject is
singular.
Ex:
 Every student and every instructor has to show an ID card to
borrow books from the library.
 Each adult and each child was given a sandwich.
 Every bank and store was closed that day.

1.2 Or, nor

If the subject noun phrases are linked by or, nor, either ... or, neither ...
nor, or not only … but also verb may be singular or plural. When both
phrases are singular, the verb is singular.
Ex:
 No food or drink was provided.
 Either pollen or dust causes his allergy.
 Neither the time nor the place was appropriate.

When both phrases are plural, the verb is plural.

Ex:
 Either the Unionists or the Nationalists have to make concessions.

When one phrase is singular and the other plural, usage guides prefer the
verb to agree in number with the phrase closest to it.
Ex:
 Three short essays or one long essay is required.
 Neither your brother nor your sisters are responsible.
When the linked units are pronouns that require different verb forms, it
is better to avoid having to make a choice. Instead, rephrase the
sentence.
Ex:
 Neither you nor I am responsible for the arrangements.
 Neither of us is responsible for the arrangements.

1.3 With, together with, along with, as well as

When a singular noun phrase is linked to a following noun phrase by a

preposition such as with, the subject is singular even though the
preposition is similar in meaning to and.
Ex:
 His sister, together with her two youngest children, is staying with
them.
 Laura, together with a friend, practices yoga every day.
The subject is singular because the main noun is singular.

Other prepositions used in a similar way include as well as and in

addition to.
Ex:
 The teacher, as well as the students, was enjoying the picnic.

In the following sentence, the preposition is after’

Ex:
 One person after another has objected to the proposed reform.
 2. Subject – verb agreement: using expressions of quantity

2.1 Collective Nouns

A collective noun refers to a group of people or things. Some common
examples are:
administration governmen group nation jury
t
enemy team herd gang family
army swarm mob committee audience
class crowd fleet public crew

When members of the group are viewed as a unit, singular verbs and
singular pronouns are usual.
Ex:
 The audience was very noisy.
 The public has a right to know.
 The jury has retired for the night, but it will resume its
deliberations tomorrow.
 The Olympic Committee has made its decision, and has awarded
the 2008 Games to Beijing.

When the members of the group are viewed as individuals, plural verbs
and plural pronouns are used.
Ex:
 The government are confused about what to do next. (The
members of the government are . . . )
 All the team are in their places. (All the members of the team are..)
 2.2 Indefinite Pronouns

Most indefinite pronouns take singular verbs, these are some example:
 Everybody is now here.
 Someone has borrowed my comb.

In formal writing, use singular verbs even when a plural phrase follows
the pronouns.
Ex:
 Either of them is prepared to help you.
 Each of our friends has taken the course.

Several indefinite pronouns (all, some, any) and the fractions may be
either singular or plural. If they refer to one thing, they take a singular
verb.
Ex:
 Some (of the material) is not suitable for children.
 Half (the county) is under water.
 All (the fruit) has been eaten.

If they refer to more than one person or thing, they take a plural verb.
Ex:
 Some (of the pages) are missing.
 Half (of the members) have voted in favor of the amendment to the
constitution.
 All (my friends) were abroad.

This concept applies to many other expressions of quantity.

 One third of this land is mine.
 Two thirds of the diamonds are mine.
If the number is used, the verb form is singular, because a specific
number is being referred to.
Ex:
 The number of people on the bus is 53. (53 is the number of
people)
 The number of people at the bar is 22. (22 is the number of
people)

On the other hand, a number of is an expression of quantity meaning “a

lot of”. It’s followed by plural nouns and plural verbs.
Ex:
 A number of students were late for class.
 A number of people miss the bus.

None is used with a singular verb

Ex:
 None (of us) has heard about the new regulation.
Indefinite Pronouns
Singular:
Another Anybody Anything Each
Either Enough Everybody Everything
Less Little Much Neither
Nobody No one Nothing One
Other Somebody Someone Something

Plural:
both few fewer
Many Others Several

Singular and plural:

All Any More
Most Some Such
 2.3 Quantity Phrases

Plural phrases of quantity or extent take singular verbs when the quantity
or extent is viewed as a unit.
Ex:
 Ten pounds is enough.
 Two years seems too long to wait.
 Ten hours of flying is too long.
 Fifty dollars is too expensive.
 Five miles was as far as they would walk.

Otherwise, a plural is used.

Ex:
 Twenty years have passed since I last saw Helen.
 Twenty-seven pounds were stolen from his wallet.

3. Subject – verb agreement: some irregularities

3.1 Singular nouns ending in -s

Nouns ending in -ics are singular when they refer to a field of study, for
example:
 Economics, linguistics, mathematics, physics, statistics
 Statistics is one of the options in the degree course.
 Economics was my favorite subject at school.

Some of these nouns are often used in a different sense and may then be
plural.
Ex:
  Your statistics are inaccurate.
 The acoustics in this hall have been improved.

Names of diseases that end in -s are generally treated as singular, for

example:
 AIDS, measles, mumps:
 Diabetes is an illness.

Names of games that end in -s are singular. for example billiards, darts,
draughts, and dominoes: Dominoes is the only game I play at home.
Individual pieces have singular and plural forms.
Ex:
 You’ve dropped a domino on the floor.
 The dominoes are on the floor.

3.2 Plural nouns not ending in -s

Children Lice Oxen

Feet Men Teeth
Geese Mice Women
Police Staff Bacteria

3.3 Adjectives preceded by the that are used as plural nouns

There are several adjectives preceded by the that are used as plural
nouns to refer to people who have that quality, here are some example:
 The old are not well taken care of in this country.
 The rich keep getting richer.
Following is a list of other adjectives that are used as plural nouns.
the blind
the dead
the handicapped
the living
the young

3.4 Arithmetic expressions

Arithmetic expressions require singular verb.

Ex:
Two and two is four
Two and two equals four

3.5 Citations and titles

Citations and titles always take a singular verb, even though they consist
of plural phrases.
Ex:
 Reservoir Dogs is a very violent film.
 Oscar and Lucinda was awarded the Booker Prize in 1988

4. Subject – verb agreement: using who, which, that, what,

there + be

4.1 Who, which, that

The relative pronouns who, which, and that have the same number as the
nouns they refer to. The singular is correct in the following sentences;
Ex:
 I have written a letter for the student who is applying for a job in
our department. (The student is applying…)
 You need special permission to borrow a book which is kept in the
reference section. (The book is kept…)
 They noted the tension that has begun to mount in the city. (The
tension has begun to mount…)
The plural is correct in the following sentences:
 People who live in glasshouses shouldn’t throw stones. (The
people live in glasshouses.)
 The weapons which were found during the search were produced
as evidence in court. (The weapons were found . . . )
 She reported on the decisions that were made at the meeting. (The
decisions were made . . . )

The same rule of agreement applies when the relative pronoun refers to a
personal pronoun.
Ex:
 You who are my closest friends know best what needs to be done.
(You are my closest friends.)
 It is I who am to blame. (I am to blame.)
 It is he who is responsible for organizing the event. (He is
responsible . . . )

4.2 What
Either a singular verb or a plural verb may be used with the pronoun
what. The choice depends on the meaning, let’s see from the following
example:
 What worries them is that he has not yet made up his mind. (The
thing that worries them is . . . )
 They live in what are called ranch houses. (in houses that are
called . . . )
Similarly, use either the singular or the plural with what-clauses,
according to the meaning.
Ex:
 What they need is a good rest. (The thing that they need is . . . )
 What were once painful ordeals are now routine examinations.
(Those
 things . . . are now . . . )

4.3 There + be
In the structure there+ be, there is called an expletive.
In the structure there + be, there is called an "expletive." It has no
meaning as a vocabulary word. It introduces the idea that something
exists in a particular place.

Pattern: there + be+ subject+ expression of place

 There are twenty students in my class.

 There is a fly in the room.

(a)There is a book on the shelf.

(b)There are some books on the shelf.

The subject follows be when there is used.

In (a) the subject is book
In (b) the subject is books
5. Complex sentences

A dependent clause is called a relative clause when it begins with who,

which or that. When one of these words is immediately followed by a
verb phrase, the relative pronoun who, which, that, becomes the subject
of the clause. Consider the following examples:
 The man, who was walking down the street, was poor.
 Peter usually eats macaroni and cheese, which is his favorite
dish.
 Do you see the plane that is flying away?

If who, which, or that is the subject of the relative clause, the verb must
reflect the number of that subject: singular or plural.
If the antecedent of who, which, or that is singular, the relative pronoun
is singular.
If the antecedent is plural, the relative pronoun is plural. And in both
instances, the verb will agree with the number of the antecedent and
relative pronoun.

SINGULAR ANTECEDENT
 The boy, who is throwing stones, is going to break a window.
 The car, which is being built in Detroit, has GPS as a standard
feature.
 John found a pen that is made of silver.

PLURAL ANTECEDENT
 The boys, who are throwing stones, are going to break a
window.
 The cars, which are being built in Detroit, have GPS as a
standard feature.
 Mary found two pens that are made of silver.
 While who, which, or that can be the subject of the relative clause,
whose cannot be a subject. In this case, the subject of the clause is
the noun that immediately follows ‘whose.’

 He is the architect whose mother comes from a poor country.

In this sentence, the subject of the relative clause is mother and the
verb is comes, the third-person singular form that agrees with the
singular noun mother. It is possible for whose to be used with a
plural subject.

6. References

Sidney Greenbaum, Gerald Nelson. 2002. An Introduction to English

Grammar. Great Britain: Longman.
Betty Schrampfer Azar. 2002. Understanding and Using English
Grammar. New York: Longman
Robin Torres-Gouzerh. 2016. Intermediate English Grammar for ESL
Learners. New York: Mc Graw Hills Education.