Subject - Verb Agreement

Part 1: General Types of Subjects

Types of subjects in English

1) 1st person: the actor/doer of the activity is the person making the sentence.
2) 2nd person: the actor/doer of the activity is the person the sentence is intended to.
3) 3rd person: the actor/doer of the activity is neither person making the sentence nor the
person the sentence is intended to.
Examples:
* I take a bath.
If we ask the question: "who takes a bath?"
The answer is the person making the statement, which is "I". So the type of the subject is
the first person.
* My friends take a bath.
If we ask the same question, then the answer is the person the speaker/maker of the
statement talking about. So the subject type belongs to the third person.
* (You) take a bath.
The answer to the same subject question is the person the sentence is intended to.
* The cows cross the football field.
Who/what cross the field? ....
Is it the person making the statement?
Is it the person the statement is intended to?
Or neither two?
Then, the type of the subject is ....
* The villagers use river water for drinking water.
Who use the river water for drinking water?
Is it the person making the statement?
Is it the reader of the statement?
Is it someone else?
Then the subject type is ....
* My brother, Andy, and I walk to school.
Who walk to school?
Is the speaker included?
Is it the reader of the statement?
Or is it some other persons beside the speaker and the reader?
Exercise 1. Decide what type of each subject of the following statements.
1) My house and my neighbor's burn to ash.
2) The economy worsens in the last decade.
3) Anton gets ill.
4) Many people suffer from mall nutrition.
5) Many cars break during the fatal car accidents.
6) The robbers get shot by the policemen.
7) The athlete wins four trophies.
8) The workers in that company demand a raise.
9) The staffs in the hospital receive some awards for best public service.
10) I, the son of a very good father, want to make him proud.