LET’S AGREE NOT TO

DISAGREE
prepared by Jenie Alex’s
revised & updated by Ajith Cherian
◦How does the comic “Grammar Pirate” claim to

be humorous?

◦According to you, what would a grammar pirate

do? List 3 things a grammar pirate would say.

• What does the phrase “agree to disagree” mean? Give an Example.
• How would the sentence “The big dog run” read if there was agreement
between its subject and its verb?
What is ‘subject verb agreement?
Are all the sentences grammatically correct? Write down your answers.

o Somebody has left their purse.

◦ My glasses is kept on the table.

◦ Some voters are upset with the election results.

◦ It was the speaker, not his ideas, that has provoked the students to riot.

◦ The staff are in a meeting.

◦ Our team is ready for the match.

Choose the correct form of the verb that agrees with the subject. Write down your answers.

◦ Annie and her brothers (is, are) at school.

◦ Either my mother or my father (is, are) coming to the meeting.

◦ Benito (doesn’t, don’t) know the answer.

◦ One of my sisters (is, are) going on a trip.

◦ The players, as well as the captain, (want, wants) to win.

◦ Every one of those books (is, are) fiction.

◦ There (was, were) fifteen candies in that bag.

◦ The book or the pen (is, are) in the drawer.

The subject (noun or pronoun) must agree with the verb in Number and Person.

‘bird’ is a singular noun & ‘sings’ is a singular verb. (singular verbs usually end with an -s)
‘birds’ is a plural noun & ‘sing’ is a plural verb. (plural nouns usually end with an –s)
In the present tense, third person(he, she they), use verbs ending in –s with
singular subjects.

person singular plural

1st person I am/walk we are/walk

2nd person you are/walk you are/walk

3rd person he/she/it is/walks they are/walk

Examples
• I require attention. (1st person, singular, no –s is needed.)
• A dog requires attention. (3rd person singular, an –s is needed.)
• Dogs require attention. (–s indicates a plural subject, but the verb does not need an –s.)
Rules for Subject-Verb Agreement
1. Subjects connected by ‘and’ are generally plural and use a plural verb.

Ashok and his friends are on their way to the college.

Note: Subjects or idioms acting as a singular unit require singular verbs.

Honour and glory is the most important part of one’s life.

2. Two or more singular subjects connected by ‘or’ or ‘nor’ use a singular verb.

Either Benil or Biswa is planning to stay back.

Note: If one subject is singular and the other plural, the verb agrees with the subject closest to it.

Neither Anne nor her friends have made any plans for the next year’s trip.

3. Collective nouns such as group, majority, team, family, herd, class, jury, council, faculty etc. can take a
singular verb or plural verb depending upon when the group acts as one or as individuals.

My whole family is planning to meet next summer for my cousin’s wedding.

The family members are engaged in a heated discussion.

4. The verb must agree with its subject even though modifying phrases or clauses come between the
simple subject and its verb. (Tip: check the subject of the sentence and accordingly add the verb form)

I read her text, the meaning between the lines is loud and clear.

5. Indefinite pronouns such as another, anyone, anybody, anything, each, either, everyone, everybody,
everything, neither, no one, nobody, nothing, someone, somebody, something are always singular and
require singular verbs.

Someone has knocked on the door.

Nobody has completed yesterday’s class task.

Indefinite pronouns several, both, and many are plural when used as subjects.

Several of the team are ready.

Indefinite pronouns such as none and some can be either singular or plural, depending on meaning.

Some of the gold was pure.

Some of the students were exhausted after finals.

6. Some nouns that end with ‘s’, economics, electronics, measles, mumps, news, and physics, are regularly
treated as singular and therefore should have a singular verb.

Finally the news is out in the public.

Physics is an interesting subject.

Similarly, some nouns such as police, mice, teeth, feet, people, cattle, poultry, binoculars, pliers, scissors,
trousers, pants, pyjamas, shoes, etc that appear singular are however plural in nature.

Most people are law abiding citizens.

The police have arrested the culprit.

Note: Some nouns ending in –ics (politics, athletics, statistics) are considered singular when referring to an
organized body of knowledge and plural when referring to activities, qualities, or individual facts.

Statistics is offered every year at the college.

The statistics show that the candidate will win.

7. Quantities of time, money and distance are considered singular, these words too follow singular verb.

Time flies, 10 years feels like yesterday.

The contestant seems to be winning the game, 1 crore is a lot of money.

Answer the following questions.
Subjects connected by ‘and’ are generally plural and use a plural verb.

1. Employers and Employees often (meet, meets) outside of work.

Note: Subjects or idioms acting as a singular unit require singular verbs.

2. Fish and chips (is, are) a favourite dish in England.

Two or more singular subjects connected by ‘or’ or ‘nor’ use a singular verb.

3. Either Jennifer or Elizabeth (is, are) going on vacation next week.

Note: If one subject is singular and the other plural, the verb agrees with the subject closest to it.

4. Neither snow nor storms (keep, keeps) the postman from delivering the mail.

Collective nouns such as group, majority, team, family, herd, class, jury, council, faculty etc. can
take a singular verb or plural verb depending upon when the group acts as one or as individuals.

5. The jury (is, are) returning to the courtroom.

6. The jury (is, are) arguing among themselves.

The verb must agree with its subject even though modifying phrases or clauses come between the
simple subject and its verb. (Tip: check the subject of the sentence and accordingly add the verb form)

`7. The recommendation of two policemen, a judge, and three lawyers (was, were) accepted.

Indefinite pronouns such as another, anyone, anybody, anything, each, either, everyone, everybody,
everything, neither, no one, nobody, nothing, someone, somebody, something are always singular and
require singular verbs.

8. Everybody in my class (hate, hates) my professor.

9. Neither of the flowers (smell, smells) good.

Quantities of time, money and distance are considered singular, these words too follow singular verb.

10. Fifty miles (is, are) too far for most people to jog.
Pair Work: Find a partner (A & B). While partner A reads Text A,
partner B will fill in the answers to worksheet A, using the
appropriate tense and verb form. Next, switch rolls. While partner
B reads Text B, partner A will fill in the answers to worksheet B,
using the appropriate tense and verb form.
References

◦ https://assets.northpark.edu/wp-content/uploads/20200124140605/Workshop-Subject-
Verb-Agreement.LessonHandout.pdf
◦ https://gato-docs.its.txstate.edu/jcr:1ffca71e-aefe-44e0-bd03-0a98ebda2146/Subject-
Verb%20Agreement.pdf
◦ https://www.teach-this.com/images/resources/subject-verb-agreement-relay-race.pdf
◦ Linguahouse.com. Photocopiable and licensed for use in Jenie Alex's lessons.

* This lesson has been adapted from Jenie Alex’s 2020 LP ’Let’s Agree to Disagree’
THANK YOU