SUBJECT-VERB

SUBJECT-VERB
AGREEMENT
Subject-verb agreement: Initial task
• Not only the man but also
his two wives is / are
miserable.
• The Japanese likes / like
drinking tea.
• Neither of the dogs has /
have been in love before.
• Statistics is / are so difficult
to study.
 Subject-verb agreement:
Singular verbs
• News
• A disease (measles, mumps, shingles)
• A subject (mathematics, statistics, linguistics, politics)
• A distance (2 kilometers)
• A weight (20 kilos)
• A sum of money (50 dollars)
• A period of time (5 years)

Let’s take a taxi. Two hundred meters is / are too far for
me to walk.
Ten years has / have passed but you haven’t changed a
bit.
 Subject-verb agreement:
Singular verbs
• Neither of + Noun
• None of + Noun
• Each
• Every
Each school girl and boy is / are holding a small flag in
their hand.
None of the students understands / understand Mr.
Phuoc’s lesson.
 Subject-verb agreement:
Plural verbs
• People
• Police
• The + nationality (dân tộc)
• Trousers/shorts/glasses/pliers/ scissors
People usually believes / believe their friends
more than their family members.
 Subject-verb agreement

• A as well as B
• A together with B
• A of B
+V
• A including B

A meal of five eggs and half a kilo of beef is / are just

enough for Ly Duc
 Subject-verb agreement

• Not only A but also B

• Either A or B +V
• Neither A nor B

Either the teacher or I has / have made a mistake

somewhere.
 Subject-verb agreement
• A number of … + plural V
• The number of … + singular V

– A number of students have to work their way

thru college.
– The number of students in a class at this
school is always kept under 20.
 Subject-verb agreement

• All
• Most
• Half of + the Noun +V
• Some
• %
• X:Y

Half of the teachers in Banking University

is / are trained abroad.
 Subject-verb agreement

• The women's courage during the flood

(was) (were) exceptional.
• The majority of the TOEFL tests (is) (are)
difficult.
• There are two evening flights to Atlanta
that (leaves) (leave) before 7:00.
• Local news (is) (are) on TV every night at
5:30.
 Subject-verb agreement
• Small amounts of poison (was) (were)
found in the coffee cup.
• There (was) (were) much discussion
about salary raises.
• Both the table and the chair (looks) (look)
uncomfortable.
• A number of sheep (has) (have) died
from a strange illness.
 Subject-verb agreement
• That the houses are being put up for sale (is)
(are) indicative of the economic situation.
• The rock singer, along with his bodyguard,
(was) (were) rushed away from the theater.
• Only one of the fifty states in the United States
(is) (are) an island.
• The boat with 300 men, women, and children
(was) (were) rescued by the Coast Guard.
 Adjectives and Adverbs
adjectives
• BEFORE A NOUN
e.g. Claire's got a new car.
• AFTER A LINKING VERB (be, become, get,
seem, appear, look, smell, taste)
e.g. This coffee tastes good.
• find/make/keep + Object + adjective
e.g. I find English interesting.
• Orders of the adjectives
(opinion, size, temperature, age, shape, color,
nationality, material, type)
e.g. a nice long new red cotton dress.
• some adjectives can only go before Noun
e.g. chief (= main), elder (= older), eldest (=
oldest), inner, outdoor, outer, principal (= main),
upper, main, former, indoor)
• Some adjectives stay alone
e.g. afraid, alone, ashamed, awake, alive, content
(= happy), fine (= in good health), glad, unwell,
well
adverbs
• Adverbs of manner come after Verb
e.g. We asked permission politely.
• Adverbs of place come after verb
e.g. We're meeting by the entrance.
• Adverbs of time can go at the beginning
or at the end of the sentence
e.g. We're really busy this week.
Last week we had nothing to do.
• Adverbs of frequency come before verb
and after be/ auxiliary verbs
e.g. Mark is always in such a hurry.
I sometimes feel depressed.
• usually, often, sometimes and
occasionally can also go in front or end
position.
e.g. Normally Sarah goes by train.
e.g. I feel depressed sometimes.