SUBJECT-

VERB
AGREEMENT
(2) CLASS XI GRAMMAR
SEMESTER 1
WISELY LEO CANDRA, S.S.
 LEARNING OBJECTIVES
Students will be able to explain the rules
01 for subject-verb agreement, identify and correct
errors in subject-verb agreement.

Students will be able to identify the singular and

02 plural subjects and verbs in sentences.

Students will be able to edit sentences for

03 correct subject/verb agreement and use
complete sentences.
 Subject-Verb Agreement
The subject and verb are the most important elements of a sentence. The relation
between the subject and verb depends on two issues: person and number. The
verb of a sentence must be in agreement with the subject in regard
to person and number.

The number of the subject can be singular and plural. The verb must be singular
if the subject is singular and the verb must be plural if the subject is plural.

So, identifying the number of the subject is required to take a verb.

The person of the subject can be first, second, and third. The verb changes
according to the number and person of the subject.
Rules of Subject-Verb Agreement
Rule 13

If the conjunction ‘and’ is replaced by together with/ along with/ accompanied by/ as
well as, the verb will have no effect for the later part of these expressions. The words
prior to these expressions are the subjects.
Examples:
• Tom, along with his brothers is going to the city. (‘His brothers’ is not the
subject of this sentence.)
• The boys, accompanied by their teacher Mr. Robbins are planning a tour.

Rule 14

Some nouns are always plural. These nouns have two parts.

Scissors, shorts, eyeglasses, pants, thongs, jeans, trousers, etc.

Examples:
• My pants are in the drawer.
• Your eyeglasses are dirty.

Note: If these words are preceded by the phrase a pair of, they will be regarded as singular subjects.

Examples:
• A pair of pants is needed.
• This pair of trousers is ugly.

Rule 15

None is a singular subject when it is used alone. When it is used with a prepositional
phrase starting with of, the subject can be both plural and singular.

None + of the + singular noun + singular verb

None + of the + plural noun + plural verb

Examples:
• None of the money has been used.
• None of the students want to fail.
Rule 16

When you put a positive and a negative subject together,

the verb must agree with the positive subject.

Examples:
• The members, but not the chairman, have decided
to vote against the proposal. (Here the plural verb
have agrees with the positive subject ‘the
members’.)
• It is his attitude, not his ideas, that invites criticism.
Rule 17

Fractional expressions such as a half of, a part of and a majority of can be followed
by a singular or a plural verb. It depends on the meaning.
Examples:
• A large percentage of the population is angry with the ruling party.
• Nearly 60 percent of the members are in favor of the new policy.

The expression ‘more than one’ takes a singular verb.

Examples:
• More than one student has tried to cheat on the exam.
• More than one person has been diagnosed with swine flu.
Rule 18

Collective nouns are words that imply more than one person but are considered
singular and take a singular verb. However, the plural verb is used if the focus is on
the individuals in the group. This is much less common.
Some examples are "group," "team," "committee," "family," and "class."
Examples:
• The group meets every week.
• The committee participate in various volunteer activities in their private lives.

Rule 19

The only time the object of the preposition decides plural or

singular verb forms is when noun and pronoun subjects like
"some," "half," "none," "more," or "all" are followed by a
prepositional phrase. Then the object of the preposition
determines the form of the verb.
Examples:
• All of the chicken is gone.
• All of the chickens are gone.
 Rule 20

The phrase a number of should be followed by a plural noun and a plural verb.
When the sentence begins with ‘The number of’, the verb should be singular.

Examples:
• A number of objections were raised against the proposal.
• The number of available jobs is shrinking rapidly. (Here the subject is
‘number’, not ‘jobs’.)
Rule 21

If a gerund or an infinitive comes as a subject, the verb will always be singular.

Examples:
• Eating healthy food makes you healthy.
• To err is human.
Rule 22

If the + an adjective appears as the subject of a sentence, it will be plural.

Examples:
• The pious are loved by God.
• The best do not lack integrity.

Rule 23

Money, time, distance and measurements can be plural or singular. If the focus of
your sentence is a total amount, use a singular verb. If the focus of your sentence is
on multiple units, use a plural verb.
Examples:
• Fifteen dollars is the cost of the cake.
• Ten hours is how much time we'll need to complete this project.
• Five hundred square feet have been added on to the house. (Replacing five
hundred square feet with it, this, or that wouldn't make sense.)
Rule 24

Titles of books, movies, novels, and other similar works are treated as singular and
take a singular verb.
Examples:
• The Burbs is a movie starring Tom Hanks.
• The Grapes of Wrath takes a long time to read.

Rule 25

With one of those ________ who, use a plural verb. With the only one of those
________who, use a singular verb.

Examples:
• Hannah is one of those people who like to read comics.
• Hannah is the only one of those people who likes to read comics.
Rule 26

With every ______ and many a ________, use a singular verb.

Examples:
• Every man, woman, and child participates in the lifeboat drill.
• Many a child dreams about becoming famous one day.
THANKS!
NEXT MEETING:
PRONOUN
AGREEMENT (1)
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