Chapter 5 Agreement: Subject/Verb and Pronoun/Antecedent
1. Three steps to finding the subject of a sentence:
a. Eliminate Prepositional Phrases (such as in, of, for, about, to, etc.)
b. Eliminate phrases and clauses with commas
c. Ask who or what
2. And, Or, Nor:
a. Two subjects joined by AND usually take a plural verb.
b. EXCEPTION: Two subjects joined by AND will take a singular verb and/or
pronoun if they refer to a single person or object (dish, meal, etc.)
i. EXAMPLE - SINGULAR: Spaghetti and meatballs is the best dish on the
menu – refers to “DISH” which is singular
3. Either/or and Neither/Nor
a. Singular subjects joined by a EITHER/OR or NEITHER/NOR take a singular
verb
i. EXAMPLE -SINGULAR: Either the boy or the girl IS going to win.
b. EXCEPTION: If a singular subject and a plural subject are joined together by
EITHER/OR or NEITHER/NOR, the verb agrees with the subject closest to the
verb.
i. EXAMPLE – PLURAL: Either the principal or the teachers ARE going to
be there.
4. Pronouns that are always singular: One, someone, no one, everyone, anyone,
somebody, nobody, everybody, anybody, something, nothing, everything, anything, each,
either, neither (Remember One, Body, Thing, Each, Either, Neither)
5. Pronouns that are always plural: Both, few, many, several
6. Pronouns that can be plural or singular depending on how they’re used
it the sentence: All, any, more, most, none, some
a. Rule: The pronoun is plural if it refers to a plural noun
i. Example – PLURAL: All of the students ARE happy.
b. Rule: The pronoun is singular if it refers to a singular noun
i. Example – SINGULAR: All of the school IS happy.
7. Collective Nouns can be singular or plural depending on how they’re
used in the sentence: Club, audience, family, group, flock, herd, number, troop, team
staff, band, assembly, etc.
a. Rule: Singular when it refers to the group as a unit, a whole
i. EXAMPLE – SINGULAR: The band IS arriving by bus.
b. Rule: Plural when it refers to the individual members or parts of the group.
i. EXAMPLE – PLURAL: The band ARE arguing amongst each other.
8. Some nouns take plural verbs and pronouns even when they refer to a
single object: Binoculars, scissors, glasses, pants, shorts, trousers, pliers, and
Olympics.
9. Even when in the plural form, Titles (such as books, songs, movies, and
artwork), Countries, Cities, and Organizations are usually singular.
10. An amount, such as a measurement, a fraction, a percentage may be
singular or plural depending on how it is used
a. Rule: An amount is singular when it is thought of as a unit.
i. EXAMPLE – SINGULAR: Two hundred dollars IS a large sum of money.
b. Rule: An amount is plural when it is thought of as separate parts
i. EXAMPLE – PLURAL: Three hundred dollars ARE scattered all over the
street like rain.
c. Rule: A fraction or percentage is singular when it refers to a singular word
i. EXAMPLE – SINGULAR: One fourth of the student body IS
unemployed.
d. Rule: A fraction or percentage is plural when it refers to a plural word.
i. EXAMPLE - PLURAL: One fourth of the students ARE ditching.
e. Rule: A measurement (length, height, weight, capacity, area, etc.) is usually
singular.
i. EXAMPLE – SINGULAR: Fifty-five miles IS a long way to go.
11.Subjects preceded by every or many a take a singular verb and pronoun.
a. EXAMPLE: Every student is here with his or her parents.
b. EXAMPLE: Many a student has graduated from La Quinta.
SUMMARY CHART
Always Plural
Many
Some
Few
Most
Several
Binoculars, scissors, glasses,
pants, shorts, trousers, pliers,
and Olympics.
.
Always Singular
One
Anybody
Everyone
Everything
No One
Something
Someone
Nothing
Anyone
Anything
Everybody
Each
Nobody
Either
Somebody
Neither
Titles (such as books, songs,
movies, and artwork),
Countries, Cities, and
Organizations
A Measurement (length,
height, weight, capacity, area,
etc.) is usually singular
Plural or Singular
All
Any
More
Most
None
Some
Neither/Nor
Either/Or
Groups: club, audience,
family, group, flock, herd,
number, troop, team staff,
band, assembly, etc.
Amounts: Money, a Fraction,
a Percentage, etc.
Singular or Plural? Rule One: If it refers to a plural noun, it is plural. If it refers to a singular
noun, it is singular.
Singular or Plural? Rule One: If it refers to the group as a unit, it is singular. If it refers to the
parts or individuals of the group, it is plural.
A Great Clue for You: Subject /Verb agreement and Pronoun/Antecedent agreement go hand in
hand. The same rules apply to each, and they predict each other. Check it out:
If the subject takes a singular verb, it will also take a singular pronoun, and vice versa. If the
subject takes a plural verb, it will also take a plural pronoun, and vice versa.