Subject-Verb Agreement
Sentence Skills: A Workbook for
Writers, Form A
John Langan
© 2002 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
Subject-Verb Agreement
Subject-Verb Agreement
• When subjects and verbs agree, they match
in number and person.
• In other words, singular subjects require
singular verbs and plural subjects match
plural verbs; third person subjects require
the thirdMyperson
form
of
the
verb.
brothers
My brother
buy
old bicycles
to repair.
Sentence Skills, Form A, 7E
buys
old bicycles
to repair.
© 2002 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
Subject-Verb Agreement
Subject/Verb Agreement
• In English, regular verbs take the same form
for singular and plural except for the thirdperson singular form of the verb.
• The -s,The
or boy
-es walks.
ending on aThe
verb
designates
a
boys
walk.
singular verb.
• In fact, nouns and verbs are the opposite
where plural endings are concerned.
Sentence Skills, Form A, 7E
© 2002 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
Subject-Verb Agreement
Subject-Verb Agreement
• A subject agrees with its verb no matter how far
apart the two are. Do not be distracted by nouns
or pronouns placed between the subject and verb.
• The ducks on the lake behind the school swim in
large groups.
• A list of required readings is mailed to entering
freshmen.
Sentence Skills, Form A, 7E
© 2002 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
Subject-Verb Agreement
Subject-Verb Agreement
• A compound subject that is linked by the conjunction
“and ” requires a plural verb.
• Both the college newspaper and the literary magazine
fail to attract experienced staff.
Sentence Skills, Form A, 7E
© 2002 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
Subject-Verb Agreement
Subject-Verb Agreement
• A compound subject linked by the conjunction or
or nor requires a singular verb.
• Either the dean or his assistant addresses the
freshmen class.
• Neither geology nor astronomy is required for
my major.
Sentence Skills, Form A, 7E
© 2002 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
Subject-Verb Agreement
Subject-Verb Agreement
• When who, which and that are used as subjects,
they take singular verbs if the word they stand for
is singular and plural verbs if the word they stand
for is plural.
• Frederick is a doctor who is very friendly and
intelligent.
• I knocked over the dishes that were stacked in
the sink.
Sentence Skills, Form A, 7E
© 2002 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
Subject-Verb Agreement
Subject-Verb Agreement
• Indefinite pronouns refer to indefinite
persons or things and usually require a
singular verb.
• Each of the volunteers tutors for at least three
hours every week.
Sentence Skills, Form A, 7E
© 2002 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
Subject-Verb Agreement
Subject-Verb Agreement
• If a collective noun acts as a single unit, it
takes a singular verb.
• My entire family is coming for homecoming
weekend.
Sentence Skills, Form A, 7E
© 2002 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
Subject-Verb Agreement
Subject-Verb Agreement
• When normal word order is inverted and the
subject follows the verb, the subject and
verb must agree.
• Standing at the door with grins on their faces
were the cheerleaders.
Sentence Skills, Form A, 7E
© 2002 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
Subject-Verb Agreement
Subject-Verb Agreement
• Note: Sentences that begin with there or
here have the subject follow the verb.
• There are three branches of government::
judicial, executive, and legislative.
Sentence Skills, Form A, 7E
© 2002 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
Subject-Verb Agreement
Click to see answer….
Incorrect
Movies in today’s
market makes a
great deal of
money.
Sentence Skills, Form A, 7E
© 2002 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
Subject-Verb Agreement
Revised
Movies in today’s
market make a
great deal of
money.
Sentence Skills, Form A, 7E
© 2002 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
Subject-Verb Agreement
Incorrect
The American
audiences pays
for tickets at
the theater
and for cable at
home.
Sentence Skills, Form A, 7E
© 2002 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
Subject-Verb Agreement
Revised
The American
audiences pay for
tickets at the
theater and for
cable at home.
Sentence Skills, Form A, 7E
© 2002 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
Subject-Verb Agreement
Correct
The international
market, which
includes dozens
of countries,
produces even
more profit.
Sentence Skills, Form A, 7E
© 2002 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
Subject-Verb Agreement
Incorrect
Films are very
expensive to
manufacture, so
American studios
creates far more
films than other
countries.
Sentence Skills, Form A, 7E
© 2002 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
Subject-Verb Agreement
Revised
Films are very
expensive to
manufacture, so
American studios
create far more
films than other
countries.
Sentence Skills, Form A, 7E
© 2002 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
Subject-Verb Agreement
Incorrect
There is many
advantages to
seeing a movie
in the theater rather
than watching
a video at home.
Sentence Skills, Form A, 7E
© 2002 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
Subject-Verb Agreement
Revised
There are many
advantages to
seeing a movie
in the theater
rather than
watching a video
at home.
Sentence Skills, Form A, 7E
© 2002 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
Subject-Verb Agreement
Correct
The dark theater
and the enormous
screen take the
movie viewer to
another world.
Sentence Skills, Form A, 7E
© 2002 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
Subject-Verb Agreement
Incorrect
The background
music in movies
play an important
role.
Sentence Skills, Form A, 7E
© 2002 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
Subject-Verb Agreement
Revised
The background
music in movies
plays an important
role.
Sentence Skills, Form A, 7E
© 2002 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
Subject-Verb Agreement
Correct
The music creates
a mood and gives a
signal of something
to come.
Sentence Skills, Form A, 7E
© 2002 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
Subject-Verb Agreement
Incorrect
Not everyone in
the entertainment
fields agree about
the quality of
movies.
Sentence Skills, Form A, 7E
© 2002 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
Subject-Verb Agreement
Revised
Not everyone in the
entertainment field
agrees about the
quality of movies.
Sentence Skills, Form A, 7E
© 2002 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
Subject-Verb Agreement
Incorrect
Neither the use of
subtitles nor black
and white
photography
demonstrate the
preferences of most
Americans.
Sentence Skills, Form A, 7E
© 2002 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
Subject-Verb Agreement
Revised
Neither the use of
subtitles nor black
and white
photography
demonstrates the
preferences of most
Americans.
Sentence Skills, Form A, 7E
© 2002 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.