HINTS TO DETERMINE SUBJECT – VERB
AGREEMENT WITH COLLECTIVE NOUNS
Step1
• Recognize a collective noun when you see
it.
• Get a list.
Step 2
• Analyze the noun.
• If the group is acting as a unit the noun is
singular;
• if the group is acting individually it is plural.
Step 3
• Use "and" to join two or more subjects to
make the nouns singular; for example,
• "Ham and cheese is my favorite lunch."
Step 4
• Judge whether the compound subject is
referring to one person or many people;
for example,
• "My teacher and coach is a great guy."
Step 5
• See if the word "what" starts the sentence.
• Clauses and phrases acting as the subject
usually imply a singular verb, unless they
start with the word "what."
Step 6
• Learn the topics that are considered
singular. Essays, lectures, musicals,
novels, operas, plays, poems, quotations,
sermons, slogans, themes and titles take a
singular verb.
• For example, "'Guys and Dolls' is
performed at numerous high schools."
• Names of books, magazines, newspapers
and pamphlets also take a singular verb.
Step 7
• Understand when expressions of distance, money,
portions, quantities, sums, time and weights are
singular and when they are plural.
• If you are using the noun as a unit it will take a
singular verb, but if it is indicating separate parts
then it uses a plural verb.
• Likewise, fractions such as one-half of, two-thirds of
and expressions such as majority of, part of and
percentage of take a singular verb if a singular noun
follows "of"
• They take a plural verb when a plural noun follows
"of."
Step 8
• Know when a company name is singular
and when it is plural.
• If the company is referred to as "it," it is
singular.
• If the company is referred to as "they" it is
plural. Usually
• if a company ends in corporation or
company, it is singular.
You have two ways that you can compose the
sentence without causing an agreement error:
• 1) insert the word members after the
collective noun [jury members, committee
members, board members], or
• 2) use an entirely different word [players
instead of team, students instead of class,
soldiers instead of army].
• ©1997 - 2009 by Robin L. Simmons
All Rights Reserved.
• http://www.ehow.com/how_2123848_usecollective-nouns.html
• http://www.ucgc.org/terms-forcollections.htm