Agreement with Indefinite Pronouns
and Compound Subjects
I. Singular Indefinite Pronouns
I. Singular Indefinite Pronouns
A. The following indefinite pronouns are
singular: anybody, anyone, anything, each,
either, everybody, everyone, everything,
neither, nobody, no one, nothing, one,
somebody, something, someone, and
something.
I. Singular Indefinite Pronouns
A. The following indefinite pronouns are
singular: anybody, anyone, anything, each,
either, everybody, everyone, everything,
neither, nobody, no one, nothing, one,
somebody, something, someone, and
something.
B. Singular indefinite pronouns need singular
verbs.
I. Singular Indefinite Pronouns
A. The following indefinite pronouns are
singular: anybody, anyone, anything, each,
either, everybody, everyone, everything,
neither, nobody, no one, nothing, one,
somebody, something, someone, and
something.
B. Singular indefinite pronouns need singular
verbs.
1. One of the stars is Antares.
I. Singular Indefinite Pronouns
A. The following indefinite pronouns are
singular: anybody, anyone, anything, each,
either, everybody, everyone, everything,
neither, nobody, no one, nothing, one,
somebody, something, someone, and
something.
B. Singular indefinite pronouns need singular
verbs.
1. One of the stars is Antares.
2. Each of the tourists was given a map.
II. Plural Indefinite Pronouns
II. Plural Indefinite Pronouns
A. The following indefinite pronouns are
plural: both, few, many, and several.
II. Plural Indefinite Pronouns
A. The following indefinite pronouns are
plural: both, few, many, and several.
B. Plural indefinite pronouns need plural
verbs.
II. Plural Indefinite Pronouns
A. The following indefinite pronouns are
plural: both, few, many, and several.
B. Plural indefinite pronouns need plural
verbs.
1. Few of the guests (are/is) wearing
formal clothes.
II. Plural Indefinite Pronouns
A. The following indefinite pronouns are
plural: both, few, many, and several.
B. Plural indefinite pronouns need plural
verbs.
1. Few of the guests are wearing
formal clothes.
2. Many of the newer houses
(has/have) built-in smoke detectors.
II. Plural Indefinite Pronouns
A. The following indefinite pronouns are
plural: both, few, many, and several.
B. Plural indefinite pronouns need plural
verbs.
1. Few of the guests are wearing
formal clothes.
2. Many of the newer houses have
built-in smoke detectors.
3. Several in the group (say/says) yes.
II. Plural Indefinite Pronouns
A. The following indefinite pronouns are
plural: both, few, many, and several.
B. Plural indefinite pronouns need plural
verbs.
1. Few of the guests are wearing
formal clothes.
2. Many of the newer houses have
built-in smoke detectors.
3. Several in the group say yes.
III. Singular or Plural Indefinite Pronouns
III. Singular or Plural Indefinite Pronouns
A. The following indefinite pronouns can be
singular or plural: all, any, more, most, none,
and some.
III. Singular or Plural Indefinite Pronouns
A. The following indefinite pronouns can be
singular or plural: all, any, more, most, none,
and some.
B. You can find out if the indefinite pronoun
is singular or plural by looking at the
prepositional phrase that comes after it.
III. Singular or Plural Indefinite Pronouns
A. The following indefinite pronouns can be
singular or plural: all, any, more, most, none,
and some.
B. You can find out if the indefinite pronoun
is singular or plural by looking at the
prepositional phrase that comes after it.
1. If the object of the proposition is
singular, the pronoun is singular.
III. Singular or Plural Indefinite Pronouns
A. The following indefinite pronouns can be
singular or plural: all, any, more, most, none,
and some.
B. You can find out if the indefinite pronoun
is singular or plural by looking at the
prepositional phrase that comes after it.
1. If the object of the proposition is
singular, the pronoun is singular.
2. If the object of the preposition is
plural, the pronoun is plural.
C. Examples:
1. All of the snow (has/have) melted.
C. Examples:
1. All of the snow has melted.
ALL is singular because snow (the
object of the preposition) is singular.
C. Examples:
1. All of the snow has melted.
ALL is singular because snow (the
object of the preposition) is singular.
2. All of the snowflakes (has/have)
melted.
C. Examples:
1. All of the snow has melted.
ALL is singular because snow (the
object of the preposition) is singular.
2. All of the snowflakes have melted.
ALL is plural because snowflakes
(the O.P.) is plural.
C. Examples:
1. All of the snow has melted.
ALL is singular because snow (the
object of the preposition) is singular.
2. All of the snowflakes have melted.
ALL is plural because snowflakes
(the O.P.) is plural.
3. Some of the birdseed (is/are) left
in the feeder.
C. Examples:
1. All of the snow has melted.
ALL is singular because snow (the
object of the preposition) is singular.
2. All of the snowflakes have melted.
ALL is plural because snowflakes
(the O.P.) is plural.
3. Some of the birdseed is left in the
feeder.
SOME is singular because birdseed is
singular.
C. Examples:
1. All of the snow has melted.
ALL is singular because snow (the
object of the preposition) is singular.
2. All of the snowflakes have melted.
ALL is plural because snowflakes
(the O.P.) is plural.
3. Some of the birdseed is left in the
feeder.
SOME is singular because birdseed is
singular
4. Some of the seeds (is/are) left in the
feeder.
C. Examples:
1. All of the snow has melted.
ALL is singular because snow (the
object of the preposition) is singular.
2. All of the snowflakes have melted.
ALL is plural because snowflakes
(the O.P.) is plural.
3. Some of the birdseed is left in the
feeder.
SOME is singular because birdseed is
singular
4. Some of the seeds are left in the feeder.
SOME is plural because seeds is plural.
IV. Compound Subjects
IV. Compound Subjects
A. A compound subject is made up of two or
more subjects joined by the conjunctions or,
and, or nor.
IV. Compound Subjects
A. A compound subject is made up of two or
more subjects joined by the conjunctions or,
and, or nor.
B. Subjects joined by and take a plural verb.
IV. Compound Subjects
A. A compound subject is made up of two or
more subjects joined by the conjunctions or,
and, or nor.
B. Subjects joined by and take a plural verb.
1. Red and blue is/are the school’s
colors.
IV. Compound Subjects
A. A compound subject is made up of two or
more subjects joined by the conjunctions or,
and, or nor.
B. Subjects joined by and take a plural verb.
1. Red and blue are the school’s colors.
2. Mr. Foxworth, Mrs. Russell and Ms.
Kamal is/are sixth grade teachers.
IV. Compound Subjects
A. A compound subject is made up of two or
more subjects joined by the conjunctions or,
and, or nor.
B. Subjects joined by and take a plural verb.
1. Red and blue are the school’s colors.
2. Mr. Foxworth, Mrs. Russell and Ms.
Kamal are sixth grade teachers.
C. Singular subjects are joined by or or nor
take a singular verb.
IV. Compound Subjects
A. A compound subject is made up of two or
more subjects joined by the conjunctions or,
and, or nor.
B. Subjects joined by and take a plural verb.
1. Red and blue are the school’s colors.
2. Mr. Foxworth, Mrs. Russell and Ms.
Kamal are sixth grade teachers.
C. Singular subjects are joined by or or nor take
a singular verb.
D. Plural subjects joined by or or nor take a
plural verb.
E. When a singular subject and a plural
subject are joined by or or nor, the verb
agrees with the subject nearer to the verb.
E. When a singular subject and a plural
subject are joined by or or nor, the verb
agrees with the subject nearer to the verb.
1. A soft blanket (singular) or warm
booties (plural) make a baby comfortable.
E. When a singular subject and a plural
subject are joined by or or nor, the verb
agrees with the subject nearer to the verb.
1. A soft blanket (singular) or warm
booties (plural) make a baby comfortable.
2. Warm booties (plural) or a soft
blanket (singular) makes a baby
comfortable.