There is a lot to know about this very important part of speech. After all, VERBS are where the ACTION is! We are starting off with the area where most errors occur: subject/verb agreement.
1) Watch out for words in between the subject and the verb.
The rhythm of the pounding waves is calming. (What is calming? The rhythm.)
Tip: Prepositional phrases, such as “of the pounding waves,” are usually troublemakers. Cross out the prepositional phrase to isolate the subject: The rhythm of the pounding waves is calming.
2) Subjects joined by and generally are considered plural.
My best friend and boyfriend hate each other. (EASY!)
However, a compound subject that refers to a single person or unit takes a singular verb.
The creator and director of Schindler’s List is Stephen Spielberg.
3) Single subjects joined by either/or…neither/nor take a singular verb.
The doctor or the nurse responds to emailed concerns.
(The doctor responds or the nurse responds to…)
Neither Jackie nor Diana is expected to attend.
If one subject is singular and one is plural, the verb agrees with the subject nearer to the verb.
Neither the basket nor the apples were expensive.
Neither the apples nor the basket was expensive.
4) Relative pronouns (who, which, that) used as subjects:
Stoddard Hall, which is the computer science building, is always open.
It is among the books that are out of print.
He is the doctor who miraculously removes brain tumors.
Be careful! The expression “one of” often confuses writers. Focus on the relative pronoun!
He is one of those who agree with my decision. (Think of this as 2 parts/2 verbs: he is one and
those who agree)
5) Either, one, everybody, all, any, none, and other such indefinite pronouns.
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Each, either, one, everybody, and anyone are considered singular and require singular verbs.
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Depending on the sentence, all, any, some, none, half, and most can be either singular or plural. o Usually, a singular verb follows NONE, even if the noun following it is plural. However, in
conversational English, a plural noun has become acceptable.
Ex: None of the workers receives a tip.
(formal-technically, none = not one)
None of the workers receive a tip. (less formal).

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Use a singular verb with singular subjects preceded by every or each and joined by and: o Every cat and dog in the county has to be vaccinated against rabies. (Think: every one
has) o Each silver fork and spoon has to be dried thoroughly. (Think: each has)
6. Collective nouns and phrases refer to a group of individual things that are considered a unit.
Whether they require a singular or plural verb depends on whether the sentence refers to the group as a whole or to the individual items in the collection.
Note: There are some differences in English usage between the British and American languages.
British
American
The committee are meeting tonight.
The committee is meeting tonight.
Regarded as a unit and, therefore, singular:
Ten million gallons is a lot of oil. (total amount as a unit)
The jury convenes today.
The number of people who oppose is very small.
Regarded as individuals or parts and, therefore, plural:
The majority of us are in favor.
Ten million gallons of oil were spilled. (individual gallons)
A number (of students) were absent.
Note: Certain words that were traditionally plural have converted to collective nouns in modern day usage and, therefore, are interchangeable. Examples are media and data. These words in formal grammar require a plural verb, but may be used with a singular verb. The media are/is.
7) Linking verbs: be and sense verbs such as look, feel, smell, sound, and taste, and some other verbs such as appear, become, grow, make, prove, remain, and seem.
The sky looks odd.
Chicken soup makes me feel better.
My favorite low fat snack is graham crackers.
The pronoun what is singular or plural, depending on whether the word (or word group) it refers to is singular or plural.
What I think is my own business. (what I think = business)
What our parents gave us were memories to be cherished. (what our parents gave us = memories)
8) Titles of single works, words spoken of as words, nouns plural in form but singular in meaning
Mork and Mindy stands out as one of the best comedy series ever produced for TV.
(In the above case, the verb reflects the show, not the individual characters.)
Kids is informal for children. (The word kids, not the plural noun)
Measles is a serious disease. (The disease named measles)
Economics is an important business major. (The subject named economics)

Statistics is an interesting subject. (The subject named statistics)
The sheep strays when the gate is left open. (That particular sheep)
However…. Statistics are often misleading.
Sheep stray when the gate is left open.
VERB FORMS
Active and passive voice: In general, choose the active voice over the passive voice:
The dog chases the cat is preferable to The cat is chased by the dog.
ACTIVE PASSIVE
Verbs are:
1.
transitive (verbs that require a direct object)
2.
intransitive (verbs that do not require a direct object, e.g. The perfume smells lovely.)
3.
both transitive and intransitive:
AICE GP students study Upfront magazine (transitive)
AICE GP students study a lot (intransitive)
Mood indicates a speaker/writer’s attitude. There are 3 moods:
1.
Indicative: makes a statement and represents a definite attitude
2.
Imperative: makes a command or issues a request and represents an insistent attitude
3.
Subjunctive: expresses hypothetical or wished for situations and represents a tentative attitude.
When verbs show something contrary to fact, they are in the subjunctive mood.
When you express a wish or something that is not actually true, use the past tense or past perfect tense; when using the verb 'to be' in the subjunctive, always use were rather than was:
Examples:
 If he were here... (Implied: ...but he's not.)
 I wish I had something to eat. (Implied: ...but I don't.)
 It would be better if you had brought your books with you. (Implied: ...but you haven't brought them.)
(Credit: Owl at Purdue)
VERB TENSES
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Verb tenses can be classified as Simple Tenses or Perfect Tenses.
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Tenses are based on primary forms called principal parts: (simple present form, simple past
form, past participle, present participle) o REGULAR: ask, asked, asked, asking o IRREGULAR: see, saw, seen, seeing
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Auxiliary/helping verbs combine with other verbs to indicate tense, voice, or mood.
A note on the present perfect:
The best way to understand the present perfect is to draw a time line. (Copy below)
Use 1: The present perfect represents an action that began in the past, continues in the present, and has the possibility of continuing into the future. Signal words are: since or for.

TIMELINE: e.g. I have known him for ten years.
For how long have I been out (unconscious)?
Compare I have known him for ten years with I knew him for ten years. In the latter, he is either dead or he moved away and I never ran into him again (and will unlikely run into him in the future).
2. The present perfect is also used for an action that is repeated in the past and may be repeated in the future. Signal words include: many, several, a few, or any specific number.
TIMELINE: e.g. I have seen the movie Transformers several times.
3. The present perfect can be used to show that an action was recently completed. In this case, the adverb JUST is used.
TIMELINE: e.g. I have just finished editing the last report.
Which is correct: Have you seen the movie The Heat or Did you see the movie The Heat?
One last word on usage, when recounting a story as part of a literary analysis, be consistent with your
verb tense. The most common error is switching between tenses. You can use the present OR past tense. I prefer to use the present tense. So, for example:
What distinguishes a good parent? This is the question that arises from reading William Saroyan’s short story “Gaston.” In this story, a six-year-old girl is caught between two worlds caused by divorce: her mother’s world in New York and her father’s world in Paris. Because she lives with her mother, her father is like a “stranger.”
PLEASE VISIT http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/605/02/ for the 3 most commonly confused verbs lie vs. lay, sit vs. set, and rise vs. raise.
PRACTICE: Create sentences according to the prompt or instruction.
1. It is the scientists who…
2. Everyone…
3. Neither the (singular subject) nor the (plural subject)…
4. The list of volunteers…
5. She is one of those people who…
6. Create a sentence using the subjunctive mood.