AGREEMENT
Subject – Verb Agreement

When we refer to subjects, they come in two
numbers:
Singular
Plural
The person waits.
The people wait.
Some Common Rules
With…
Use a…
I
singular verb (no “s”)
You
plural verb (no “s”)
He, She, It
singular verb (“s”)
We
plural verb (no “s”)
You
plural verb (no “s”)
They
plural verb (no “s”)
Subject – Verb Agreement


Singular subjects take singular verbs.
My grandfather trains dogs.
She owns the red car.
Plural subjects take plural verbs.
My grandparents train dogs.
They own the red car.
Subject – Verb Agreement

In a verb phrase, the first helping verb agrees
in number with the subject.



Has the dancer been rehearsing since noon?
Have the dancers been rehearsing since noon?
Do not be mislead by a phrase - a phrase
does not affect the number of the subject.


The teacher, as well as her students, was fascinated by the exhibit.
The students, as well as their teacher, were fascinated by the exhibit.
Subject – Verb Agreement


Some indefinite pronouns are singular, some
are plural, and some can be singular or plural
when they are the SUBJECT of a sentence.
ALWAYS SINGULAR as the subject:






anybody, anyone, anything,
each, either, everybody,
everyone, everything, neither,
nobody, no one, nothing, one,
somebody, someone, something
ALWAYS PLURAL as the subject:
both, few, many, several
Subject – Verb Agreement


All, any, most, none, more, and some can being either
singular or plural as the subject, depending on their
meaning in a sentence.
They are a singular subject when referring to singular
words and a plural subject when referring to plural
words.

All of the vegetable garden has been planted.
(all refers to garden)

All of the vegetables have been planted.
(all refers to vegetables)
Subject – Verb Agreement

A collective noun (functioning as the subject) is singular
when it refers to the group as a unit and is plural
when it refers to the individual members or parts of
the group:

Army, club, family, squadron, assembly,
congregation, group, staff, audience, fleet, herd,
team, band, flock, number, troop


The team is on the field. [team as a unit]
The team are working together.
[team as individuals]
Subject – Verb Agreement

Compound subjects joined by and take a plural
verb.


Basil and thyme are plants of the mint family.
Subjects joined by and may refer to only one noun.
Such compound subjects take a singular verb.

The secretary and treasurer is Gretchen.

Grilled chicken and rice is the restaurant’s specialty.
Subject – Verb Agreement

Singular subjects joined by or or nor take a
singular verb.



Neither Jack nor Jill wants to see the movie.
Has the cat or the dog been fed yet?
If a singular and a plural subject is joined
by “or” or “nor” the subject closest to the
verb is used in agreement.

Neither Mrs. Smith nor the Jones’ want to see the movie.

Has the birds or the fish been fed yet?
Subject – Verb Agreement

An expression of amount (measurement,
percentage, fraction) may be singular or
plural, depending on how it is used.

Five thousand bricks is a heavy load for this truck.

Five thousand bricks are scattered on the lot.
Subject – Verb Agreement

TO MAKE LIFE DIFFICULT:
 The following nouns take singular verbs:
 Civics, genetics, news, economics, gymnastics,
molasses, physics, mathematics, summons,
electronics, mumps, measles
 These
take plural verbs even when they are
referred to as a singular item:
 Binoculars, pants, shears, eyeglasses, pliers,
slacks, Olympics, scissors, trousers
Subject – Verb Agreement

Even if plural, the title of a creative work
(book, song, movie, etc) or the name of a country,
city, or an organization generally takes a
singular verb.

“The Birds” is a very scary story.

The Philippines encompasses more than
7,000 islands.
Pronoun – Antecedent Agreement

A pronoun usually refers to a
noun or another pronoun, which
is called the pronoun’s
antecedent.
Pronoun – Antecedent Agreement

A pronoun should agree in number, gender,
and person with its antecedent.
 Singular
pronouns refer to singular antecedents.
 Plural pronouns refer to plural antecedents
 Sandra
Dee made her movie debut in 1980.
 The hikers took their canteens with them.
Pronoun – Antecedent Agreement

Use singular pronouns to refer to the
following indefinite pronouns :



anybody, anyone, anything, each, either, everybody
everything, neither, nobody, everyone, no one, one
somebody, someone, something, nothing
Wrong 
Everybody forgot their homework.

Right 
Everybody forgot his or her homework.

Pronoun – Antecedent Agreement
 Indefinite
pronouns do not indicate gender.
 Often, the object in the prepositional phrase
that follows such a pronoun indicates gender.
Each of the boys brought his own mitt
 One of the girls left her sweater on the bus.

 If
the antecedent may be either masculine or
feminine, use both pronouns to refer to it.
 Anyone
who is going on the field trip needs to bring his or
her lunch.
Pronoun – Antecedent Agreement

Use plural pronouns to refer to the indefinite
pronouns:

both, few, many, several

Right  : Both of the debaters
persuasively presented their arguments.
Pronoun – Antecedent Agreement

Use a singular or plural pronoun to refer to the
indefinite pronoun all, any, more, most, none, some
depending on how it is used in the sentence.

Some of the terminology is difficult to understand;
perhaps Mrs. Grant can clarify its meaning.
[some refers to terminology singular]

Some of the terms are difficult to understand; perhaps
Mrs. Grant can clarify their meaning.
[some refers to terms plural]
Pronoun – Antecedent Agreement

Use a plural pronoun to refer to two or more
antecedents joined by and.


If Jesse and Ben call, tell them that I will not be
home until later.
NOTE: antecedents joined by and may name only one
noun. Such compound antecedents take a singular
pronoun.

The corned beef and cabbage was delicious, so I
ate two servings of it.
Pronoun – Antecedent Agreement

Use a singular pronoun to refer to two or
more singular antecedents joined by or or
nor.

Either Keith or Kevin always finished his
geometry homework in class.