Being able to find the right
subject and verb will help you correct errors of subject-verb agreement.
Basic Rule. A singular
subject (she,
Bill, car) takes a singular verb (is, goes, shines), whereas a plural
subject takes a plural verb.
Example: The list of items is/are
on the desk.
If you know that list is the subject, then you will choose is for the verb.
If you know that list is the subject, then you will choose is for the verb.
Rule 1. A subject will
come before a phrase beginning with of. This is a key rule for
understanding subjects. The word of is the culprit in many, perhaps most, subject-verb
mistakes.
Hasty writers, speakers, readers, and listeners might miss the all-too-common mistake in the following sentence:
Hasty writers, speakers, readers, and listeners might miss the all-too-common mistake in the following sentence:
Incorrect:
A bouquet of
yellow roses lend color and fragrance to the room.
Correct: A bouquet of yellow
roses lends . . . (bouquet lends, not roses lend)
Rule 2. Two singular
subjects connected by or, either/or, or neither/nor require a singular verb.
Examples:
My aunt or my uncle is arriving by train today.
Neither Juan nor Carmen is available.
Either Kiana or Casey is helping today with stage decorations.
My aunt or my uncle is arriving by train today.
Neither Juan nor Carmen is available.
Either Kiana or Casey is helping today with stage decorations.
Rule 3. The verb in an or, either/or,
or neither/nor sentence
agrees with the noun or pronoun closest to it.
Examples:
Neither the plates nor the serving bowl goes on that shelf.
Neither the serving bowl nor the plates go on that shelf.
Neither the plates nor the serving bowl goes on that shelf.
Neither the serving bowl nor the plates go on that shelf.
This rule can lead to bumps
in the road. For example, if I is one of two (or more) subjects, it could lead to this
odd sentence:
Awkward: Neither she, my friends,
nor I am going to the festival.
If possible, it's best to reword
such grammatically correct but awkward sentences.
Better:
Neither she, I, nor my friends are going to the festival.
OR
She, my friends, and I are not going to the festival.
Neither she, I, nor my friends are going to the festival.
OR
She, my friends, and I are not going to the festival.
Rule 4. As a general rule,
use a plural verb with two or more subjects when they are connected by and.
Example: A car and a bike
are my means of transportation.
But note these exceptions:
Exceptions:
Breaking and entering is against the law.
The bed and breakfast was charming.
Breaking and entering is against the law.
The bed and breakfast was charming.
In those sentences, breaking and entering and bed and breakfast
are compound nouns.
Rule 5.
Sometimes the subject is separated from the verb by such words as along with, as well as,
besides, not, etc. These words and phrases are not part of the
subject. Ignore them and use a singular verb when the subject is singular.
Examples:
The politician, along with the newsmen, is expected shortly.
Excitement, as well as nervousness, is the cause of her shaking.
The politician, along with the newsmen, is expected shortly.
Excitement, as well as nervousness, is the cause of her shaking.
Rule 6. In sentences
beginning with here
or there,
the true subject follows the verb.
Examples:
There are four hurdles to jump.
There is a high hurdle to jump.
Here are the keys.
There are four hurdles to jump.
There is a high hurdle to jump.
Here are the keys.
NOTE:
The
word there's,
a contraction of there
is, leads to bad habits in informal sentences like There's a lot of people
here today, because it's easier to say "there's" than
"there are." Take care never to use there's with a plural subject.
Rule 7. Use a singular
verb with distances, periods of time, sums of money, etc., when considered as a
unit.
Examples:
Three miles is too far to walk.
Five years is the maximum sentence for that offense.
Ten dollars is a high price to pay.
BUT
Ten dollars (i.e., dollar bills) were scattered on the floor.
Three miles is too far to walk.
Five years is the maximum sentence for that offense.
Ten dollars is a high price to pay.
BUT
Ten dollars (i.e., dollar bills) were scattered on the floor.
Rule 8. With words that
indicate portions—e.g., a lot, a majority, some, all—Rule 1 given earlier in this
section is reversed, and we are guided by the noun after of. If the
noun after of
is singular, use a singular verb. If it is plural, use a plural verb.
Examples:
A lot of the pie has disappeared.
A lot of the pies have disappeared.
A third of the city is unemployed.
A third of the people are unemployed.
All of the pie is gone.
All of the pies are gone.
Some of the pie is missing.
Some of the pies are missing.
A lot of the pie has disappeared.
A lot of the pies have disappeared.
A third of the city is unemployed.
A third of the people are unemployed.
All of the pie is gone.
All of the pies are gone.
Some of the pie is missing.
Some of the pies are missing.
NOTE
In
recent years, the SAT testing service has considered none to be
strictly singular. However, according to Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of English Usage:
"Clearly none
has been both singular and plural since Old English and still is. The notion
that it is singular only is a myth of unknown origin that appears to have
arisen in the 19th century. If in context it seems like a singular to you, use
a singular verb; if it seems like a plural, use a plural verb. Both are
acceptable beyond serious criticism." When none is clearly intended to mean
"not one," it is followed by a singular verb.
Rule 9. With collective
nouns such as group, jury, family, audience, population, the verb might be singular or plural, depending
on the writer's intent.
Examples:
All of my family has arrived OR have arrived.
Most of the jury is here OR are here.
A third of the population was not in favor OR were not in favor of the bill.
All of my family has arrived OR have arrived.
Most of the jury is here OR are here.
A third of the population was not in favor OR were not in favor of the bill.
NOTE
Anyone who uses a plural verb with a
collective noun must take care to be accurate—and also consistent. It must not
be done carelessly. The following is the sort of flawed sentence one sees and
hears a lot these days:
The staff is deciding how
they want to vote.
Careful speakers and writers would avoid assigning the singular is and the plural they to staff in the same sentence.
Careful speakers and writers would avoid assigning the singular is and the plural they to staff in the same sentence.
Consistent: The staff are deciding how they want to vote.
Rewriting such sentences is recommended whenever possible. The
preceding sentence would read even better as:
The staff members are deciding how they want to vote.
Rule 10. The word were replaces was in
sentences that express a wish or are contrary to fact:
Example: If Joe were here, you'd be sorry.
Shouldn't Joe be
followed by was,
not were,
given that Joe
is singular? But Joe isn't actually here, so we say were, not was. The
sentence demonstrates the subjunctive mood, which is used to
express things that are hypothetical, wishful, imaginary, or factually
contradictory. The subjunctive mood pairs singular subjects with what we
usually think of as plural verbs.
Examples:
I wish it were Friday.
She requested that he raise his hand.
In the first example, a wishful
statement, not a fact, is being expressed; therefore, were, which we
usually think of as a plural verb, is used with the singular subject I.I wish it were Friday.
She requested that he raise his hand.
Normally, he raise would sound terrible to us. However, in the second example, where a request is being expressed, the subjunctive mood is correct.
Note: The subjunctive mood is losing ground in spoken English but should still be used in formal speech and writing.
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