Subject verb agreement
common mistakes
A number of = Plural A number of workers are beginning to protest the economic policies instituted by the new administration. The number = singular The number of workers beginning to protest the economic policies is unexpectedly high. each = singular Each of the members of the labor union is expected to attend the meeting, at which next year's contract will be negotiated with company officials. (every) one = singular Every one of the labor union's members is expected to attend the meeting. Gerunds when used as subjects they are singular Playing parlor games such as charades WAS a popular pastime in early twenty century, before the invention of radio and television.
Tricky plurals
A plural wordthat sounds Singler or is commonly misused as a singular plural/ singular data/ datum Media/ medium Criteria/ criterion
Tricky singular
A singular word that sounds for plural or is commonly misused As a plural Neither, either, everyone, everybody, someone, somebody, anybody, anything, each, anyone, no one, everything, little and much.
Interrupter
Any detail position between two comas
The dog that I believe should win the contest is over there
Before you can locate the subjects, you have to untangle the statements in this sentence. You have three: (1) The dog is over there; (2) that should win the contest; (3) I believe. Now zero in on each statement separately. In the first, the verb is is. When you ask who is? the answer is the dog is. Dog is your first subject. Now go to the second statement. The verb is should win. Who should win? Your answer is the pronoun that. Did you answer dog again? It may seem logical, but the grammar is clear. The pronoun that replaces dog in the second statement. The subject of should win is that. The third statement is easy. Who believes? I believe. The subject is I. As always, the key to untangling all the statements is to identify the verbs and ask the usual subject questions.
Tip 2
Eliminate all interrupters. The subject but will never be a interrupter. Interrupters contain extra details that often mislead the reader crossing the mountain make it easier to identify the subject
Tip 1
Eliminate all prepositional phrases. The subject that will never be in a prepositional phrase. Prepositional phrases contain extra details that often mislead the reader. Cross them out makes it easier to id the subject
Tip 6
Example The fire truck, which is heading to a blaze downtown, speeds through the intersection. To find the subjects of this sentence more easily, untangle the two statements the sentence contains: (1) The fire truck speeds through the intersection and (2) which is heading to a blaze downtown. Now analyze each statement separately. In the first statement, the verb is speeds. What speeds? The truck. In the second statement, the noun truck has been replaced by a pronoun, which. The verb is is heading. Ask your question what is heading? The answer is which. Did you choose truck for both verbs? That's a common mistake, because which represents truck. However, when one subject works for two verbs, the verbs are joined by a conjunction such as and or but.
Preposional phrase
In the house, at the mall, to the store, for a jog, under the table Any phrase that begins with a preposition and ends before the. Erv
Prepositional phrase-verb-subject
In this normal word order of sentence is reversed so the prepositional phrase appears at the beginning of a sentence, followed by the verb and then the subject, ALWAYS ON THAT ORDER wrong Along the Loup Canal in Nebraska extends parks, lakes an trails owned and operated by Loup power district. revised Along the Loup Canal in Nebraska extend parks, lakes, and trails operated by Loup power district. sometimes is the second clause the prepositional phrase Running along the Loup Canal in Nebraska is parks, lakes an trails owned and operated by Loup power district. revised Running along the Loup Canal in Nebraska are parks, lakes an trails owned and operated by Loup power district.
Prepositions
In, at, of, for, over, among, between, under
Tip 3
Sometimes be phrase enclosed a proposed sessional phrase. Either the Smith or one of the Johnson's was expected to bring the salad.
Inverted the sentences
The verb come before this up you're in the sentence. Look out for any inverted birth softer. Sentences that start with there and compound sentence that have more than one subject verb combination tend to be in inverted.
Neither nor and either or
They are singular one grouped with nor/or ignore the word that ends the phrase determines the verb when neither is not paired with nor OR when either is not pair with or and is used with two singulars, a singular verb should be used. Both the senator and her aid appeared at the press the conference, but neither WAS willing to speak to reporters.
Tip 4
When subject nouns are link with and the subject is Plural
Two hours of homework ____ (to be, present perfect tense) my usual amount, but I ____ (to expect, present tense) to spend more time on my studies next year.
When you speak about an amount of time, the amount is singular. Therefore, even though two hours appears to be plural, it's actually singular because it's one amount. Now ask the questions: Who has been? What have been? The answer is two hours or hours, which in this sentence is a singular subject and must pair with the singular verb form has been. The second part of the sentence is easy: Who expect or expects? The answer is I expect.
Appositive
a non essential clauses that does not begin with one of those w words Moroccan green tea, a drink prepared with healthy amount of sugar and mint leaves, is one of the most popular drinks across North Africa.
Collective Nouns
are singular nouns that either refer to groups of people. Agency, institution, school, committee, jury, cit, country, company, university, and team. Wrong After many days of deliberation, the jury have finally returned with a verdict. Revised After many days of deliberation, the jury has finally returned with a verdict.
tip 7
ask who or what does the action to find the subject
Either the apartment with a terrace or the townhouse will surely please that buyer.
he word either is tricky. In some situations it's a pronoun, but when it's paired in a sentence with or, both the either and the or are conjunctions (joining words). In an either/or sentence — and also in a neither/nor sentence — the subjects are linked by these conjunctions. In this sentence, the subjects are apartment and townhouse. The verb is will please. When you ask who will please? and what will please?, you discover the answers apartment and townhouse.
tip 9
sometimes you will encounter a non-essential clause followed by the word AND. this is wrong because if you cross out the non essential clause, you are left with none sense: Wrong Moroccan green tea, which is prepared with healthy amount of sugar and mint leaves, and it is one of the most popular drinks across North Africa. With out the non-essential clause Moroccan green tea and it is one of the most popular drinks across North Africa. ( it make no sense)
A thousand dollars ____ (to be, present tense) too much to pay for that broken-down car, which ____ (to look, present tense) like a rusty bucket.
mounts of money function as singular subjects, unless you're talking about the pieces of metal or paper that make up our currency. When you ask what is or are? for the first part of the sentence, the answer is thousand dollars, which looks plural but is actually singular. Therefore, you need the singular verb is, paired with the singular subject dollars or thousand dollars. (Either choice is fine.) Now check out the second part of the sentence. Ask the question what look or looks? The answer is the pronoun which. Because which refers to the singular noun car, it's a singular subject and needs the singular verb looks.
tip 8
non-essential clauses often begins with a w-word or relative pronoun, such as which, who whose, where and followed by a verb.
tip 10
sentences testing noun agreement will often include phrases as a +profession ( writer, scientists, photographer) anytime a profession is mentioned, check the noun agreement first. e$R$#
compound subjects
sometimes the subject is compound and it throws you off. Make sure to determine the subject before decide if it needs to be singular or plural the verb. Usual syntax (word order in a sentence) A park and a lake runs along the Loup Canal in Nebraska. unusual Along the Loup Canal runs a park and a lake.
Tip 5
when you need to figure the subjects of the verbs ask who or what does the verb example Grandpa, who loves hockey, was the goalie on his college team. This sentence makes two statements, each with its own verb and subject. The first statement is Grandpa was the goalie on his college team. The second statement is who loves hockey. Take them one at a time. The verb in the first statement is was. Ask the question who was? The answer is Grandpa. There's your first subject. Now check out the second statement. The verb is loves. Who loves? The answer, oddly enough, is who loves. The pronoun who is the subject of the verb was. (Who, of course, is a stand-in for Grandpa.)
