SUBJECT/VERB AND PRONOUN (usage problems of case, agreement, and consistency)

What are the three main situations in which subject-verb agreement errors occur?

1. Agreement with lost subjects 2. The case of there is and there was 3. Agreement with compound subjects

Identify what the correct options for the following sentences are and why: 1. Either the words or the music is (is/are) familiar. 2. Neither the music nor the words (is/are) familiar.

1. Either the words or the music is IS familiar. 2. Neither the music nor the words ARE familiar. Here, both of the subjects are compound and joined by "or" and "nor." This means that er have the verb agree with the subject that is closer.

Identify what the correct options for the following sentences are and why: 1. The words, as well as the music, (is/are) familiar. 2. The words, in addition to the music, (is/are) familiar. 3. The music, along with the words, (is/are) familiar.

1. The words, as well as the music, ARE familiar. 2. The words, in addition to the music, ARE familiar. 3. The music, along with the words, IS familiar. In all three of these sentences, the subject proceeds a prepositional phrase; therefore, if you eliminate the intervening prepositional phrases, you'll have no difficulty making the subjects and verbs agree. *The only exception to this rule occurs when the subject is an indefinite pronoun.

What are collective nouns? What is to note about them with regard to pronoun agreement?

A collective noun refers to a collection of things taken as a whole. ° "jury," "class," "company," "committee," "herd," family," group," and "audience." → As long as the entities constituting the collective nouns are acting together as a single unit, these nouns are grammatically singular. Confusion arises as they seem to be plural. * OJO! Keep in mind that these nouns are used collectively when all of the members making up the unit are acting in concert; if the members are acting as individuals, then the noun is not collective and a plural pronoun would be appropriate.

In an existential sentence, how can you prove that the noun following the verb is actually the subject?

If you make the noun plural, the verb will have to change with it. ° Waiter, there is a FLY in my soup. ° Waiter, there ARE FLIES in my soup.

What is to note about the word "which" with regard to pronoun consistency?

People often make the "broad reference mistake by failing to make sure that "which" relates back to the noun preceding it.

How is the grammar of existential sentences unusual?

The actual subject FOLLOWS the verb. ° Ex) Waiter, there is a FLY in my soup.

What does it mean for a verb to agree?

The number of the verb must match the number of the subject. A singular subject must be paired with the corresponding singular form of the verb, and a plural subject must be paired with the corresponding plural form of the verb.

What is pronoun agreement?

When each pronoun in a sentence agrees with the noun or the pronoun it refers back to, known as the antecedent.

IDENTIFY THE CORRECT CHOICE: a. Both the secretary and the treasurer (was/were) expected to give reports. b. A doctor, along with three nurses, (was/were) on call the night of the disaster. c. A number of cities involved (is/are) talking about a class-action lawsuit.

a. Both the secretary and the treasurer WERE expected to give reports. b. A doctor, along with three nurses, WAS on call the night of the disaster. c. A number of cities involved ARE talking about a class-action lawsuit.

IDENTIFY THE CORRECT CASE: a. Sam is taller than (her/she). b. I wish I could be as relaxed as (them/they) about this matter.

a. Sam is taller than SHE. → If written in its entirety, this sentence would read, "Sam is taller than she IS." b. I wish I could be as relaxed as THEY about this matter. → If written in its entirety, this sentence would read, "I wish I could be as relaxed as they ARE about this matter.

IDENTIFY THE CORRECT CHOICE: a. There (was/were) shiny bits of glass on the counter. b. Either the sentences or the manager (was/were) responsible for the snafu. c. The committee that evaluates scholarship winners (is/are) meeting this week.

a. There WERE shiny bits of glass on the counter. b. Either the sentences or the manager WAS responsible for the snafu. c. The committee that evaluates scholarship winners IS meeting this week.

DETERMINE THE CORRECT PRONOUN CASE: a. There was tension between Brandon and (they/them). b. (We/Us) students should protest the next tuition hike.

a. There was tension between Brandon and THEM. b. WE students should protest the next tuition hike.

What are the acceptable forms of reflexive pronouns in standard English?

myself → ourselves yourself → yourselves himself, herself, itself → themselves

What are the two pronoun cases?

→ Nominative → Objective

Identify what the correct option for the following sentence is and why: 1. The words and the music of that song (is/are) familiar.

→ The words and the music of that song ARE familiar. When two subjects are joined by "and," the subject is almost always plural and therefore requires a plural verb (a verb that does not end in -s). The only exception occurs when "and" joins two words that make up one unit.

What are the two categories of indefinite pronouns?

→ the "any-," "some-," "every-," and "no-" pronouns → Words that specify a number or amount, such as "enough," "many," "none," "some," and "much"

What is a compound subject?

A compound subject is formed when two (or more) subjects are joined by a coordinating conjunction.

What is an indefinite pronoun?

An indefinite pronoun does not refer to any specific person, thing or amount. It is vague and "not definite." It is, therefore, often difficult to determine whether an indefinite pronoun should be treated as singular or plural.

What is to note about prepositions such as "between" or "among" with regard to pronoun case?

Because "between" and "among" are prepositions, an objective pronoun will always follow, no matter how strange that pronoun may sound.

What is the nominative pronoun case? When is it used?

I → we you → you he, she, it → they → We use the nominative form when we need a subject or when the pronoun follows the be verb as in "HE found the stray kitten" or "It was HE who found the stray kitten."

What is the one and the same exception?

Occasionally, we will use a compound subject in which the two nouns refer to the same person or thing. In this situation, you use a singular verb even when using "and" or "both...and." ° Ex) My neighbor and good friend Sally HAS lived here for years.

What single-word conjunctions are often used in the formation of compound subjects? What correlative conjunctions?

Single-word conjunctions: → and → or Correlative conjunctions: → both... and → either... or → neither... nor

When a sentence begins with the expletive "there," how do you find the subject?

The subject follow the verb!

What is an antecedent?

The word that a pronoun replaces/the person or thing to which the pronoun refers to. ° Ex) Kevin threw HIS book down.

When do you use "who"?

Use "who" (which you can think of as correlating with the subjective form "he") when you need a subject or a subjective complement following a be or linking verb.

When do you use "whom"?

Use "whom" (which you can think of as correlating with "him" because both pronouns end with m) when you need the objective form following a verb or preposition.

What is the existential there test?

When a sentence contains an existential there, check the noun following the linking verb to see if it is plural. If it is, then make sure the verb agrees with it

IDENTIFY THE EXPLETIVE VS THE ADVERB: a. There was a face in the mirror. b. There was the face in the mirror.

a. Expletive b. Adverb

What is the objective pronoun case? When is it used?

me → us you → you him, her, it → them → We use the objective form when we need an object for a verb or for a preposition, as in "The kitten saw him" or "The kitten ran to him."

What is to note about elliptical clauses with regard to pronoun case?

An area of difficulty with pronoun cases arises in elliptical clauses of comparison, clauses beginning with "than" or "as." Because words are omitted in elliptical clauses, wrong pronoun choices can be made. → The best solution to remedy this is to add the missing words so that the clause is no longer elliptical.

How does one make subject noun phrases longer and more complex?

By adding one or more of the following postnoun modifiers: → Adjective prepositional phrases ° Birds IN THE FOREST sing. → Adjective clauses °Birds THAT ARE IN THE FOREST sing. → Participial phrases ° Birds LIVING IN THE FOREST sing. * Postnoun modifiers basically push the subject farther away from the verb.

What are existential sentences?

Existential sentences are used for pointing out the existence of something. In english, existential sentences use the adverb there plus a linking verb (usually a form of be). ° Ex) Waiter, THERE IS a fly in my soup.

What is the rule of one -s?

In present tense, if the subject ends in "-s" the verb cannot also end in "-s." * If the subject is an irregular plural, this rule does not apply literally. A plural subject, no matter what its form, requires a verb that does NOT end in "-s."

Identify the correct verb-agreement pairing while providing justification for your choice: Jim is the only one of the employees who (is/are) on the job at 7 a.m.

Jim IS the only one of the employees who is on the job at 7 a.m. → Although "who" refers back to the plural "employees," the meaning of the relative clause is affected by the word "only" earlier in the sentence. "Only" makes it clear that we are speaking of Jim, not of employees in general, and therefore the singular verb, "is" is correct.

DETERMINE THE CORRECT PRONOUN CASE: Jim and (I, me) wanted Marty and (she, her) to join us.

Jim and I wanted Marty and HER to join us. → Since the first pronoun is part of the subject, you would choose the nominative or subjective form, "I." Since the second pronoun is part of the direct object, you would choose the objective form.

What is the lost subject test?

Just from the verb back to the FIRST eligible noun in the clause or sentence, ignoring any nouns or pronouns in introductory phrases. Test that noun or pronoun for subject-verb agreement. * This test applies to clauses as well as sentences!

When is "there" an expletive?

One idiomatic sentence structure in English involves moving the subject in a pattern 1 sentence to the end of the sentence and beginning with "there," an expletive because it carries no semantic weight. → Ex) THERE was a face in the mirror.

What are reflexive pronouns?

Pronouns that end in "-self" or "-selves." They are called reflexive because they MUST reflect back to an antecedent within the same sentence. ° Ex) I went by MYSELF to the store. * Reflexive pronouns can also be used for emphasis; when they serve this function, they immediately follow the antecedent and are often labeled emphatic pronouns (Kim HERSELF must ask her out).

What are reciprocal pronouns?

Reciprocal pronouns have only two forms, "each other" and "one another." → When you are referring to only TWO people or things, use "each other." → When you are referring to MORE AN TWO people or things, use "one another."

What are the subject-verb agreement rules for the words that specify a number or amount, such as "enough," "many," "none," "some," and "much"?

The indefinite pronouns in this category are not as clear-cut as they can be either singular or plural. often, we need the information contained in an attached prepositional phrase in order to determine if the pronoun is singular or plural. The SAME indefinite pronoun can be either singular or plural, depending on whether the object of the preposition is a mass or count noun.

Identify the correct verb-agreement pairing while providing justification for your choice: The jury (was/were) asked for a decision.

The jury WAS asked for a decision. → "The jury" is a collective noun and in the situational context of the sentence, the members of the jury would be treated as a single unit.

IDENTIFY THE PROBLEM WITH THE FOLLOWING PASSAGE AND FIX IT: A student should keep a pen in hand while reading. If you take notes, underline important words or passages, and use symbols in margins, a student can remember the key points of their reading.

The pronouns are inconsistent throughout the passage. Students should keep their pens in hand while reading. If they take notes, underline important words or passages, and use symbols in margins, students can remember the key points of their reading.

What are the subject-verb agreement rules for the "any-," "some-," "every-," and "no-" pronouns?

The pronouns of anyone, anybody, anything, someone, somebody, something, everyone, everybody, everything, no one, nobody, and nothing are all grammatically SINGULAR. ° ex) Some[thing] always hits me. *The "every-" pronouns are treated as grammatically singular in terms of subject-verb agreement as it is usually followed by a singular form (everyONE, everyBODY, everyTHING).

What is the agreement with lost subjects error?

When the writer loses track of the subject and has made the verb agree with the wrong thing; this is also known as the nearest-noun agreement error as we tend to remember the noun closest to the verb and, incorrectly, think of that noun as the subject and make the verb agree to it.

Identify the correct verb-agreement pairing while providing justification for your choice: 1. A number of people (was/were) planning to see the show. 2. The number of people (was/were) too large.

1. A number of people WERE planning to see the show. ° "A number" requires a plural verb, since a plural count noun will always follow. 2. The number of people WAS too large. ° "The number" requires a singular verb, since it always refers to a specific, single number.

What are ways to circumvent sexist language? Use the following sentence as an example: Every student must complete _________ homework.

1. Make the antecedent plural: → ALL of the students in this class must complete THEIR homework. 2. Change the wording of the sentence to avoid the pronoun problem altogether: → Every student in the class must complete THE homework. 3. When absolutely necessary, use "his or her" or "he or she." → Every student must complete HIS OR HER homework.

Identify the correct verb-agreement pairing while providing justification for your choice: 1. Some of the cookies (is/are) left. 2. Some of the coffee (is/are) left.

1. Some of the cookies ARE left. ° Because "cookies" is a count noun, and also plural in form here, we use the plural verb. 2. Some of the coffee IS left. ° Because "coffee" is a mass noun, singular in form, we use the singular verb in this sentence.

What is a collective noun?

A collective noun is a word that "collects" together a few or many members of a group to signify that all the members comprise a single unit. → Ex) Audience, jury, team, company, class, group

What are the rules for subject verb agreement for collective nouns?

A collective noun is singular and thus requires a singular verb when all the members in the unit are acting IN CONCERT. *On rare occasions a collective noun does require a plural verb, but only when it is clear that the members in the unit are NOT acting in unison but individually.

What is an elliptical clause?

An elliptical clause includes an ellipsis, meaning that important words have been omitted so that it is not a complete but an understood clause.

Employ the pronoun replacement test on the following sentence, correcting it if needed: The pencils and some paper is on the desk.

Ask yourself: would you prefer (a) or (b)? a) They are on the desk. (The = the pencils and some paper) b) It is on the deck. (It = the pencils and some paper) → Here, "the pencils and some paper" does not seem to be enough of a well-established unit to be replaced by "it." Therefore, the sentence needs to be corrected. → The pencils and some paper are on the desk.

What is one way to determine correct pronoun choice in a compound structure?

Eliminate the other element in the compound structure. → Jim and I wanted Marty and (she, her) to join us. → I wanted HER to join us

What are the rules for subject-verb agreement for relative clauses?

For relative clauses we must determine the antecedent of the relative pronoun in order to decide on a singular or plural verb.

Identify the correct verb-agreement pairing while providing justification for your choice: Jim is one of those people who (is/are) unaccountably moody.

Jim is one of those people who are ARE → Although the independent clause is about a single individual, the relative pronoun 'who" refers back to the plural "people." Within the relative clause, then, we need a plural verb, "are."

What is the one caveat for the lost subject test?

The test identifies the first eligible noun or pronoun in the clause. The reason for this qualification is that often sentences or clauses begin with introductory adverb prepositional phrases that contain nouns or pronouns. The nouns and pronouns in introductory adverb prepositional phrases are NOT eligible to enter into subject-verb agreement.

What is the bacon and eggs exception?

When compound subjects joined by the coordinating conjunction "and" form a well-recognized single unit, then they are used with a singular verb. ° Ex) The bow and arrow IS found in virtually every traditional culture.

How can you tell the difference between "there" as an expletive and "there" as a verb when the word "there" appears at the beginning of a sentence?

When it does appear at the beginning of a sentence, the adverb "there" occurs with the definite article ("the") rather than the indefinite ("a" or "an") when the noun in question is singular,

What is the each and every exception?

When the modifier "each" or "every" is used to modify a compound subject, the verb is singular. "Each" and "every" seem to have an implicit paraphrase of "each" ONE and "every" ONE. ° Ex) Each [one] senator and representative on the committee HAS one vote. ° Ex) Every [one] senator and member of congress HAS exactly one vote/

What is the pronoun replacement test for compound subjects joined with "and"?

Whenever "and" is used to join compound subjects, see whether you can replace the compound subject with the pronoun "they" or "it." If it really seems preferable to say "they," then use a singular verb. Otherwise, always use they.

IDENTIFY THE CORRECT CASE: a. A husband and wife should love (each other/one another). b. In our family, everyone respects (each other/one another.

a. A husband and wife should love EACH OTHER. b. In our family, everyone respects ONE ANOTHER.

DETERMINE THE CORRECT PRONOUN CASE: a. Between you and (I/me), who did it? b. All of (we/us) workers united.

a. Between you and ME, who did it? b. All of US workers united. → Eliminate the distracting noun "workers" and the answer becomes clear.

IDENTIFY THE CORRECT CHOICE: a. (Does/Do) either of the coaches expect the team to win? b. A box of apples, oranges, and pears (was/were) delivered yesterday. c. None of the answers in the teacher's manual (was/were) correct.

a. DOES either of the coaches expect the team to win? b. A box of apples, oranges, and pears WAS delivered yesterday. c. None of the answers in the teacher's manual WERE correct.

Identify the correct verb-agreement pairing: a. One truck or three cars (is/are) all that the ferry can carry at one time. b. Either Aunt Sarah or the Smiths (is/are) picking you up. c. A pencil or a pen (is/are) all you will need. d. Neither the banks nor the post office (is/are) open today.

a. One truck or three cars are all that the ferry can carry at one time. b. Either Aunt Sarah or the Smiths are picking you up. c. A pencil or a pen is all you will need. d. Neither the banks nor the post office is open today.

IDENTIFY THE CORRECT USAGE: a. (Who/Whom) is to blame? b. To (who/whom) is this envelope addressed?

a. WHO is to blame? → Since you need a subject form, and since you could say "He is to blame," the correct choice is "who." b. To WHOM is this envelope addressed? → Since you need an object of a preposition, and since you could rewrite the sentence as "This envelope is addressed to him," the correct choice is "whom."

IDENTIFY THE CORRECT USAGE: a. We asked (who/whom) was the special guest.

a. We asked WHO was the special guest. → Within the noun clause we find "guest" as a subject but the be verb indicates that we need the nominative form, "who," as a subjective complement. The subject and the subjective complement are interchangeable: ° He was the special guest ° The special guest was him.

IDENTIFY THE CORRECT USAGE: a. We received sympathy from (whoever, whomever) listened to us. b. We received sympathy from (whoever/whomever) we saw.

a. We received sympathy from WHOEVER listened to us. → The object of the preposition here is actually the entire noun clause and inside the noun clause, a subject--"whoever"--is necessary. b. We received sympathy from WHOMEVER we saw. → Since we could say "we saw him" we know that we should choose the object from, "whomever."

Does the following sentence have a subject-verb agreement error? If so, correct it. Harold told them that his cottage in one of the new seaside developments were not damaged in the storm.

→ Apply the lost subject test: ° His cottage were not damaged in the storm. → There is an error! This part of the sentence SHOULD read: ° His cottage was not damaged in the storm.

Employ the lost subject test on the following sentence: In our last three games, the average margin of our losses have been two points.

→ Begin by locating the verb "have" → Jump back to the beginning of the sentence to the first eligible noun. The first noun in this sentence is "games" which is the object of the preposition "in." Since nouns inside prepositional phrases are locked up inside those prepositional phrases and are, therefore, ineligible for subject-verb agreement, we ignore this ineligible noun "games" and look at the next noun, "margin." → Test the verb "have" with the first noun "margin" to see if there is valid subject-verb agreement. ° The average margin have been two points. → There is a subject verb agreement error here so we know that the verb should be "has."

Employ the lost subject test on the following sentence: A group of yachts with brightly colored banners flying in the wind were entering the harbor.

→ Begin by locating the verb "were" → Jump back to the beginning of the sentence to the first eligible noun, "group." → Test the verb "were" with the first noun "group" to see if there is valid subject-verb agreement. ° A group were entering the harbor. → There is a subject verb agreement error here so we know that the verb should be "WAS."

What are the rules for subject verb agreement with compound subjects?

→ For "and" and the correlative conjunction "both... and," the subject requires a plural verb. → For "or," "either...or," and "neither...nor" the verb ONLY agrees with the SECOND of the two subjects.

Employ the existential there test on the following sentence: I didn't like the ending because there were far too many loose ends that were not tied up.

→ In this sentence, the existential is in the dependent clause "there was far too many loose ends. → The noun following the linking verb is "loose ends" which would make it the subject. because the subject is plural, we must change the verb to agree.

What are indefinite pronouns? What is to note about them with regard to pronoun agreement?

→ Indefinite pronouns are pronouns that do not refer to any person, amount, or thing in particular ° Everyone, everybody, everything, every, and each → These are tricky because they are singular, meaning they must take a singular pronoun, but the only pronouns that work with these are "his," "her," or"his or her," NOT "their." This can lead to "sexist language."

What are the exceptions to the rule of compound subjects joined with "and" or the correlative "both... and" taking plural verbs?

→ One and the same → Each and every → Bacon and eggs

Employ the existential there test on the following sentence: There is millions of stars in our galaxy.

→ The noun after the linking verb is millions. Because millions is plural, we must make the verb agree. → There ARE millions of stars in our galaxy.