ch. 5 grammar

number

a word that refers to one person, place, thing, or idea is singular in number. a word that refers to more than one is plural in number.

compound subject

consists of two or more subjects that are joined by a conjunction and that have the same verb. -subjects joined by and usually take a plural verb. -singular subjects joined by or or not take a singular verb. -when a singular subject and a plural subject are joined by or or nor, the verb agrees with the subject nearer the verb.

intervening phrases and clauses

the number of a subject usually is not determined by a word in a phrase or a clause following the subject.

choosing the correct verb

when the relative pronoun that, which, or who is the subject of an adjective clause, the verb in the clause agrees with the word to which the relative pronoun refers.

special problems in pronoun-antecedent agreement

•a collective noun can be either singular or plural, depending on how it is used. •some nouns that are plural in form take single pronouns. •even when plural in form, the title of w creative work (such as a book, song, movie, or painting) or the name of a country or a city generally takes a singular pronoun. •the gender and number of a relative pronoun (such as who, which, or that) are determined by its antecedent. •an expression of an amount (a measurement, a percentage, or a fraction, for example) may be singular or plural, depending on how it is used.

agreement of pronouns and antecedent

•a pronoun should agree in number, gender, and person with its antecedent. •singular pronouns refer to singular antecedents. plural pronouns refer to plural antecedent. •some singular pronouns indicate gender. •person indicates whether a pronoun refers to the one speaking (first person), the one spoken to (second person), or the one spoken about (third person).

agreement of subject and verb

•a verb should agree in number with its subject. •singular subjects take singular verbs. •plural subjects take plural verbs. -in a verb phrase, the first helping verb agrees in number with the subject.

indefinite pronouns

•some indefinite pronouns are singular, and some are plural. other indefinite pronouns can be either singular or plural, depending on their meaning. •use singular pronouns to refer to the indefinite pronouns anybody, anyone, anything, each, either, everybody, everyone, everything, neither, nobody, no one, nothing, one, somebody, someone, and something. •use plural pronouns to refer to the indefinite pronouns both, few, many, and several. •use a singular or plural pronoun to refer to the indefinite pronoun all, any, more, most, none, or some, depending on how it is used in the sentence.

indefinite pronouns

•some indefinite pronouns are singular, some are plural, and some can be singular or plural, depending on how they are used. •the following indefinite pronouns are singular: anybody, anyone, anything, each, either, everybody, everyone, everything, neither, nobody, no one, nothing, one, somebody, someone, and something. •the following indefinite pronouns are plural: both, few, many, and several. •the indefinite pronouns all, any, more, most, none, and some may be singular or plural, depending on their meaning in a sentence.

verbs that agree with their subjects

•some nouns that are plural in form take singular verbs. •even when plural in form, the title of a creative work (such as a book, song, movie, or painting) or the name of a country, a city, or an organization generally takes a singular verb. •a verb agrees with its subject, but not necessarily with a predicate nominative. •subjects preceded by every or many a take singular verbs. •the contradictions don't and doesn't should agree with their subjects.

compound antecedents

•use a plural pronoun to refer to two or more antecedents joined by and. •use a singular pronoun to refer to two or more singular antecedents joined by or or nor.

special problems in subject-verb agreement

•when the subject follows the verb, find the subject and make sure that the verb agrees with it. •a collective noun may be either singular or plural, depending on its meaning in a sentence. •an expression of an amount (a measurement, a percentage, or a fraction, for example) may be singular or plural, depending on how it is used.