Subject-Verb Agreement
what is an appositive? provide an example
Appositives are nouns or noun phrases that follow or come before a noun, and give more information about it. as you can see, they are incomplete sentences. For example, The puppy, a golden retriever, is my newest pet.
what is a compound subject? and why do they matter?
a subject composed of multiuple nouns joined by a conjunction like "and", "or", "nor". normally, the subject compound, whether formed by plural or singular nouns, forms a plural subject and demand plural verb. HOWEVER, they sometimes form a singular compound.
describe the difference in subject-verb agreement in percent vs percentages
in percent: the s-v agreement is similar to a fraction. the focus is on the subject. if it is singular, then the verb is singular. ex; Ninety percent of the board was present. Fifty percent of the board members are in favor of the acquisition. in percentage: the s-v agreement depends whether "the" or "a" precedes percentage. if it is "the", then the verb is singular. otherwise, it is treated like a percent. ---The percentage of people in America who are overweight is astounding. ---A percentage of the water is not contaminated. ---A percentage of the lakes are relatively unpolluted.
Each of us (prefers/prefer) a different style of cooking, and so, it has been difficult to reach a consensus about the menu.
it is prefers Some preceding elements in a sentence can require that a noun take a singular verb even if the subject seems to be plural. For instance, any noun preceded by "every," "each," or "many a" takes a singular verb.
list some examples of unusual singular and plural forms
just memorize those. no way around it. they are not heavily tested though. Mathematics is my worst subject. Good news makes me smile. Diabetes is on the rise in the United States. The mumps is a disease that affects only humans. His politics get in the way of his personal relationships. There aren't any statistics to bolster the claim. The ethics of eating meat are a primary concern for many vegetarians and vegans. The economics of restaurant ownership make success a one-in-a-million shot.
if a compound subjects joined by "or", "nor", "either...or", or "neither...or", does the verb agree with the subjects?
the verb must agree ONLY with the last subject of the two. ex; Neither the bread nor the potatoes look very appealing. Neither the potatoes nor the bread looks very appealing. a more challenging ex; It is unknown whether stagnant wages or the recent cut to medical benefits was the cause of the strike.
what is the difference between additive phrase and compound subject?
verb comes after additive phrase will follow the count of the subject before the AP. verb after a compund subject, will change according to the count of the compound subject
how do you identify the main subject in a clause?
you must look first for the main verb or main action. then, you can ask yourself "who or what is this action referring to? "
what question does a finite verb answer?
"when did the action take place?" is vs was vs be play vs played vs playing
when collective noun is followed by a prepositional phrase...must focus on the meaning of the sentence. can be tricky.
If the focus of the sentence is on the group as a whole rather than on the members of the group, the verb should be singular, as it is in the following example: The flock of geese flying overhead was the largest that I have ever seen. or The crowd of people was dispersed by the manager of the hotel. On the other hand, if the focus of the sentence is on the individual members within the group, then the verb should be plural. A group of dogs were chasing each other in the park earlier.
what are the SANAMM indefinite pronouns?
"Some," "Any," "None," "All," "More," and "Most." The rules of usage of these pronouns are simple: - When a SANAMM pronoun refers to a singular noun, it takes a singular verb. ---All of the class wants the teacher to extend the deadline. - When a SANAMM pronoun refers to a plural noun, it takes a plural verb. ---All of the students want the teacher to extend the deadline.
what is a relative pronoun? and how should you treat them in a s-v agreement?
"who," "that," and "which," When a relative pronoun refers to a singular noun, it too is singular and takes a singular verb. ---The dresser that is on sale is still expensive. when a relative pronoun refers to a plural noun, it is likewise plural and requires a plural verb. ---The curtains that are on sale are beautiful.
what are non-traditional subjects?
Subjects in the forms of infinitives, gerunds, and noun phrases/clauses always take singular verbs. To catch a taxi is difficult at certain times of the day. (infinitive, because basic form of verb, catch) Swimming is good exercise. (gerund, because of the -ing) What I want is for you to be healthy. (noun phrase/clause)
what is the difference between independent and dependent clauses? provide examples.
- An independent clause makes sense by itself. It expresses a complete thought. Michael bought a new computer. (One independent clause) Michael bought a new computer, but he still has the old one. [Two independent clauses (Coordinating conjunctions don't count as part of the clause.)] Although he still has his old one, Michael now has a new computer. (Only the second clause is independent.) - A dependent clause does not make sense by itself. It does not express a complete thought. - it usually begins with a subordinating conjunction, a relative pronoun, or some other word that causes it to become dependent. - A dependent clause will make sense only when attached to an independent clause. Although he still has his old one. (Without the independent clause, a dependent clause is a sentence fragment.)
You will never find a subject in a prepositional phrase.
--- Neither of these cookbooks contains the recipe for Manhattan-style squid eyeball stew. Cookbooks do indeed contain recipes. In this sentence, however, cookbooks is part of the prepositional phrase of these cookbooks. Neither—whatever a neither is—is the subject for the verb contains.
explain the three types of NFVerb
1- infinitive it is the basic form of a verb, usually preceded by "to". ex; i like to play soccer. notice that the main verb is the finite, like. the sentence cannot be meaningful without it. however, if "to play" is removed, the sentence would be ok. 2- gerund verbs that end with -ing. their purpose is to make the verb the subject, adjective, or object. ex; i like playing soccer. removing playing will still result in a complete sentence. playing, here is an adjective because it is describing the type of soccer. it is not watching soccer, it is actually playing soccer. the sentence could be "i like to play soccer" in which we replaced a gerund with an infinitive and also serves the adjective purpose. 3- participle; the toughest to understand type. it has two purposes; 1- passive voice 2- adjective. and it always either end with 1- present participle ending with -ing 2- past participle ending with; en, d, ed, t, n. ex: Do not waste time staring at a closed door.
what is a clause anyway?
A clause is a group of words that has both a subject and a predicate. Every complete sentence is made up of at least one clause. Michael bought a new computer. (One sentence, one clause) Michael bought a new computer, but he still has the old one. (One sentence, two clauses) Although he still has his old one, Michael now has a new computer. (One sentence, two clauses)
What is a sentence fragment?
A sentence fragment does not have a complete thought. they are incomplete sentences. they don't have both; main verb and main subject. we should never select them in choices.
how do you identify a prepositional phrase?
At the minimum, a prepositional phrase will begin with a preposition and end with a noun, pronoun, gerund, or clause, the "object" of the preposition. The object of the preposition will often have one or more modifiers to describe it. At = preposition; home = noun.
use "a many" or "an many" in a sentence
Clarisse's inbox is filled with more than a thousand emails, and many an email has gone unanswered. Many a soldier has been afraid to go into battle.
what is collective nouns? provide an example
Collective nouns are nouns that refer to groups of people or things. When collective nouns appear as subjects on GMAT Sentence Correction questions, they are almost always singular. Some examples of collective nouns are "team," "crowd," "litter," "choir," "crew," "band," "troupe," "pack," "staff," "army," "regiment," "tribe," "panel," "gang," "flock," "board," and "company." The team is at the lake this weekend, for a workshop on conflict resolution skills.
where in the sentence does a dependent clause come in a sentence?
Dependent clauses can come after, before, or in the middle of the independent clause. Michael now has a new computer although he still has his old one. (Dependent clause after an independent clause) Although he still has his old one, Michael now has a new computer. (Dependent clause before the independent clause) Michael, although he still has his old one, now has a new computer. (Dependent clause inside the independent clause)
provide an example of a relative clause
I won't stand by the man who smells of slime. In this example, the relative clause is 'who smells of slime'. It provides more information about the man. The relative pronoun, 'who', is used to connect these clauses in the sentence.
what is an inverted sentence? provide an example
In an inverted sentence, the verb precedes the subject, but the subject and verb must still agree. Through those trees lives a creepy old man. Although there are many sites of interest to visit in the Scottish capital, Edinburgh, on top of the Castle Rock sits possibly the most famous of them, the historic fortress that is also the city's namesake.
what are the forms of subject? provide an example of each form
Noun (phrase) or pronoun -- The large car stopped outside our house. A gerund (phrase) -- His constant hammering was annoying. A to-infinitive (phrase) -- To read is easier than to write. A full that-clause -- That he had traveled the world was known to everyone. A free relative clause -- Whatever he did was always of interest. A direct quotation -- I love you is often heard these days. Zero (but implied) subject -- Take out the trash! An expletive it -- It is raining. A cataphoric it -- It was known to everyone that he had traveled the world.
explain the rules of subject-verb agreement in numbers, percentage, and fractions
Numbers: Subjects that begin with "the number of" take singular verbs. Subjects that begin with "a number of" take plural verbs. ---The number of students who apply for summer internships has been increasing. ---A number of students have applied for summer internships at the Rainforest Alliance. %ages: if "The" comes before %, then use singular verb. ---The percentage of people in America who are overweight is astounding. a subject composed of "a percentage of" + a noun can take a singular verb or a plural verb, depending on whether what the percentage is a percentage of is singular or plural. ---A percentage of the water is not contaminated. ---A percentage of the lakes are relatively unpolluted. Fractions Subjects that begin with fractions such as "half" or "one-fourth" may take singular or plural verbs depending on what the fractions are fractions of. ---Half of the class is going on a field trip. ---One-third of the students have shown some interest in geology.
what is a relative clause?
Relative clauses are clauses starting with the relative pronouns who*, that, which, whose, where, when. They are most often used to define or identify the noun that precedes them. Here are some examples: Do you know the girl who started in grade 7 last week?
what is the difference between "singular indefinite pronoun" and "plural indefinite pronoun"
Singular indefinite pronouns always take singular verbs. These pronouns are:"anybody," "anyone," "anything," "each," "*either," "everybody," "everyone," "everything," "neither," "nobody," "no one," "nothing," "one," "somebody," "someone," "something," and "whoever." A plural indefinite pronoun always takes a plural verb. These pronouns include: "both," "few," "many," and "several."
how can an appositive stands between subject and verb?
The puppy, a golden retriever, is my newest pet.
list some common prepositions
above, across, against, along, among, around, at, behind, below, beneath, beside, between, beyond, by, down, in, inside, into, near, off, on, opposite, out, over, past, through, to, toward, under, underneath
what is an example of additive phrase?
additive phrases begin with words such as "along with "as well as" "in addition to" "including" "accompnied by" or "together with". notice that they are numerically adding objects or subjects. THEY DONT CREATE PLURAL SUBJECTS. a singular subject followed by an additive phrase remains singular. ex; toufik, together with his brother, is starting a company.
finite and nonfinite verbs are two main types of verbs in terms of the verb's usage and tense. explain the difference between them and list the subtypes of each one of them.
finite verb is basically the the main verb while NFVerb is dependent verb that depends on the main verb. a sentence can be ok without it. finite verb can be in present, past, and future tense. AND it shows agreement with the subject and marks the tense of the sentence. ex; i like soccer. NFVerb can take three forms; 1- infinitive 2- gerund 3- participle each of those have different purposes and forms. we will discuss in a different flashcard.
majority VS minority ...when to plural and when to singular
focus on the context. A majority of the students are already applying for jobs. In today's world, in which most people have some knowledge of geography, only a small minority believe Earth to be flat. ---the minority itself is not what believes Earth to be flat. Rather, people, who make up a minority, believe Earth to be flat, and, in this case, "a ... minority" is understood to express "a minority of people." So, we need the plural "believe" to go with "a small minority."
what is a gerund, infinitive, and a noun phrase/clause?
gerund: a form that is derived from a verb but that functions as a noun, in English ending in -ing, e.g., do you mind my asking you?. infinitive: the basic form of a verb, without an inflection binding it to a particular subject or tense (e.g. see in we came to see, let him see ). noun phrase; a word or group of words that functions in a sentence as subject, object, or prepositional object. Friday became a cool, wet afternoon.
What is a prepositional phrase? provide an example.
group of words that starts with a preposition and ends with an object. Usually used to add description. An example of a prepositional phrase is, "With a reusable tote in hand, Matthew walked to the farmer's market." In the example above, "with" is the preposition and "reusable tote" is the object. Ex./ under the desk, over the hill, around the corner.
how does a prepositional phrase makes harder for us to identify a subject-verb agreement?
they usually get place in the middle of the two.
provide an example of a singular compound subject.
this happens when the two singular nouns form a singular entity. "bed and breakfast", "rice and beans"
