Subject-Verb Agreement
Which phrases are always plural?
and; Both... and
The committee (debates, debate) these questions carefully.
debates
Benito (doesn't, don't) know the answer.
doesn't
George and Tamara (doesn't, don't) want to see that movie.
don't
What are some collective nouns?
family, team, group, herd (treat these as singular)
A unit of time or measurement is always (plural, singular).
singular
What usually does not end in -s?
singular nouns and plural present tense verbs
What usually ends in -s?
singular present tense verbs and plural nouns
If you have a singular noun, you use a:
singular verb
The movie, including all the previews, (take, takes) about two hours to watch.
takes
In either/or neither/nor sentences, ____________.
use the words near or/nor to choose your verb
The players, as well as the captain, (want, wants) to win.
want
There (was, were) fifteen candies in that bag.
were
To find the subject, find the verb and then ask:
who or what is doing the action?
With implied subjects, the person being spoken to is not stated but is:
you
Which words are always plural? (8)
all, both, few, many, most, several, some, none
(Is, Are) the tweezers in this drawer?
are
All of the CDs, even the scratched one, (is, are) in this case.
are
Annie and her brothers (is, are) at school.
are
The dog or the cats (is, are) outside.
are
Your pants (is, are) at the cleaner's.
are
The Prime Minister, together with his wife, (greets, greet) the press cordially.
greets
(Is, Are) the news on at five or six?
is
Eight dollars (is, are) the price of a movie these days.
is
Either answer (is, are) acceptable.
is
Either my mother or my father (is, are) coming to the meeting.
is
Either my shoes or your coat (is, are) always on the floor.
is
Every one of those books (is, are) fiction.
is
Mathematics (is, are) John's favorite subject, while Civics (is, are) Andrea's favorite subject.
is
Now there (is, are) only one left!
is
One of my sisters (is, are) going on a trip to France.
is
Nobody (know, knows) the trouble I've seen.
knows
The committee (leads, lead) very different lives in private.
lead
The man with all the birds (live, lives) on my street.
lives
Which words can be singular or plural? (2)
neither and either
Which words are always singular? (8)
nobody, nothing, no one, one, everything, everyone, anybody, anyone
In sentences with "there", you should:
omit "there" There are apples in the box --> Apples are in the box.
Which phrases take the number of the subject closest to the verb?
or; nor; Either... or; Neither... nor
If you have a plural noun, you use a:
plural verb
