SUBJECT VERB AGREEMENT
Subject : is the
person/people/thing(s) that do the activity
Ex:
I,You,they,we,she,he,it,my
dad and my mom,linda,sussi, linda and sussi,the bank,the flight schedule, etc..
Verb :
A word used to describe and action,state or occurrence, and forming the main part of the predicatenof a
sentence
Kinds
of VERB
ACTION
VERBS
o
verbs are words that express action
(give, eat, walk, etc.) or possession (have, own, etc.).
o
Action verbs can be either transitive
(with object)
Ex:
1) Laurissa raises her
hand.
2) Abdus gave Becky the pencil.
or intransitive (without object).
Ex:
1) Laurissa rises slowly from her seat.
2) He was pontificating about art and history.
LINKING
VERBS
o
connects the subject of a sentence to
a noun or adjective that renames or describes the subject.
o
To Be : is, am, are, was, were
Ex:
1) Lisa is in love with Jason.
2) We were there!
3) I am happy
o Verb : seem, appear, become, grow, remain, get, prove, turn,
look,
sound, smell, taste,
feel.
Ex:
1) She looks pale.
2) I feel happy.
3) That sounds great!.
4) Your cook smells good.
HELPING
VERBS
o
are used before action or linking
verbs to convey additional information regarding aspects of possibility (can,
could, etc.) or time (was, did, has, etc.)
o
MODALS always
function as Helping Verbs. (can,
could, may, might, shall, will, ought to, should, would).
Ex:
1)
Tejo is (helping verb) going
(main verb) to Florida.
2)
The trip might
(helping verb) be (main verb)
dangerous.
3)
Tanya could learn to
fly helicopters.
(Could helps the main verb, learn.)
4)
Janine will drive to
Idaho tomorrow.
(Will helps the main verb, drive.)
MAIN RULE OF “SUBJECT VERB AGREEMENT”
1. Subjects
and verbs must agree in number. This is the cornerstone rule that forms the background
of the concept.
Ex:
Ø The
dog growls when it is angry.
Ø The dogs growl when they are angry.
2. Don’t
get confused by the words that come between the subject and verb; they do not affect agreement.
Ø The dog,
who is chewing on my jeans, is usually very good.
3. Prepositional
phrases between the subject and verb usually do not affect agreement.
Ø The colors of the rainbow are beautiful.
4. When
sentences start with “there” or “here,” the subject will always be placed after the
verb, so care needs to be taken to identify it correctly.
Ø There
is a problem with the balance sheet. Here are the
papers you requested.
5. If
two subjects are joined by and, they typically require a plural verb form.
Ø The
cow and the pig are jumping over the moon.
6. The
verb is singular if the two subjects separated by and refer to the same person or thing.
Ø Red beans and rice is my mom's favorite dish.
7. If
one of the words each, every, or no comes before the subject, the verb is singular.
Ø No smoking or drinking is allowed.
Ø Every man and woman is required to check in.
8. If
the subjects are both singular and are connected by the words or,
nor,neither/nor, either/or, and not only/but also the verb is
singular.
Ø Jessica
or Christian is to blame for the accident.
9. The
only time when the object of the preposition decides plural or singular verb
forms is when noun and pronoun subjects like some, half, none, more, all,
etc. are followed by a prepositional phrase. In these sentences, the
object of the preposition determines the form of the verb.
Ø All
of the chicken is gone.
Ø All of the chickens are gone.
10. The
singular verb form is usually used for units of measurement or time.
Ø Four
quarts of oil was required to get the car running.
11. If
the subjects are both plural and are connected by the words or, nor, neither/nor,
either/or, and not only/but also, the verb is plural.
Ø Dogs and cats are both available at the pound.
12. If
one subject is singular and one plural and the words are connected by the words
or, nor, neither/nor, either/or, and not only/but also, you use the verb
form of the subject that is nearest the verb.
Ø Either
the bears or the lion has escaped from the
zoo.
Ø Neither the lion nor the bears have
escaped from the zoo.
13. Indefinite
pronouns (everything, anything, everyone, someone, somebody, nothing, etc)
typically take singular verbs.
Ø Everybody wants to be loved.
Ø Everything is gonna be alright.
14. Except
for the pronouns (few, many, several, both, all, some) that always take the plural form.
Ø Few were left alive after the flood.
Ø Several students understand the material.
15. If
two infinitives are separated by and they take the plural form of the verb.
Ø To walk and to chew gum require great skill.
16. When
gerunds are used as the subject of a sentence,
they take the singular verb form of the
verb; but, when they are linked by and, they take the plural form.
Ø Standing in the water was a bad idea.
Ø Swimming in the ocean and playing drums are my hobbies.
17. Collective
nouns like family, committee, herd, senate, class, crowd, etc. usually take a
singular verb form.
Ø The herd
is stampeding.
Ø Cooper family always attends the annual party.
18. Titles
of books, movies, novels, etc. are treated as singular and take a singular verb.
Ø The Burbs is a movie starring Tom Hanks.
Ø Harry Potter has reached Top 3 Best Seller books.
Subject and Verb Agreement Exercise
Choose
the correct form of the verb that agrees with the subject.
1.
Annie and her brothers (is, are) at school.
2.
Either my mother or my father (is, are) coming to the meeting.
3.
The dog or the cats (is, are) outside.
4.
Either my shoes or your coat (is, are) always on the floor.
5.
George and Tamara (doesn't, don't) want to see that movie.
6.
Benito (doesn't, don't) know the answer.
7.
One of my sisters (is, are) going on a trip to
France.
8.
The man with all the birds (live,
lives) on my street.
9.
The movie, including all the
previews, (take, takes) about
two hours to watch.
10. The players, as well as the captain, (want,
wants) to win.
11. Either answer (is, are)
acceptable.
12. Every one of those books (is, are)
fiction.
13. Nobody (know, knows) the
trouble I've seen.
14. (Is, Are) the news on at
five or six?
15. Mathematics (is, are)
John's favorite subject, while Civics (is,
are) Andrea's favorite subject.
16. Eight dollars (is, are)
the price of a movie these days.
17. (Is, Are) the tweezers in
this drawer?
18. Your pants (is, are) at the cleaner's.
19. There (was, were) fifteen
candies in that bag. Now there (is,
are) only one left!
20. The committee (debates, debate)
these questions carefully.
21. The committee (leads, lead)
very different lives in private.
22. The Prime Minister, together with his wife, (greets, greet) the press cordially.
23. All of the CDs, even the scratched one, (is, are) in this case.
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