Subject Verb Agreement Number & Person

Subject Verb Agreement Number & Person

Subject Verb Agreement

A subject names what or whom a sentence is about. The subject ordinarily performs the action described by the verb in a sentence.

Captain Kirk danced a tango.


A verb describes the action of a sentence or expresses a state of being.

Mr. Spock is a nice vulcan.Mr. Scott works on his homework.

A verb must agree with its subject in number (singular or plural) and person (first, second, or third.)

Singular and Plural Nouns

Singular nouns refer to only one person or thing. Words such as dog, kite, car,

president, expert, and proper nouns like Alfred and Thuy are all singular nouns.

A group of things that act together as a whole are also considered singular, such as Congress.

Singular and Plural Nouns

A plural noun refers to more than one thing. Words like dogs, kites, cars, presidents, and experts are all plural nouns.

Proper nouns like Alfred and Thuy are not generally pluralized.

Person

Person is a term that indicates whether the subject or object of the verb is

• first person “I” - the speaker.• second person “you”- person being

spoken to.• third person “he, she, it” -person, place,

or thing being spoken about.

Person

First Person = I am going.

Second Person = You are going.

Third Person = Alfred is going.

The verbs in these examples are all “be” verbs that shifted in person to agree with the subject of the sentence.

Person

Third-person singular subjects include nouns; the personal pronouns he, she, it and one; and many indefinite pronouns, such as everyone, someone, each, either, anything, everything, something, somebody, and nobody.

Person

Note:

When writing essays please avoid the second person. This often causes the writer to shift in person, write wordy sentences, and sentences that are awkward.


The Magic “S”Plural subjects often end in “s” while singular subjects often do not end in “s.”

Singular verbs often end in “s” while plural verbs often do not end in “s.”

There are many exceptions to this rule!


Captain Kirk likes to give dramatic speeches.

Mr. Spock buys his salad at Mc Donald’s.

A student is responsible for his or her grade.

Students are responsible for their grade.

Captains like to give dramatic speeches.

Vulcans buy their salads at Mc Donald’s.


This rule does not apply to all cases.

They say that English is an easy subject.

I hate to have a headache.


When other words come between the subject and verb, those words have no impact on subject verb agreement.

Education despite all its problems and difficulties is still the best way to protect democracy.

Subject Verb AgreementStudents who do all the assigned reading and study each quiz are likely to do well in class.

Shrek, along with Donkey, Puss-in-Boots, and three blind mice, rescues Fiona.


Compound subjects joined by “and” usually take plural verbs.

Kirk and Spock are Starfleet Officers.

Missy and I are going to Mc Donald’s.


One exception to this rule is that in English, nouns can become bound together so that they sound like two things, but they have become so closely related that they are considered to be one thing, for example: franks and beans; peanut-butter and jelly; rhythm and blues; and politics and corruption.


Peanut-butter and Jelly is good.

Ham and eggs is a common breakfast.

Peace and quiet is what everyone wants.


When “each” or “every” precedes a compound subject the verb is singular.Members of the group are being considered individually.

Each senator and representative has to vote on the issues, not along party lines.


Compound subjects joined by “or” may take either plural or singular verbs depending upon the subjects.

If both subjects are singular, then the verb is singular.If both subjects are plural, then the verb is plural.


If one subject is singular and the other plural, the verb agrees with the subject closest to the verb.

Missy or her friends are responsible.

Her friends or Missy is responsible.


Indefinite pronouns are pronouns that don’t refer to specific persons or things.

Anyone can do it.

Few are expected to survive.

Everything is going to explode.


Some indefinite nouns are plural:

Both students made an “A” on the test.

Many students passed the class.

Several students read their homework.

All of these are plural because they refer to more than one person or thing.


Some indefinite nouns are singular:Everyone is going to make an “A” today.Nobody is going home early tonight.One student will write a long essay.

These are singular because they refer to one person or one group of people or things.


Some indefinite pronouns can be both singular or plural depending upon the noun they refer to.

None of the proposals is easy to dismiss.

None but the brave are on the streets.


A collective noun is a group of people or things that act as a single unit. When the group is referred to as a whole, the collective noun is singular. When the group is referred to as individuals, it is plural.


The committee is confident that it has reached the right decision.

Members of the committee admit that they could be wrong.


Phrases that name fixed amounts- a minority, fifty-percent, ten-dollars, are treated like collective nouns. When the amount denotes a unit, it takes a singular verb. When the amount denotes parts of the whole, it takes a plural verb.


Ten dollars is a good tip for a five dollar meal. Ten dollars is a unit of currency, so it is singular.

Seventy-five percent of the people who visit EPCOT are disappointed when they leave. 75% is part of a whole, so it is plural.


Sometimes nouns can end in “s” and appear to be plural, but are actually singular.

Physics is a fun class if you enjoy math.

Linguistics is a worthwhile hobby.


The subject and verb must agree even when the normal word order is inverted.

Is Mr. Spock slapping Captain Kirk?

There are klingons in the house.

Disturbed by the proposal were many parents.


A linking verb is a verb that has no physical action and acts like an equals sign “=“ in a sentence.

Missy seemed happy, or Missy = happy

In this case the linking verb is “seemed” because the verb has no action.


A subject compliment is a descriptive word that follows the linking verb. It renames or describes the subject.

Missy seemed happy, or Missy = happy.

In this case, happy is the subject compliment. It describes what Missy is.


A linking verb should agree with its subject not its subject compliment.

The problem was termites.

Termites were the problem.

Pronoun Antecedent Agreement

A pronoun antecedent is the noun that comes before the pronoun. It is the noun that defines the pronoun in the sentence.

Alfred wrote a story, but he didn’t like the ending.


Pronouns and their antecedents must agree in person, gender, and number.

Mr. Spock fired his phaser at a klingon.

Mr. Spock is a third person, masculine, singular antecedent, and his is the third person, masculine, singular pronoun that agrees with the antecedent.


Compound antecedents take plural pronouns.

Kirk and Spock fired their phasers.

Since more than one person is firing a phaser, the pronoun is plural.

Pronoun Antecedent AgreementIf a compound antecedent denotes a single person or thing, it is singular. Often we will use more than one pronoun to describe the same person.

In 2004, a gentleman and a scholar, wrote a book about his adventures.

The author is both a gentleman and scholar.


If a pronoun antecedent is a collective noun, then use a singular pronoun if the meaning is singular, a plural pronoun if the meaning is plural.

The jury members took their seats.

The Jury took its time to deliver a verdict.


Most indefinite pronouns are singular and take singular pronouns. Words like each, every, either, neither, one, and anyone all refer to one person or object so they take singular pronouns.

Indefinite pronouns like both, many, and few refer to more than one person, so they take plural pronouns.

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Subject Verb Agreement Number & Person

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