Subject-Verb

Agreement Rules

Agreement Rule for Positive and Negative Subjects• If the sentence compounds a positive and a negative subject, and one is

plural, the other singular, the verb should agree with the positive subject

Examples: – The department members but not the chairperson have decided to

stand up against the new regulation. – It is not the faculty members but the Head of Department who takes this

decision.Positive subject Negative subjectVerb

Agreement Rule for Linking Verbs

• A linking verb (like "is," "are," "was," "were," "seem" etc.) agrees with its subject, not its complement

Examples: – Aaron Lerner’s field of study is antioxidants.– Antioxidants are Aaron Lerner’s field of study. Is or are??

Agreement Rule for Plural Verbs

• Verbs in the present tense for third-person, singular subjects (he, she, it, and anything these words can stand for) are “singular” (s-endings)Examples: – He holds expertise in statistics.– The diagram is well-labelled. It reveals all the parts of a microscope.

• Verbs for third person, plural subjects are “plural” in natureExamples: – They hold expertise in statistics.– The diagrams are well-labelled. They reveal all the parts of a microscope.

Agreement of Phrases With Verb

• When using as well as, except, in addition to, no less than, and with, the noun before these phrases determines the nature of verb (singular/plural)Examples:– The problem with this document is that it has exceeded the word limit.– Lifestyle modification, in addition to insulin therapy, is essential for

controlling blood sugar level in diabetes.– All the articles, except the last one, are published in international

journals with good impact factor.

Agreement Rule for Modifiers

• Modifiers are words, phrases, or clauses that describe (modify) other words or groups of words

• Can be adverbs or adjectives preceding a verb or a noun, respectivelyExamples: – She delivered a good lecture on nutrition.– He presented an organized and informative poster on protein supplements.– The students worked diligently on the new project. – The discussion on Human Gene Editing Project will be conducted here.

Agreement Rule for Modifiers: Adjectives and Adverbs

Adjectives, as modifiers, will answer the following questions:• What color? • What size? • How many? • What condition? • What emotion? • What kind?

Adverbs, as modifiers, will answer the following questions:• When?• Where?• How?

Agreement Rule for Modifiers (contd.)

Sometimes, modifiers will get in-between a subject and its verb, but these modifiers must not disturb the agreement between the subject and its verb

Example: The book, that was co-authored by three authors, is likely to be published this year.

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Thank youSubject – Verb Agreement