SUBJECT - VERB AGREEMENT
1: Basic Principle - Singular subjects need singular verbs; plural subjects need plural verbs.
My sisters is a hair stylist. My brothers are doctor.
2: The indefinite pronouns anyone, everyone, someone, no one, nobody are always singular and, therefore, require sigular verbs.
3 : Some indefinite pronouns — such as all, some — are singular or plural depending on what they’re referring to. (Is the thing referred to countable or not?) Be careful choosing a verb to accompany such pronouns.
Some of the nuts are missing.
Some of the coin is gone.
4 : On the other hand, there is one indefinite pronoun, none, that can be either singular or plural; it often doesn’t matter whether you use a singular or a plural verb — unless something else in the sentence determines its number.
None of you claims responsibility for this incident racism ?
None of you claim responsibility for this incident racism ?
None of the singer have done their training.
5 : Phrases such as together with, as well as, and along with are not the same as and. The phrase introduced by as well as or along with will modify the earlier word, but it does not compound the subjects.
6 : The pronouns neither and either are singular and require singular verbs even though they seem to be referring, in a sense, to two things.
7 : In informal writing, neither and either sometimes take a plural verb when these pronouns are followed by a prepositional phrase beginning with of. This is particularly true of interrogative constructions
8 : The conjunction or does not conjoin (as and does). When nor or or is used the subject closer to the verb determines the number of the verb.
9 : The words there and here are never subjects.
There are two reasons [plural subject] for this.
There is no reason for this.
Here are three manggoes.
10 : Verbs in the present tense for third-person, singular subjects (he, she, it and anything those words can stand for) have s-endings. Other verbs do not add s-endings.
He loves and she loves and they love. .
11 : Sometimes modifiers will get between a subject and its verb, but these modifiers must not confuse the agreement between the subject and its verb.
12 : Words such as glasses, pants, pliers, and scissors are regarded as plural (and require plural verbs) unless they’re preceded by the phrase pair of (in which case the word pair becomes the subject).
My keys were on the dining room.
My hat were torn.
13 : Some words end in -s and appear to be plural but are really singular and require singular verbs.
14 : On the other hand, some words ending in -s refer to a single thing but are nonetheless plural and require a plural verb.
15 : Fractional expressions such as half of, a part of, a percentage of, a majority of are sometimes singular and sometimes plural, depending on the meaning.
16 : If your sentence compounds a positive and a negative subject and one is plural, the other singular, the verb should agree with the positive subject.
Example:
- I do meditation quietly. [singular], You do meditation quietly. [sing/pl]
- She does meditation quietly. [singular], We do meditation quietly. [plural]
- I have coloured pencil. (singular), You have coloured pencil. (sing/pl)
- Evans has coloured pencil. (singular), We have coloured pencil. (plural)
- I am here wait you come. [singular], You are here wait you come. [sing/pl]
- He is here wait you come. [singular], We are here wait you come. [plural]
- I play Guitar on big grand stand. (singular), You play Guitar on big grand stand. (sing/pl)
- One plays Guitar on big grand stand.(singular), We play Guitar on big grand stand. (plural)
- I was fifth from five brothers. [singular], You were fifth from five brothers. [sing/pl]
- It was fifth from five brothers. [singular], We were fifth from five brothers. [plural]
