October 20, 2020 – Subject Verb Agreement

SUBJECT AND VERB AGREEMENT
More Rules
Rule D
The relative pronouns (who, which, that), when they refer to a singular noun, take a singular verb. When they refer to a plural noun, they take a plural verb.
Examples: Singular
(1) The class gave a birthday gift to the student who is celebrating her fourteenth birthday.
(The student is celebrating…)
(2)  He read a book which was very interesting.  (The book was …..)
(3) They looked at the speedboat that was skimming the surface of the water. (The speedboat was……)
 
Examples: Plural
(1) People who work far from home get up early. (People work….)
(2) The spices which were used made the meal tasty. (The spices were…..)
(3) The judges heard the cases that were before the court. (The cases were….)
 
Activity:
Underline the correct verb in the following sentences.
(1) This is the boy who (delivers/deliver) the newspaper every day.
(2) We met our new neighbor who (live/lives) next door.
(3) The police officers found the weapons which (was/were) hidden.
(4) Tobago is an island which (attract/attracts) tourists from many countries.
(5) We found the library books that (was/were) misplaced last week.
(6) I will pay him for the good job that he (do, does) every week.
 
 
 
 Rule E
A collective noun refers to a group of people or things. It may be used with a singular or plural verb form.
(a) A collective noun has a singular form when it refers to a group of people or things as a unit. It is used with a singular verb.
Examples:
(i) The committee meets once a week.
(ii) The jury has a difficult decision to make.
(b)  A collective noun has a plural form when it refers to a group of people or things as separate individuals or things.
Examples:
(i) The committee have not been able to make a decision among themselves.
(ii) The jury have different views on the case before them.
 
Activity:
Underline the correct verb in the following sentences.
(1) The average family (has, have) four members.
(2) My school (has, have) two hundred students.
(3) The government (is, are) elected by the people.
(4) The team (live, lives) in different parts of the country.
(5) The club (has, have) agreed to take part in community projects.
 
 
(c) Sometimes number is a kind of collective noun.
(i) When number is seen as a single unit, the verb is singular.
 
The number takes a singular verb
Example:
The number of chairs in the hall is not enough.
(The number refers to a specific number which is singular)
(iii) When number is seen as a total, the verb is plural.
A number takes a plural verb.
Example:
A number of chairs have been ordered.
(“A number of chairs” mean “several” chairs which is plural)
 
Other Areas of Agreement-for further reading
(1) Plural phrases of quality take singular verbs when the quality is seen as a unit.
Example:
Two pounds of butter is enough to bake three cakes.
(2) When the quantity is not seen as a unit, the plural verb is used.
Example:
Three years have passed since I entered this school.
(3) Nouns ending in –ics are singular when they refer to an area of study such as economics, physics, mathematics, statistics, civics, and linguistics.
Example:
Economics is a good field of study to pursue.
(4) Some of these nouns used in a different sense may be plural.
Example:
Your statistics are not correct.
(5) Names of diseases that end in –s are generally treated as singular
measles, diabetes, mumps, rickets
Example:
Measles is an illness that causes students to stay away from school.
(6) The following nouns name single objects but take plural verbs:
Eye-glasses, pants,scissors,shorts,pliers,tweezers.
(7) Names of games that end in-s (darts,billiards,draights and dominoes) are singular.
Examples:
Billiards is a game that demands great skill.
(8) Individual pieces have singular and plural forms.
Examples:
(1) A domino has fallen to the ground.
(ii) The dominoes have fallen to the ground.
(9) Titles take singular verbs.
Examples:
A House for Mr. Biswas is a famous novel by V.S. Naipaul.
(10) In a sentence beginning with “there”, the verb agrees with the delayed subject.
Example:
There are boats near the jetty. (‘boats’ are there)
(11) When the subject is a mass noun, the verb is singular.
Example:
Jam is on the counter.
(12) A verb agrees with the subject and not the complement.
Example:
The cause for the dalay was the men’s performances.
(13) Intervening words have no effect on the verbs.
Example:
This text, like several texts, is useful to students.
 
Mastering Subject and Verb Agreement.
Underline the correct verb in each of the following sentences.
(1) Football is one of the games which (capture, captures) my interest.
(2) The cherry (is,are) a sweet fruit.
(3) Half of his students (do, does) not bring texts to class.
(4) Three miles (is, are) a long distance to walk to school.
(5) The monkeys (is, are) hanging on the wire in the cage.
(6) A number of soldiers (has, have) come out to protect people after the earthquake.
(7) She, as well as her mother, (do, does) the purchase in the market.
(8) The butter (is,are) melting because it is too close to the stove.
(9) A group of us (is, are) writing an examination next year.
(10) Everyone (was, were) waiting on a bus to go home.
(11) The majority of citizens (is, are) law abiding and decent people who make an honest living.
(12) The cabinet, the books and the stationery (is, are) in the new building.
(13) There (has, have) been instances of perfect silence in the class.
(14) The number of cars on the compound (is, are) twenty five.
(15) Neither Sham nor Geeta (has, have) any interest in music.
(16) Either the students or their parents (is, are) allowed to collect the cheque.
(17) Diabetes (is, are) controlled with a good diet and exercise programme.
(18) He is one of the students who (has, have) made the school proud.