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This week the students will demonstrate their understanding of correct subjet-verb agreement and use verbs that agree with their subject. This unit is always so difficult for students to learn (and teachers to teach) because there are just so many darn rules for agreement.

Here is a basic list of the rules for agreement:

  • When a word refers to one person, place, thing, or idea, it is singular in uumber. When a word refers to more than one, it is plural in number.
  • A verb should agree in number with its subject. Singular subjects take singular verbs and plural subjects take plural verbs.
  • The number of a subject is not changed by a phrase following the subject.
  • The following indefinite pronouns are singular: anybody, anyone, anything, each, either, everybody, everyone, everything, neither, nobody, no one, nothing, one somebody, someone, and something.
  • The following indefinite pronouns are plural: both, few, many, several.
  • The indefinite pronouns all, any, more, most, none, and some may be either singular or plural, delpending on their meaning in the sentence.
  • Subjects joined by "and" usually take a plural verb.
  • Singular subjects joined by "or" or "nor" take a singular verb.
  • When a singular subject and a plural subject are joined by "or" or "nor", the verb agrees with the subject nearer the verb.
  • A collective noun may be either singular or plural, depending on its meaning in a sentence.
  • When the subject follows the verb, find the subject and make sure that the verb agrees with it.
  • Some nouns that are plural in form take singular verbs.
  • An expression of an amound (a measurement, a percentage, or a fraction, for example) may be singular or plural, depending on how it is used.
  • Even when plural in form, the title of a creative work (such as a book, song, film, or painting), the name of an organization, or the name of a country or city generally takes a singular verb.
  • "Don't" and "doesn't" should agree in number with their subjects.
  • A pronoun should agree in number and gender with its antecedent.
  • Use a singular pronoun to refer to anybody, anyone, anything, each, either, everybody, everyone, everything, neither, nobody, no one, nothing, one, somebody, someone, or something.
  • Use a plural pronound to refer to both, few, many, or several.
  • The indefinite pronouns all, any, more, most, none, and some may be singular or plural, depending on how they are used in a sentence.
  • Use a singular pronoun to refer to tow or more singular antecedents joined by "or" or "nor".
  • Use a plural pronoun to refer to two or more antecedents joined by "and".
  • A pronoun that refers to a collective noun has the same number as the noun.
Here are some links that might help you with your agreement quest:





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