English
Grammar
Subject-Verb Agreement
Subject-verb
agreement is a grammatical rule that states that the verb in a sentence must
agree in number with the subject. In other words, a singular subject requires a
singular verb, while a plural subject requires a plural verb.
Here
are some examples to illustrate subject-verb agreement:
Singular
subject with a singular verb:
The
dog barks loudly.
He
plays the piano beautifully.
The
car drives smoothly.
Plural
subject with a plural verb:
The
dogs bark loudly.
They
play soccer on weekends.
The
cars drive smoothly.
Singular
subject with an irregular verb:
She
goes to school every day.
The
child sings a sweet melody.
He
has a lot of homework to do.
Plural
subject with an irregular verb:
They
go to the park together.
The
children sing in the choir.
We have
many tasks to complete.
Indefinite
pronouns and subject-verb agreement:
Everyone
is responsible for their own actions.
Somebody
left their umbrella in the hallway.
None
of the books belong to me.
In
the examples above, you can see that the verbs "barks,"
"plays," "drives," "bark," "play," and
"drive" agree with their corresponding subjects, whether they are
singular or plural. It's important to ensure subject-verb agreement to maintain
grammatical accuracy in your writing or speech.
Rules
Here
are some key rules for subject-verb agreement:
Singular
subjects require singular verbs, while plural subjects require plural verbs.
Singular
subject: The cat jumps over the fence.
Plural
subject: The cats jump over the fence.
Indefinite
pronouns (such as everyone, someone, anybody, nobody) are generally treated as
singular subjects and require singular verbs.
Everyone
enjoys a good movie.
Somebody
has left their bag on the table.
When
using "either...or" or "neither...nor" to connect two
subjects, the verb agrees with the subject closest to it.
Neither
John nor his friends are coming to the party.
Collective
nouns, which refer to a group of individuals, can be treated as singular or
plural depending on the context.
The
team is practicing for the championship. (singular)
The
team are discussing their strategies. (plural)
In
sentences that begin with "there" or "here," the subject
follows the verb. The verb should agree with the subject, not the word
"there" or "here."
There
are many books on the shelf.
Here
is your ticket to the concert.
When
a phrase or clause separates the subject from the verb, make sure to identify
the true subject and ensure agreement.
The
book, along with the pens and pencils, was on the table.
Some
nouns that appear plural but are considered singular require singular verbs,
such as mathematics, news, economics, physics, etc.
Mathematics
is my favorite subject.
The
news is shocking.
Exercise
Choose
the correct verb form that agrees with the subject in each sentence.
The
book on the shelf ____________ (belongs/belong) to me.
John,
along with his friends, ____________ (is/are) going to the party.
None
of the students ____________ (has/have) completed the assignment yet.
The
committee ____________ (meets/meet) every Tuesday.
The
news from the newspaper ____________ (is/are) often sensationalized.
Each
of the students ____________ (has/have) a different opinion.
The
police officer ____________ (is/are) patrolling the streets at night.
The
package on the doorstep ____________ (belongs/belong) to our neighbor.
My
dog and cat ____________ (loves/love) to play together.
The
data collected from the survey ____________ (supports/support) the hypothesis.
Answers:
belongs
is
has
meets
is
has
is
belongs
love
supports
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