GRAMMAR 4 th Grade COORDINATED SUBJECT When a

GRAMMAR 4 th Grade

COORDINATED SUBJECT When a subject consists of two or more noun phrases coordinated by and, a distinction has to be made between appositional and non-appositional coordination: Under NON-A PPOSITIONAL COORDINATION we include cases that can be treated as an implied reduction of two clauses. These have a verb in the plural: Tom and Mary are now ready ( i. e. Tom is now ready and Mary is now ready)

COORDINATED SUBJECT A singular verb is used with conjoinings which represent a single entity: Sons and lovers is a great novel

COORDINATED SUBJECT With the less common APPOSITIONAL C OORDINATION , however, no such reduction is possible at all, for the coordinated structures refer to the same thing. his beloved and wife is angry ( beloved and wife is the same person here)

COORDINATED SUBJECT A single noun head with coordinate modifiers may imply two separate sentences, with the result that a plural verb may follow a singular non-count noun subject quite legitimately: Good and bad sugar are sold here. A similar collapsing of coordinate subjects into a single structure is observed when the subject is a clause: What I eat and ware no business of yours

EITHER …. . OR Either …. . Or usually follows proximity rule e. g. : Either the Mayor or his deputy is bound to come Either the strikers or the bosses have misunderstood Either your brakes or your eyesight is at fault Either your eyesight or your brakes are at fault

INDEFINITE EXPRESSIONS OF AMOUNT None : it is grammatically singular. However it could come in a context in which plural indication is raised : I’ve ordered some books , but none (of them) have/has yet arrived. Neither and either as indefinite pronouns: these follow the same rule: I’ve ordered some books , but neither (of them) have/has yet arrived. I invited Sandi and Sandra, but I doubt if either (of them) is/are coming. Note: The same proximity principle may lead to plural concord even with the indefinites each, everybody, anybody, and nobody, which are otherwise undoubtedly singular

CONCORD OF PERSON I am your friend (1 st person singular concord) He meets her (3 rd person singular concord) He is the boss (3 rd person singular concord) Note: according to the principle of proximity, the last noun phrase of a coordinate subject (where the coordinator is or, either. . . or, or neither. . . nor) determines the person of the verb: Neither you, nor I, nor anyone else knows the answer Either my wife or I am going.