SubjectVerb Agreement A verb must agree with its

Subject-Verb Agreement A verb must agree with its subject in number. A singular subject takes a singular verb. A plural subject takes a plural verb. Mistakes in subject-verb agreement are sometimes made in the following situations: When words come between the subject and the verb When a verb comes before the subject With compound subjects With indefinite pronouns

Subject-Verb Subjects and verbs must agree in number. If the subject is singular (meaning one), the verb must end in –s. If the subject is plural (meaning more than one), the verb should not end in –s.

Words between Subject and Verb Words that come between the subject and the verb do not change subject-verb agreement. The tomatoes in this salad are brown and mushy tomatoes = subject are = verb To help find the subject of certain sentences, you should cross out prepositional phrases. Nell, with her three dogs close behind, runs around the park.

Verb before Subject A verb agrees with its subject when the verb comes before the subject. Words that may precede the subject include there, and in questions, who, which, what, and where. On Glen’s doorstep were two police officers. Other Points to Remember: 1. The subject is never within a prepositional phrase. 2. To find the subject of a question, turn the question into a statement. 3. The words there and here are never the subjects.

Compound Subjects joined by and generally take a plural verb. Maple syrup and sweet butter taste delicious on pancakes. Fear and ignorance have a lot to do with hatred. When subjects are joined by either. . . or, neither. . . nor, not only. . . but also, the verb agrees with the subject closer to the verb. Neither TV shows nor the Internet is as enjoyable to me as spending time with my friends.

Indefinite Pronouns The following words, known as indefinite pronouns, always take singular verbs. (-one words) (-body words) (-thing words) one, no one nobody nothing each anyone anybody anything either everyone everybody everything neither someone somebody something TIP: Both always takes a plural verb

Indefinite Pronouns that are plural: both, few, several, and many A few indefinite pronouns, such as all, any, most, some, and none, can be either singular or plural, depending on the meaning of the sentence. Some of the houses have been painted Some of the house has been painted.

S-V Agr after Who, Which, and That The words who, which, and that are relative pronouns which are usually followed by verbs in sentences Students often have trouble deciding whether or not to put an –s on a verb following a relative pronoun because it is unclear whether the pronoun is singular or plural To make a verb agree with a relative pronoun subject, look for the word to which the pronoun refers. The people who sit in the back of the auditorium sometimes have trouble hearing the speaker.