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Grammar Assignment 1: Subject and Verb Agreement

Introduction to Assignment: This assignment contains a number of sections. Each section contains a reading followed by a practice exercise. To complete the assignment, you need to respond to all the practice exercises in the assignment.

Directions: Type out the answers to all the practice exercises on a separate sheet of paper. This sheet of paper or document will be known as the “Answer Sheet for Grammar Assignment 1” Be sure to number your answer sheet in the same way the practice exercises are numbered. For this assignment, your answer sheet should be numbered from 1 through 63. Also, be aware that for some of the practice exercises you have to rewrite the sentences to complete the practice, and for some of the practice exercise you do not have to rewrite the sentences to complete the practice.

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When to Submit Your Assignment: Grammar Assignment 1 is due by 11:59 Eastern Standard Time on Sunday, August 24, 2014.

 

How to Format Assignment:

Title: Center the following information at the top of the completed exercise:

Answer Sheet for Grammar Assignment 1

Font: 12pt Times New Roman

Spacing: Double Spacing

If you have any questions about how to do Grammar Assignment 1 or how to submit it, be sure to let me know.

Section 1: Subjects and Verbs [If you would like to view this lecture about subjects and verbs, then go to Lecture 1 of  Module 1: Sentence Accuracy located under the Modules tab the Course Resources area of the course site.]

 

Before we begin discussing agreement between subjects and verbs, we need to talk some about subjects and verbs themselves.

Every sentence in English needs a subject and a verb. It will either be implied or stated. Let's take a look at the following examples.

  • The basketball game ended at 11:00 p.m.
  • The dog ate the bone in the yard.
  • That lawn mower costs $150.00.
  • Flowers bloom in the spring.
  • His coffee cup broke in the cafeteria.
  • Janet drinks coffee in the morning.

Each of these sentences has a subject and a verb. Let's take a look at what the subjects are. To find the subject of a sentence you can ask yourself who or what the sentences are about.

What are the subjects in these sentences?

  • The basketball game ended at 11:00 p.m.
    • This sentence is about a game. Notice that it's not about a basketball. Basketball is an adjective describing the subject, which is game.
  • The dog ate the bone in the yard.
    • This sentence is about a dog.
  • That lawn mower costs $150.00.
    • The subject in this sentence is mower. Notice that the subject is not lawn. The sentence is not talking about a lawn; it is talking about a mower.
  • Flowers bloom in the spring.
    • Clearly, the sentence is talking about flowers.
  • His coffee cup broke in the cafeteria.
    • This sentence is about a cup. It is not about coffee. Coffee again is an adjective telling you what kind of cup it is.
  • Janet drinks coffee in the morning.
    • This sentence is about Janet.

So the subjects in these sentences are colored in blue.

What are the verbs? To find the verbs you can ask yourself what the sentence says about each subject. In these cases the verbs are all what we call action verbs.

What are the verbs in these sentences?

  • The basketball game ended at 11:00 p.m.
    • What does it say about the game? That it ended.
  • The dog ate the bone in the yard.
    • What does the sentence say about the dog? He or she ate.
  • That lawn mower costs $150.00.
    • The sentence is stating about the mower that it costs.
  • Flowers bloom in the spring.
    • Clearly, the sentence is stating that the flowers bloom.
  • His coffee cup broke in the cafeteria.
    • The sentence states about the cup that it broke.
  • Janet drinks coffee in the morning.
    • This sentence says that Janet drinks coffee in the morning.

Notice that in the first example, the sentence doesn't say that the basketball ended it says that the game ended and in the third example it doesn't say that the lawn costs any money it says that the mower costs money. And in the fifth example, coffee didn't break it's the cup that broke. So, identifying what the sentence says about the subject will often help you identify the subject.

Practice 1: On your answer sheet, type out the subjects and verbs of the following sentences. You do not need to rewrite the sentences to complete this practice.

 

1. The dog ran into the road.

 

2. The boy tripped his sister

 

3. The grass died during the drought.

 

4. Martha fell from her horse.

 

5. I dropped my ice cream in the middle of the street.

 

Section 2: Prepositional Phrases [If you would like to view this lecture about prepositional phrases as they relate to subjects and verbs, then go to Lecture 1 of  Module 1: Sentence Accuracy located under the Modules tab the Course Resources area of the course site.] 

 

So we have some simple sentences here in which we have identified the subjects and the verbs. You'll want to be careful with prepositional phrases in English. A preposition is a word that often denotes time or place and usually precedes a noun. Prepositions are words like in, on, around, under, at. A prepositional phrase is a group of words that often denotes time or place. A prepositional phrase always consists of a preposition and a noun. You could say, "at school", "under the table", "in the room", "around the yard". These are prepositional phrases.

Be careful with prepositional phrases because the noun that follows the preposition is the object of the preposition. It is never the subject of the sentence. So, in identifying the subject and verb of a sentence, you want to make sure that you don't accidentally identify any words in a prepositional phrase.

Be careful with prepositional phrases

  • The basketball game ended at 11:00 p.m.
    • In this sentence, game is your subject, ended is your verb, and at 11:00 p.m. is your prepositional phrase. At is the preposition. 11:00 p.m. is the object of the preposition.
  • Flowers bloom in the spring.
    • In the spring is your prepositional phrase here. In is the preposition and spring is the object of the preposition.
  • His coffee cup broke in the cafeteria.
    • We have in as a preposition and cafeteria as the object of the preposition.
  • The truck stopped at the sign.
    • At is the preposition and sign is the object of the preposition. So we have a number of prepositional phrases occurring here: at 11:00 p.m., in the spring, in the cafeteria, at the sign, and we have in the fall.
  • The leaves turned yellow in the fall.
    • In is the preposition; fall is the object of the preposition. So the phrase is in the fall.
  • The books fell from the shelves.
    • From is your preposition and shelves is the object of the preposition.
  • My car malfunctioned in the middle of the road.
    • In the middle of the road is actually two prepositional phrases, "in the middle" and "of the road". In is your preposition and middle is its object. Of is another preposition; road being its object.

We can see all of these prepositional phrases occur at the end of the sentences; however, that's not always going to be the case.

Prepositional Phrases (cont.)

  • At 11:00 p.m., the basketball game ended.
    • We have a prepositional phrase now at the beginning of the sentence.
  • In the spring, flowers bloom.
  • The truck with the red roof stopped at the sign.
    • Here we have a prepositional phrase in two different places in the sentence: one that comes between the subject and the verb and one that comes after the verb. Truck is your subject. Stopped is your verb. With the red roof is a prepositional phrase between the subject and the verb. This is one reason why identifying prepositional phrases can be helpful in identifying the subject and verb of the sentence. You might be inclined to choose roof as the subject, but the sentence doesn't say that the roof stopped. The sentence says that the truck stopped. Again, going back to our original question in finding a subject, what does the sentence talk about? This sentence is talking about a truck.
  • The leaves on the trees turned yellow in the fall.
    • On the trees and in the fall are two prepositional phrases. Notice again that on the trees is a prepositional phrase between the subject and the verb. Leaves is our subject; turned is our verb. We don't want to inadvertently choose trees as our subject because the trees didn't turn yellow; the leaves turned yellow.
  • During the afternoon, the books fell from the shelves.
    • We have a prepositional phrase at the beginning of the sentence, during the afternoon, and a prepositional phrase at the end of the sentence, from the shelves.

Practice 2: On your answer sheet, do the following three things for each of the following sentences:

Underline the subject one time

Underline the verb two times

Put brackets around the prepositional phrases. Use the table of commonly used prepositional phrases provided at the end of Practice 2 to help you pick out the prepositional phrases in each sentence. You will need to rewrite the sentences to complete this practice.

 

6. Martha talked about her new boyfriend for a long time.

7. The goalkeeper led her team to victory.

8. The painting on the far wall sold for $2,000.

9. The exchange student from Somalia left her home during January.

10. The humidity during the summer in Alabama makes outdoor activities difficult.

Table of Commonly Used Prepositions

About

Before

Except

Of

To

Above

Behind

For

Off

Toward

Across

Below

From

On

Under

After

Beneath

In

Out

Until

Against

Beside

Inside

Outside

Up

Along

Between

Into

Over

Upon

Among

By

Like

Past

With

Around

Down

Near

Within

Without

At

During

Next to

Through

 

 

Section 3: Verb Phrases [If you would like to view this lecture about verb phrases, then go to Lecture 2 of  Module 1: Sentence Accuracy located under the Modules tab the Course Resources area of the course site.]

 

Some verbs in English sentences are actually verb phrases and of course a phrase would contain more than one word. Take a look at these examples:

  • George is working on his lawn today.
  • The newspaper carrier has finished his route.
  • The driver of the truck should have stopped at the light.
  • Jennifer was going to work yesterday.

Each of these sentences has more than one word that would need to be identified in identifying the verb or verb phrase.

Some verbs contain more than one word:

  • George is working on his lawn today.
    • For the first sentence, is working, both words, would need to be identified as the verb phrase. If you were to only identify working as the verb in this sentence that would not be a complete identification of the verb or verb phrase in this sentence. Grammar books have different ways of identifying this type of a verb: some would call it a present progressive verb tense, others would call it present progressive verb aspect. The jargon is not important for us right now but just identifying both words as the verb phrase is what we're focusing on.
  • The newspaper carrier has finished his route.
    • Has finished, both words, should be identified as the verb or verb phrase in this sentence. This is known as present perfect verb tense or verb aspect.
  • The driver of the truck should have stopped at the light.
    • Here we have three words, the modal should and the auxiliary have as well as the main verb stopped. All three would need to be identified as the verb phrase.
  • Jennifer was going to work yesterday.
    • This is past progressive, was going. We would need to identify both words, was and going, in identifying the verb phrase.

Take a look at a few more examples.

  • Nancy has been drawing that picture for four hours.
  • The teacher should have explained that concept more clearly.
  • The cat has been sick for ten days.
  • My computer has been catching viruses for three months.

Some verbs contain more than one word:

  • Nancy has been drawing that picture for four hours.
    • Taking a look at the first example, we have has been drawing, present perfect progressive verb tense or verb aspect as our verb form here. All three words would have to be identified as the verb phrase.
  • The teacher should have explained that concept more clearly.
    • Again, the modal should and the auxiliary have with the main verb explained.
  • The cat has been sick for ten days.
    • Here, has been is the verb. Sick is not included as part of the verb because sick is not a verb; it's an adjective.
  • My computer has been catching viruses for three months.
    • Present perfect progressive form here. Again, all three words, has been catching, should be identified as the verb phrase.

Practice 3: On your answer sheet, do the following three things for each of the sentences in the practice:

Underline the subject one time

Underlined the verb phrase two times

Put brackets around the prepositional phrase. Use the table of commonly used prepositional phrases provided at the end of Practice 2 to help you pick out the prepositional phrases in the sentences. You will need to rewrite the sentences to complete this practice.

 

11. The clock has been ticking for four years.

12. Jane has fallen from the horse.

13. The new teacher has been depressed for six months.

14. Mark is giving a computer demonstration in the auditorium.

15. The insurance company should have notified its customers about the change in policy

Section 4: Subject Verb Agreement: Action Verbs [If you would like to view this lecture about verb phrases, then go to Lecture 2 of  Module 1: Sentence Accuracy located under the Modules tab the Course Resouces area of the course site.]

Understand the difference between first person, second person, and third person.

Take a look at these three sentences:

  • I climb trees.

First Person

  • You climb trees.

Second Person

  • He climbs trees.

Third Person

The first is first person.

The second example is about second person. Imagine you are pointing at another person in the room.

The third example is about third person. Imagine you are talking about someone perhaps outside the room.

Third person can be problematic when choosing the correct form of an action verb.

  • The cat climbs up the tree.
  • The two cats climb up the tree.

These are action verbs, climbs and climb. Not be verbs. Notice in the first sentence, cat is our subject and climbs is our verb. In the second sentence, cats is our subject and climb is our verb. In the first situation, cat is singular (no s added to it), and the verb that agrees with it has an s added. In the second sentence, cats is plural and has an s added to it, but the verb that agrees with it does not have an s added to it. So we have cat climbs and cats climb.

Some students get confused by this. They think that if the subject has an s added to it (making the subject plural), the verb should end in s so that it agrees with the subject. That is not correct in English grammar. If a subject has an s (is a plural subject), the verb will not have an s. In third person, a plural subject takes a verb that does not end in s and a singular noun takes a verb that ends in s. So "cat climbs" is a singular subject that takes a verb with an s and "cats climb" is a plural noun that takes a verb that does not end in s.

A plural noun takes a verb that does not end in an "s."

A singular noun takes a verb that ends in "s."

  • The cat climbs up the tree.
  • The two cats climb up the tree.

To expand in this principle, we can say that:

A subject that is singular will take a verb that ends in s.

  • The bicycle is nice.
  • The bicycle was nice.
  • The bicycle has been cleaned.
  • The bicycle does have a new seat.
  • The bicycle rides nicely.

All the verbs in these sentences end in s and the subject is singular (it does not end in s). So iswashas (been)doesrides all end in s and they agree with a singular subject that does not end in s. So:

A subject that is singular will take a verb that ends in s.

A subject that is plural will take a verb that does not end in s.

Practice 4: On your answer sheet, type out the subject and correct verb for each of the following sentences. You do not have to rewrite the sentences to complete this practice.

16. Mark (say, says) that his favorite television show is SVU.

17. Crime dramas (are, is) popular with other people as well.

18. CSI (uses, use) detailed forensic scenes to attract viewers.

19. Television viewers (wants, want) production companies to make more crime dramas like SVU and CSI.

20. Directors (enjoys, enjoy) making these types of programs.

 

Section 5: Subject Verb Agreement: Irregular Verbs such as Be and Do [If you would like to view this lecture about the verbs “be,” then go to Lecture 1 of  Module 2: Accuracy in Verbs and Pronouns located under the Modules tab the Course Resources area of the course site.]

 

First person and third person can be problematic when choosing the correct form of the verb be in an English sentence. Take a look at these sentences:

  • I am going to the library.
  • We are going to the library.

First Person

These are examples of first person. The first sentence is first person singular and the second sentence is first person plural. Notice that the verb changes depending on whether the subject is singular or plural: "I am going" and "We are going." And of course in the third person situation:

  • You are going to the library.

Second Person

  • He is going to the library.
  • They are going to the library.

Third Person

"He is going to the library" is third person singular and "They are going to the library" is third person plural. In a third-person situation, the verb changes depending on whether the subject is singular or plural.

We have three forms of the verb be here (amare, or is), used depending on whether we are speaking in first person or the third person and also on whether the subject is singular or plural. You may intuitively know this and you may instinctively get these sentences correct when you're speaking or writing in English, but understanding these principles of first person, second person, and third person and of plural subjects and singular subjects will be essential when understanding the rules that follow in this lecture.

Practice 5.1: On your answer sheet, type out the correct form of be that should be in the blank. Make sure the verb agrees with the subject. Also, make sure you use the correct tense. That is, if the sentence needs a present tense verb, then be sure to use a present tense verb. You will need a present tense verb if the sentence is talking about something that is happening in the present. If the sentence needs a past tense verb, be sure to use a past tense verb. You will need the past tense, if the sentence is talking about something that happened in the past. Use the Present Tense Forms of Be and Past Tense Forms of Be tables to help you complete this practice. You will not need to rewrite the sentences to complete this practice.

21. I ______overweight and out of shape.

22. I ______ overweight as a child also.

23. Growing up, my brother and I _____ the two largest members of our family.

24. Now, my brother _____ slimmer than I ____ because he eats healthy and exercises regularly.

Present Tense Forms of Be

Person

Singular Present Tense

Plural Present Tense

First Person

I am

We are

Second Person

You are

You are

Third Person

He/she/it is

They are

 

Past Tense Forms of Be

Person

Singular Past Tense

Plural Past Tense

First Person

I was

We were

Second Person

You were

You were

Third Person

He/she/it was

They were

 

Practice 5.2: On your answer sheet, type out the correct for of do that should be in the blanks. Like be, do is an irregular verb, so its form changes as it moves from first to second to third person and as it moves from present to past tense. Make sure the verb agrees with the subject. Also, make sure you use the correct tense. That is, if the sentence needs a present tense verb, then be sure to use a present tense verb. You will need a present tense verb if the sentence is talking about something that is happening in the present. If the sentence needs a past tense verb, be sure to use a past tense verb. You will need the past tense if the sentence is talking about something that happened in the past. Use the Present Tense Forms of Do and Past Tense Forms of Do tables to help you complete this practice. You will not need to rewrite the sentences to complete this practice.

25. Many students _____ not understand the importance of starting a writing project early.

26. Martha ____ not start any of her writing projects until the night before they are due.

27. Last semester, she _____ poorly in her history class because her assignments were always late.

28. Mark, on the other hand, _____all his preliminary work weeks before the final draft of a project is due.

29. Mark _____ better than Martha in last semester’s history class.

Present Tense Forms of Do

Person

Singular Present Tense

Plural Present Tense

First Person

I do

We do

Second Person

You do

You do

Third Person

He/she/it does

They do

 

Past Tense Forms of Do

Person

Singular Past Tense

Plural Past Tense

First Person

I did

We did

Second Person

You did

They did

Third Person

He/she/it did

They did

 

Section 6: Subject Verb Agreement: Material That Comes Between the Subject and Verb [If you would like view this lecture about material that comes between the subject and the verb, then go to Lecture 1 of  Module 2: Accuracy in Verbs and Pronouns located under the Modules tab the Course Resources area of the course site.]

The form of the verb is not affected by material that comes between the verb and the subject. These sentences illustrate this principle:

  • The cost of replacing my windshield wipers was not high.
    • In this sentence, cost is your subject so your verb is wasOf replacing my windshield wipers is a prepositional phrase. This is material between the subject and the verb, but notice it does not affect the verb. The subject of the sentence, cost, is what determines the form of the verb.
  • The purpose of taking eight courses in two semesters was to graduate in May.
    • Purpose is your subject, of taking eight courses is a prepositional phrase, in two semesters is a prepositional phrase. These phrases don't influence the verb. It's the subject, purpose, that determines the form of the verb, was.
  • The trail of breadcrumbs leads to the source of the problem.
    • Trail is the subject so leads is your verb. Of breadcrumbs is the prepositional phrase, but that doesn't influence anything in this case. Trail is your subject so you should use a singular form of the verb to agree with the singular subject, leads.
  • The highest score for all exams for all students was a 98.
    • Score is your subject and your verb is was. For all exams and for all students are two prepositional phrases, but they don't influence the verb. It's the subject, score, that determines the verb, was.

      So the material between the subject and the verb will not influence what kind of verb you use. A singular subject takes a verb that agrees with the singular subject. A plural subject takes a verb that agrees with the plural subject. The prepositional phrases and material between the subject and the verb will not affect this.

In the next lecture we will show some exceptions to the rule, but don't let the exceptions worry you at this point.

Practice 6: On your answer sheet, do the following two things for each of the sentences in the practice.

1. Put brackets around the prepositional phrases that come between the subject and the verb

2. Choose the correct verb in parentheses

3. You will need to rewrite the sentences in order to complete this practice.

 

30. Visitors to Paris (is, are) often overwhelmed by the city’s size.

31. The many busy boulevards of the city often (confuse, confuses) visitors.

32. Shops of every kind (encourage, encourages) visitors to spend their money.

33. Travel to Paris and other European capitals (are, is) provided by many airlines.

34. A trip to one of the city’s many tourists attractions (are, is) often the highlight of a visit to Paris.

 

Section 7: Subject Verb Agreement: When the Verb Comes Before the Subject [If you would like to view this lecture about verbs that come before the subject, then go to Lecture 4 of  Module 1: Sentence Accuracy located under the Modules tab the Course Resources area of the course site.]

When sentences start with there or here or with prepositional phrases, the verb will often come before the subject:

  • On the river is a row of houses.
  • Beyond the graveyard is a haunted house.
  • There are four pigs on that farm.
  • Here is some money for the bus.
  • There have been three burglaries in my neighborhood since June.

See the answers:

  • On the river is a row of houses.
    • The verb would be is and the subject would be row. The sentence starts with a prepositional phrase, on the river. You could actually rewrite this sentence by writing "A row of houses is on the river."
  • Beyond the graveyard is a haunted house.
    • This sentence is similar, is is your verb and house, the last word in the sentence, is actually your subject. Beyond the graveyard is a prepositional phrase. You could actually rewrite this sentence by writing "A haunted house is beyond the graveyard." But starting with a prepositional phrase, in these cases, causes the verb to come before the subject.

The next three examples are examples in which words like here or there start the sentence and then the verb follows.

  • There are four pigs on that farm.
    • Are is the verb and pigs is the subject.
  • Here is some money for the bus.
    • Is is the verb and money is the subject.
  • There have been three burglaries in my neighborhood since June.
    • Have been is the verb phrase and burglaries is the subject. In my neighborhood is a prepositional phrase and since June is a prepositional phrase.

In all cases, if you start a sentence with there or here followed by a form of the verb be you are going to have the subject following the verb.

When sentences start with an -ing phrase, often the verb will come before the subject.

  • Coming around the bend was a car going 120 miles per hour.
  • Floating near the top of the water was an old shoe.
  • Trying to get across the river was an elderly man in a canoe.
  • Making her way down from the mountain was a woman with a backpack.

All of these sentences start with -ing phrases, "coming around the mountain", "floating near the top of the water", "trying to get across the river", "making her way down from the mountain".

See the answers:

  • Coming around the bend was a car going 120 miles per hour.
    • In the first example, was is your verb and car is your subject.
  • Floating near the top of the water was an old shoe.
    • In the next example, was is your verb and shoe, the last word in the sentence, is actually your subject.
  • Trying to get across the river was an elderly man in a canoe.
    • In the next example, was is your verb and man is your subject. Of course, in a canoe is a prepositional phrase.
  • Making her way down from the mountain was a woman with a backpack.
    • Finally, in the fourth example, was is your verb and woman is your subject. With a backpack is a prepositional phrase.

So we can see that beginning a sentence with an -ing phrase can result in the verb coming before the subject.

Now that we have looked at sentences where the verb comes before the subject, let’s look at the rules for subject and verb agreement in sentences where the verb comes before the subject.

The verb agrees with its subject even when the subject follows the verb.

  • There was not enough room in the inn.
    • Was is the verb because room is the subject.
  • Here is a free ticket to the Georgetown game.
    • Is is the verb because ticket is the subject.
  • Moving slowly up the road were two men in pink shorts.
    • Now we use were as our verb because men is our subject.
  • There were only twenty people at the lecture when it started.
    • We use were as our verb because people is our subject.

The point of this is that even when subjects come near the end of a sentence, coming after the verb, subject/verb agreement principles will still apply. A singular subject will take a singular form of the verb and a plural subject will take a plural form of the verb.

A couple more examples:

The verb agrees with its subject even when the subject follows the verb.

  • Here is a helping of potatoes and gravy.
    • Is is your verb because helping is our subject. Of potatoes and gravy is your prepositional phrase.
  • There are thirty students in this class.
    • Are is your verb because students is your subject. In this class is a prepositional phrase.

Note that sentences that begin with here and there often are characterized by verbs that come before a subject.

Practice 7: On your answer sheet, type out the subjects and correct verbs of each of the following sentences. Make sure the verbs agree with the subjects. You do not need to rewrite the sentences to complete this practice.

35. There (is, are) three stray cats in my neighborhood.

36. Rubbing against my leg, the gray cat (are, is) friendlier than the other two cats.

37. There (is, are) a family of birds that has been terrorized by the cats.

38. (Are, Is) their cries the noise that we hear each night?

39. Here (are, is) the telephone number for animal control.

 

Section 8: Subject Verb Agreement: Questions [If you would like to view this lecture about verbs that come before the subject, then go to Lecture 4 of  Module : Sentence Accuracy located under the Modules tab the Course Resources area of the course site.]

Like sentence that begin with here and there, questions are sentence in which the subject comes before the verb.

Which company delivers your packages?

  • The subject of the sentence is company.

  • Since the subject of the sentence is the singular “company,” you need the singular verb “delivers” to agree with the singular subject

  • One way to figure out the subject of a question is to turn the question around: The that delivers your packages . ..

 

Where is the library book?

  • The subject of the sentence is book

  • Since the subject of the sentence is the singular “book,” you need the singular verb is to agree with the singular subject.

  • One way to figure out the subject of a question is to turn the question around: The library book is . . .

 

Why is Martha crying?

  • The subject of the sentence is Martha

  • Since the subject of the sentence is the singular “Martha,” you need the singular verb “is” to agree with the singular subject.

  • One way to figure out the subject of a question is to turn the question around: Martha is crying . . .

How do you solve this problem?

  • The subject of the sentence is “you”

  • Since the subject of the sentence is the singular second person pronoun “you,” you need the singular verb “do solve” to agree with the singular subject.

  • One way to figure out the subject of a question is to turn the question around: You solve this problem . . .

Practice 8: On your answer sheet, type out the subjects and correct verbs of each of the following sentences. Make sure the verbs agree with the subjects. You do not need to rewrite the sentences to complete this practice.

40. How (do, does) people without health insurance afford medical care?

41. Which insurance company (are, is) the best?

42. What medical procedures (is, are) covered by your insurance?

43. Why (are, is) hospital visits so expensive?

44. How (does, do) doctors decide which procedures to perform on patients?

Section 9: Indefinite Pronouns  [If you would like to view this lecture about indefinite pronouns, then go to Lecture 2 of  Module 2: Accuracy in Verbs and Pronouns located under the Modules tab the Course Resources area of the course site.]

In subject-verb agreement, you want to be aware of indefinite pronouns.

A list of indefinite pronouns is being displayed on your screen:

Another, anybody, anyone, anything, each, either, everybody, everyone, everything, nether, nobody, no one, nothing, one, other, somebody, someone, something

This is not an exhaustive list of indefinite pronouns, but keep in mind that these indefinite pronouns are singular and will take singular verbs.

Indefinite pronouns are singular.

  • Everyone wants to come to the party tonight.
    • You might be inclined to think that everyone is a plural subject, but it is a singular subject and it would take the verb wants.
  • Each person is bringing something to eat.
    • Each person may sound like a plural concept, but it's a singular subject and the verb is would be appropriate here.
  • Everyone has to come dressed appropriately.
    • Everyone is a singular subject.
  • Neither one of the girls is coming.
    • The verb is would be appropriate here. Neither one of the girlsmay sound plural to you, but the subject here is one, and even the word neither doesn't make this plural.
  • Does either of the two people have our phone number?
    • At first glance, you may be inclined to write "Do either of the two people have our phone number?" But in this case, the word eitheris your subject, and that is an indefinite pronoun that takes a singular form of the verb, does.

Again, you want to remember that singular verbs are verbs that agree with singular subjects in third person and end in s.

Another rule we want to keep in mind is an exception to what we mentioned in the previous lecture:

In some cases, the prepositional phrase does determine whether a subject is plural or not. We mentioned previously that in determining the form of a verb, don't consider the prepositional phrase that may come between the subject and the verb. However, there are exceptions to this rule. Look at these two examples:

  • Most of the book is just rubbish.
  • Most of his books are still in print.

The subject in the first sentence is most and verb is is. The subject in the second sentence is most, but the verb is are. Why the change? Because in the first sentence, the prepositional phrase of the book makes the subject singular. Think of the meaning: "most of the book" means one book. This is why you use a singular form of the verb, is. In the second example, of his books, that prepositional phrase makes the word most plural. Think of the meaning: "most of his books" means more than one book. This means we use a plural form of a verb, are.

These are cases in which the information between the subject and the verb, the prepositional phrases, make a difference as to whether the subject is singular or plural and therefore, do affect the verb. In the first sentence, one book is involved, but in the second sentence more than one book is involved.

Taking a look at some other examples:

In some cases, the prepositional phrase does determine whether a subject is plural or not.

  • Half of the meal is rotten.
    • Half is your subject, but is is your verb. Of the meal is a prepositional phrase, but it means that the word half is singular.
  • Half of the dishes are dirty.
    • The prepositional phrase here, of the dishes means that the meaning of the word half is a plural meaning. Think of the meaning: half of the dishes means more than one dish.
  • All of the magazine is torn.
    • The prepositional phrase of the magazine means that the word allis referring to one magazine.
  • All of the magazines are old.
    • The prepositional phrase of the magazines means that the wordall is plural. Think of the meaning: all of the magazines obviously means more than one magazine.
  • None of the rice has been cooked.
    • Of the rice means we're talking about one dish. So the word noneis singular.
  • None of the dishes have been cooked.
    • The prepositional phrase of the dishes means we're talking about more than one dish. The word none here is plural.

So you can see, in some cases, the prepositional phrase does determine whether a subject is plural or not and, therefore, will affect the form of the verb that you choose.

Note the difference between a number of and the number of:

  • The number of bankruptcies is high
  • A number of these bankruptcies are in the high-technology field.

The subject of the first sentence is number and the verb is is, but the reason the verb is is is because number is preceded by the word theThe number means one specific number.

In the second example, the subject is still number, but the verb is are. But the word number here is preceded by the indefinite article aA number of these bankruptcies: this phrase really means more than one bankruptcy. It has a plural meaning so the word are is appropriate. The number of will take a singular verb. A number of will take a plural verb.

Note this minor exception:

However, see the exception here:

  • The number of bankruptcies is high.
  • A number of these bankruptcies are in the high-technology field.
  • The greatest number of bankruptcies were in web development.

Here we have the word number and it's taking a plural verb were, but this has the article the in front of it with the adjective greatest inserted in between them. But the meaning here again is plural. The greatest number of bankruptcies has a plural meaning to it. The overall meaning of these various examples we're looking at is: the general rule is that you must look at the subject in addition to the prepositional phrase to determine if the meaning is singular or plural. The number is going to be a singular subject, but you may see cases where there is a phrase like the greatest number of such and such and that will be a plural subject or a number of such and such will always be a plural subject. They will take plural forms of verbs. Words like most and all and half: these types of words can be singular or plural depending on the words that follow it. So keep these in mind when you’re determining subject-verb agreement.

 

Practice 9: On your answer sheet, type out the correct verb from the two choices in the parentheses. Make sure that the verb agrees with the subject. You do not need to rewrite the sentences to complete this practice. Use Tables 9.1, 9.2, 9.3, and 9.4 at the end of the practice to help you determine which verb you need in each sentence.

45. Everyone (think, thinks) owning a pet is easy.

46. No one (realize, realizes) how much work is required to take care of a dog or a cat.

47. Anyone with pets (needs, need) patience.

48. Each of the adopted pets (require, requires) love and attention.

49. Neither of the children (wants, want) to care for the pets.

50. Few (understands, understand) how to properly care for a pet.

51. Most of the children in the neighborhood (was, were) afraid of the stray dogs.

52. The number of stray dogs reported each year (is, are) rising.

53. A number of stray dogs and cats (is, are) adopted each year.

 

Table 9.1: Indefinite Pronouns that are always singular

Another

Everyone

Other

Anybody

Everything

Somebody

Anyone

Neither

Someone

Anything

Nobody

Something

Each

No one

Either

Nothing

Everybody

One

 

Table 9.2: Indefinite Pronouns that may be either singular or plural

All

Most

Any

Some

 

Table 9.3: Indefinite Pronouns that are always plural

Both

Few

Many

Several

 

Table 9.4: “The number” vs “A number”

“The number” is singular

“A number” is plural

 

Section 10: Compounds Subjects Connected with “And”  [If you would like to view this lecture about compound subjects joined by “and,” then go to Lecture 1 of  Module 2: Accuracy in Verbs and Pronouns located under the Modules tab the Content area of the course site.]

Compound subjects joined by and take a plural verb.

  • A boy and his father were walking down the street.
    • In the first example, boy is singular and father is singular, but when they're combined, connected with the word and, we use a plural verb, were walking.
  • A man and his dog were resting by the side of the highway.
    • Man is singular and dog is singular, but when connected with the word and, we use a plural form of the verb, were resting.

The sentence is rewritten in the third example:

  • On the side of the highway were a man and his dog resting.
    • But the same principles apply, man is singular, dog is singular, but they are connected with the word and, so were (the plural form of the verb) is used.

So, when we connect subjects (even if they are singular subjects) with the word and, we have made the subject plural, and we use the plural form of the verb. These are called compound subjects because we are connecting 2 singular subjects to make them plural.

Practice 10: On your answer sheet, type out the correct verb from the two choices in parentheses. Make sure the verb agrees with the subject. You do not have to rewrite the sentences to complete this practice.

54. My brother and two sisters (enjoys, enjoy) eating a hearty breakfast.

55. Scrambled eggs and sausage biscuits (are, is) two of their favorite breakfast foods.

56. On rare occasions, donuts and a glass of milk (replaces, replace) the usual breakfast foods.

57. My mother and father, on the other hand, rarely (eats, eat) breakfast.

58. For them, vitamin supplements and a big pot of coffee (get, gets) the day started.

Section 11: Compounds Subjects Connected with “Or/Nor”  [If you would like to view this lecture about compound subjects joined by “or/nor,” then go to Lecture 1 of  Module 2: Accuracy in Verbs and Pronouns located under the Modules tab the Course Resources area of the course site.]

Singular subjects joined by or or nor take "singular" verbs.

  • Either a check or a credit card is accepted.
    • You might be inclined to write "Either a check or a credit card are accepted." But here, the word or connects check (which is singular) to card (which is singular). This would take a singular form of the verb because we are connecting them with the wordor.
  • Neither VISA nor MasterCard is used in this part of the country.
    • Nor connects VISA and MasterCard. Both are singular so we use the singular form of the verb, is.
  • Was Mr. Jackson or his daughter taken to prison?
    • The third item is a question, but the same principle applies. Orconnects Mr. Jackson to daughter. Both are singular subjects connected with or, so we use the singular form of the verb, was. You might be inclined to write "Were Mr. Jackson or his daughter taken to prison?" Thinking that Mr. Jackson or his daughter is some kind of plural concept, but it's singular because we have one person connected to another person by the word or.

However, if the subjects differ in number, then the verb agrees with the subject nearer to it.

  • Neither the Redskins nor their coach is to blame for the defeat.
    • In the first example, Redskins is plural, but coach is singular so these subjects differ in number. The word nor connects Redskinsand coach. Well, in this case which form of the verb do you use? The subject nearer to the verb determines the form of the verb.Coach is nearer to the verb so since coach is singular, we use the singular form of the verb, is.
  • Either the pianist or the singers are responsible for the missing equipment.
    • Or is connecting pianist which is singular to singers which is plural. Well, the one closer to the verb is singers (which is plural) so we use the plural form of the verb, are.
  • Neither the teacher nor the students are coming tonight.
    • Nor connects teacher (which is singular) to students (which is plural), but the one closer to the verb is students so we use the plural form of the verb, are.
  • Either the brother or the two sisters were involved in the accident.
    • Or is connecting brother to sisters, but the one closer to the verb is sisters so we use the plural form of the verb, were.

So here we have subjects that differ in number that are connected by the word or or nor we simply take the subject nearer to the verb and use that to determine the form of the verb.

Practice 11: On your answer sheet, type out the correct verb from the two choices in parentheses. Make sure the verb agrees with the subject. You do not have to rewrite the sentences to complete this practice.

59. Skim milk or tomato juice (is, are) healthier than coffee.

60. Neither coffee nor cigarettes (are, is) a good way to start the day.

61. Either my sisters or my brother (wake, wakes) me each morning.

62. Neither my father nor my mother (enjoy, enjoys) cooking.

63. A pizza or hamburgers (contain, contains) lots of calories.

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