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Presents:

The Dirty Dozen


Workshop Series
Workshop
Three:

Subject/Verb
Agreement
Which sentence is
correct?
Packing your own lunches save money.

Packing your own lunches saves money.


Packing your own lunches save money.

Packing your own lunches saves money.

Why? Lunches may look like the subject, but


actually Packing your own lunches is
what saves money, not the lunches
themselves. Whenever such a verb phrase
serves as the subject, consider it singular.

Why does knowing the subject to be singular or plural matter?


Rule of thumb: The subject
and verb of each clause must
agree in number.
What do we mean by
agree & number?
When we talk about agreement, we mean making sure subjects
and verbs agree in number and in English, there are only two
numbers: singular and plural.

So, if you have a singular subject, you


will need a singular verb. If you have a
plural subject, you need a plural verb.
Singular Singular
Verb
Correct!
Subject

Plural Plural Correct!


Subject Verb

Lets take a closer look at those two sentences


Packing your own lunches save money.
Packing your own lunches saves money.

The subject of each sentence is Packing your own


lunches. This subject is singular; therefore, the verb
must also be singular.

Saves is a singular verb in the present tense.


Most subject/verb agreement errors occur when
dealing with these verbs. Why? Because we intuitively
think of s and es as plural.
Tip: To determine whether a verb is singular
or plural, ask which form of the verb you
would use after the subject it and which form
you would use with the subject they.
Like this:
It eats, sleeps, runs, wishes, has dreamed,
is loving
They eat, sleep, run, wish, have dreamed,
are loving
In other words
It uses singular verbs.
They uses plural verbs.
There are many rules of
subject-verb agreement.
Lets look at them, starting
with the most common.
A subject and a verb must agree,
even when other words or phrases
come between them.
Example: The flock of geese is flying south
for the winter.
The subject is flock, so the verb should be is
flying. Ignore the prepositional phrase of geese
when determining verb number.
Subjects joined by and
usually take a plural verb.
Example: Dave and Bree are going on a date.

Exception: For phrases like each girl and boy or


every cat and bird, where the subjects are considered
individually, use a singular verb.
Each actor and actress has a
line in the play.
Collective nouns can either be
singular or plural, depending on
the context of the sentence.

Pssst! Collective nouns are words that


refer to groups of people or things
(e.g. class, family, jury, herd).
Rule of thumb:
If the context of the sentence makes
you visualize the group doing
something together, as one unit,
then the noun is singular and takes a
singular verb.

If you visualize different members


of the group performing different
actions, then the noun is plural and
takes a plural verb.
Examples:

The group agrees that new curtains


would improve the space.
(The group is acting as a unit, so the
word group is singular.)

The old group have gone their


separate ways.
(The group members are acting
individually, so the word group is plural.)
The indefinite pronouns all, any,
more, most, none, and some can be
either singular or plural,
depending on whether the word
they refer to is singular or plural.
Examples:

All of the cupcake batter is poured


into a greased pan.
(Here, all refers to batter, which is singular.)

All of the cupcakes are topped with


cream cheese frosting.
(Here, all refers to cupcakes, which is plural.)
The indefinite pronouns each, either,
every, much, and neither require
singular verbs.
Example: Each of us has enormous
potential to succeed in life.
The indefinite pronouns both, few,
many, and several take plural verbs.

Example: Both of us have enormous


potential to succeed in life.
The verb must agree with its
subject even when the subject
follows the verb.
Questions, sentences beginning with here or
there, and sometimes sentences beginning with
a prepositional phrase place the subject after
the verb.
Examples:

Is success measured by peoples wealth or


their happiness?
Are wealth and happiness the same thing?
Out of the boat jumped the fish.
Here are my car keys.
There is my uncles house.
Subjects that look plural (because
they end in s) but refer to only one
thing are singular.
Examples: The lens is broken.
Economics is a field of study.

Psst! Many nouns ending in ics (economics, statistics, and politics)


take singular or plural verbs, depending on how they are used.
Some nouns (such as glasses, pliers,
scissors, and pants) are considered
plural unless they are preceded by the
phrase pair of.
Example: My pants require tailoring.
This pair of pants requires
tailoring.
With subjects joined by or or nor, the verb
should agree with the subject closer to it.
Examples: Neither the principal nor the
teachers like the new budget cuts.
Either her brothers or Tammy waters
the front lawn every day.
Psst! For a more natural-sounding sentence, place the
plural part of a compound subject second. Example: Either
Tammy or her brothers water the front lawn every day.
Which verb correctly completes
this sentence? Remember, watch
out for prepositional phrases
between subjects and verbs.

The sale of apples and pears


(accounts/account) for a large
amount of the farmers income.
The sale of apples and pears accounts for
a large amount of the farmers income.

The sale of apples and pears account for


a large amount of the farmers income.

Remember rule #1: A subject and a verb must


agree even when other words or phrases come
between them. Frequently, prepositional phrases
come between subjects and verbs. Ignore these
prepositional phrases.
In the following pairs, one
sentence is correct, and the
other sentence has a subject-
verb agreement error. Which
sentence is correct?

A) My collection of silver spoons and tea


sets often impresses others.

B) My collection of silver spoons and tea


sets often impress others.
A) My collection of silver spoons
and tea sets often impresses others.

B) My collection of silver spoons


and tea sets often impress others.

Why?
The subject is collection, which is a singular noun, so the
verb must be singular. The correct verb is impresses.
Remember, the object of the preposition (silver spoons
and tea sets) is never the subject of the sentence.
In the following pairs, one
sentence is correct, and the
other sentence has a subject-
verb agreement error. Which
sentence is correct?

A) However, there is more luxurious


accommodations in this hotel.

B) However, there are more luxurious


accommodations in this hotel.
A) However, there is more luxurious
accommodations in this hotel.

B) However, there are more luxurious


accommodations in this hotel.

Why?
Remember rule #7: The verb must agree with its
subject even when the subject follows the verb.
Questions, sentences beginning with here or there,
and sometimes sentences beginning with a
prepositional phrase, place the subject after the verb.
Example: Here are several ideas.
In the following pairs, one
sentence is correct, and the
other sentence has a subject-
verb agreement error. Which
sentence is correct?

A) The pole and bait you need for


fishing is already on the dock.

B) The pole and bait you need for


fishing are already on the dock.
A) The pole and bait you need for
fishing is already on the dock.

B) The pole and bait you need for


fishing are already on the dock.

Why?
Remember rule #2: Here the subject is
compound (the pole and bait), which makes it
plural. Therefore, the verb must also be plural.
These Dirty Dozen Workshops are
available online at the Writing Centers
website in two exciting formats:

Workshop Presentation PDFs


Under Handouts, we have posted pdfs of the
PowerPoint presentations we use in these workshops.

New! Quick & Dirty Dozen Videos


We have been making short videos that recap each
workshop in five minutes or less.

For appointments, resources, handouts and more, visit:


www.methodist.edu/writing-center
Join us next time
Pronoun-Antecedent Agreement Errors

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