Simple Guide to Subject Verb Agreement



Subject – Verb Agreement

Rule
1. The number of subject should agree with the number of verbs.
2. Measurements (fraction, percentages, amounts, distances) uses SINGULAR VERB.
3. When encountering an “OF PHRASE” consider the singularity/plurality of the nearest noun to the verb.
4. Indefinite Quantifiers (few, much, all, many…) consider the singularity/plurality of the nearest noun to the verb.
5. “Either/or,” consider the second noun for the basis of singularity/plurality of the verb.
6. Noun connected by “andis plural and must use plural verb except when referring to one thing.
7. “or” and “nor,” consider the singularity/plurality of the nearest noun to the verb.
8. When encountering a prepositional phrase, always ignore it because it does not contain the subject.
9. Indefinite pronoun (everybody, anybody…) uses singular verb.
10. The expression, “the number” takes a singular verb.
11. The expression, “a number” takes a plural verb.
12. The positive idea, not the negative idea in the sentence agrees in number with a verb.
 Notes:
o   Most Nouns that ends with “s” is plural.
o   Verb that ends “s” is singular.

Arrangement of Adjective
         Article/possessive adjective/demonstrative adjective/other determiners
                        Examples: both/this/my/an/several
         Numerals/ordinals
                        Examples: first/last/fifth
         Quantifiers
                        Examples: few/a little/plenty
            •      Qualitative adjectives
                        Examples: ugly/main/famous
         Size
                        Examples: big/heavy
            •      Age/temperature
                        Examples: hot/old
         Shape
                        Examples: round/circular
            •       Color
                        Examples: red/dark blue
            •       Origin
                        Examples: Elizabethan/rural
            •        Material/noun
                        Examples: plastic/table
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