Skip to main content

Subject Verb Agreement With Examples

By VJ
Here are a few examples:

My cat seems in need for milk.
My friends and I were walking by the park when we saw Jim sitting in.
Joe as well as her friends is very playful.
Either Sally or her cousins are afraid of dogs.
Neither Sally's cousins nor she is afraid of cats.

In all of these sentences, we have used appropriate verb forms. The subject verb agreement rules that the singular subject needs a singular verb and plural subject, plural verb.

This rule is pretty obvious in simple sentences like the first two above, but the others seem to need some more clarification.

1. As Well As

When combining any two subjects with as well as, always agree the verb with the first subject. Examples:

Jim as well as his friends is a good swimmer.
Jim's friends as well as Jim are good swimmers.
Emmerich's films as well as Spielberg's are interesting to me.

2. Either (Neither) Or

When combining subjects with 'or', always agree with the subject nearest to the verb.

Either Bill or his family members have to approve it.
Neither his dogs nor his cat has any disease.

3. Agreement Related to Person

First and second persons always takes plural verb, except when using 'was' with first person.

I take it you granted the permission for the play?
I have found it interesting.
I was having my meal when you came in yesterday.
I was there but missed your performance.
Were you in college yesterday?
You are a good student.

Third person subjects always take the verb according to the number.

He is a good student.
Jim and Harry are good in singing.
They were talking about the latest movies.
These cats are mine, and that is Joe's.

4. Take the Actual Subject When Considering Verb Type

Some sentences such as the following may be misleading to most.

The apples bought by Joe, afterwards washed by Sarah, and eaten by Jim, are responsible for his illness.

Here, the subject of the verb is 'apples' and not Joe, Sarah, or Jim.

Carefully consider which is the subject before applying the verb. Here are a few such examples:

The rules set forth by the Indian Constitution don't allow internal transfer of money not done through any RBI approved authority.
The viewpoint of hundreds of members of the opposition reflects that of less than fifty per cent of the public.
The success rate of more than fifty schools and colleges in my state seems to be high.

5. Certain Collective Nouns Take Singular Verb

Certain nouns, which always have come together, may take singular verbs. Examples:

Bread and butter is what he takes in the morning.

That's it folks!
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Comments are moderated very strictly

Popular posts from this blog

Power of Short Sentences

By VJ
Post dedicated to Thomas Hardy (see History Today below). There are monster sentences like the one you encounter as the first paragraph of Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens . One of my friends, whom I am getting equipped for his IELTS ( what is this? ), told me that the examination recommends long sentences. In writing classes also, I guess it’s longer sentences most tutors promote. But indubitably shorter sentences are more powerful . We will see why. Take a long sentence for instance: Tom Cruise, one of the finest actors in the whole world, is perhaps the most powerful celebrity to exist ever according to Time Magazine, but many people still dispute this fact and point out that there are more powerful and popular actors than Cruise, though they were unsuccessful in providing the total number of fans, who liked the films of those actors. This is a long sentence and it is very confusing . Though it has a logical construction and conveys a meaning, it falters in many occasions and seems ...
1 comment
Read more

Creative Writing: Crafting Characters With Emotional Appeal in Mind

By VJ
When you read the greatest fiction works ever, have you ever asked what was so compelling about them that you not only kept reading it, but you ended up reading all other major works of the writer? It may well be because the writer touched your emotional quotient quite a bit. Every reader has a unique taste . Some like to read suspense thrillers , some tender love stories, and some others dark horror and bloodshed stories . That’s why there are all sorts of genres out there. When a writer gives you what exactly you want, you will keep reading. Here we come to the emotional appeal. Character Imperfection Perfect characters may not always be the upshot of a writer’s deliberation. It may well be due to ignorance . Usually the upcoming writers take it for granted that if they create perfect characters, they will be able to garner a bigger audience . It is not true. You have to ask yourself what a character would do in a particular situation. Perfect characters—perfect gunmen, perfect...
1 comment
Read more

En Dash, Em Dash, and Hyphen

By VJ
We have three types of dashes in use: The hyphen, En Dash, and the Em Dash. In this post, we will see how to use them all correctly. Hyphen (-) The hyphen is the minus key in Windows-based keyboards. This is a widely used punctuation mark. Hyphen should not be mistaken for a dash . Dash is different and has different function than a hyphen. A hyphen is used to separate the words in a compound adjective, verb, or adverb. For instance: The T-rex has a movement-based vision. My blog is blogger-powered. John’s idea was pooh-poohed. The hyphen can be used generally for all kinds of wordbreaks . En Dash (–) En Dash gets its name from its length. It is one ‘N’ long (En is a typographical unit that is almost as wide as 'N'). En Dash is used to express a range of values or a distance: People of age 55–80 are more prone to hypertension. Delhi–Sidney flight was late by three hours. In MS Word, you can put an En Dash either from the menu, clicking Insert->Symbol or by the key-combinatio...
11 comments
Read more