THURSDAY-14.7.2011-
Agreement
Present tense verbs in English should agree with the subject of the sentence.
Singular subjects use singular verbs.
Jack robs liquor stores (s on the verb)
Plural subjects use plural verbs
Bonnie and Clyde rob banks (no s on the verb)
Most native speaker do this instinctively
More complex problems require you to learn a few rules.
Ignore words that come between the subject and the verb
Compound Subjects using “And”
Most compound subjects joined by “and” are plural.
If the words joined by “and” refer to a single thing, the subject is also singular.
Compound Subjects using “Or”
When the subject is joined with “or” or “nor” the verb agrees with the words closest to the verb
Example: Neither the instructor nor the students has / have any control over the number of 8 o’clock classes.
Indefinite Pronouns
Indefinite pronouns are singular
Examples: every, everyone, everybody, each, neither, either, none, one, no one.
Collective Nouns
Words such as jury, committee, or herd will be singular when everyone in the group is acting together.
Collective nouns will be plural when the members of the group are not acting together.
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