What is “subject/verb agreement”?: Difference between revisions

For the subject and verb to agree in singular or plural subjects, they must have a singular or plural verb <ref>Kirszner, Laurie G., and Stephen R. Mandell., ''The Concise Wadsworth Handbook''. Instructor's Ed. Australia: Thomson/Wadsworth, 2005, p.240. [http://www.amazon.com/Concise-Wadsworth-Handbook-Laurie-Kirszner/dp/142829192X]</ref>. The subject takes the base form of the verb in all but the third person singular to make the subject and verb agree in person. The subject and verb must comply in number.  In third person singular add an ''s'' or ''es'' to the base form of the verb to make both the subject and verb agree.  

Eugenia Butler states in her book ''Correct Writing'', "Compound subjects joined by "and" normally require a plural verb" <ref>Butler, Eugenia, et al., ''Correct Writing''. 6th Ed. Lexington: D.C. Hath and Company, 1995, p.143-145. [http://www.amazon.com/Correct-Writing-Eugenia-Butler/dp/0669340731]</ref>. The only instance when this is not applicable and the subjects are considered singular is when the subjects refer to the same individual or object.

*'''Example:''' My friend Jenn and colleague Sarah are going on vacation.  

*'''Example:''' The restaurant owner and head chef is coming to the party. (referring to the same person, '''singular''')

*'''Example:''' My brother or sister is throwing me a party. (nearest subject, sister, is '''singular''')

 

*'''Example:''' Neither my boss or co-workers are feeling well today. (nearest subject, co-workers, is '''plural''')

An intervening expression is an expression that describes the subject and should not affect the verb. These expressions are often mistaken for being the subject of the sentence. Verbs are sometimes separated by words that describe the subject. This can make it difficult to make sure that the subject and verb agree. The key is to make sure that the verb agrees with the subject and not with the word in the modifying phrase. When intervening words ending in "s", such as sometimes and always, the "s" ending still must appear on a present tense verb if the subject is singular.

The singularity of a subject is not changed by the introduction of phrases or clauses that appear to change the number of the subject.[http://www.bukisa.com/articles/89756_recognize-intervening-phrases-and-clauses]

""Example:"" Her driver always makes wrong turns.

Other Common expressions that sometimes appear to change the number of the subject and verb include: ''in addition to'', ''accompanied by, ''as well as, ''plus'', and ''together with''.[http://dcpspublic.oncoursesystems.com/school/webpage/documents/G52aPC99cfTGA9dfPD/307078-420292/downloadFile.aspx]

Some pronouns are definite in the fact that they can replace a specific noun or another pronoun. But sometimes things aren’t so clear-cut.  So what do we do for a pronoun when we find ourselves in this predicament? We will use indefinite pronouns. "Indefinite pronouns refer to nonspecific persons or things" <ref>Hacker, Diana. ''A Writer's Reference''. New York, Boston: Bedford/St.Martin’s, 2003. [http://books.google.com/books?id=g489u9j0XAMC&printsec=frontcover&dq=Hacker,+Diana.+A+Writer%E2%80%99s+Reference&hl=en&sa=X&ei=U_1GU4yDO6vnsASEoIHQDw&ved=0CEQQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=Hacker%2C%20Diana.%20A%20Writer%E2%80%99s%20Reference&f=false]</ref>.Some of these indefinite pronouns are always singular or always plural. But some can change their number—they can be either singular or plural, depending on the context.

*Somebody is at the door