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What is “subject/verb agreement”?: Difference between revisions
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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> | 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. | ||
'''Remember:''' "Nouns joined by '''"and"''' are thought of as a unit or actually refer to the same person or thing, the verb is normally singular". | '''Remember:''' "Nouns joined by '''"and"''' are thought of as a unit or actually refer to the same person or thing, the verb is normally singular". | ||
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==Verb Agreement with Indefinite Pronouns== | ==Verb Agreement with Indefinite Pronouns== | ||
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 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. | ||
There are two categories of indefinite pronouns. The first category includes pronouns that refer to a nonspecific noun. These pronouns are: | There are two categories of indefinite pronouns. The first category includes pronouns that refer to a nonspecific noun. These pronouns are: | ||
''anything'',''somebody'', ''no one'', and ''something''. An example sentence using the first category of indefinite pronouns is: | ''anything'',''somebody'', ''no one'', and ''something''. An example sentence using the first category of indefinite pronouns is: | ||
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*Both do well at taking tests. | *Both do well at taking tests. | ||
==References== | ==References== | ||