Subject-Verb Agreement Rules


Subject-Verb Agreement rules


1. Singular subject takes singular verb.

     My student lives in the city.

     My student live in the city.   (x)


2. Plural subject takes plural verb.

     My students live in the city.

     My students lives in the city. (x)


3. Uncountable subject takes singular verb.

     Water is refreshing.

     Water are refreshing.  (x)


4. Past tense ignores the agreement rule (except for Be verbs).

     My friend lived in the city.

     My friends lived in the city.

 

     My friends are in the city. 

     My friends were in the city. 


     My friends was in the city.   (x)


5. Subjects connected by "and" take plural verbs.

     Dan and Jane like jazz.

     Dan and Jane are married.


6. When subjects are connected by "or" (A or B), B is the subject.

     Jane or her sisters are late.

     Jane or her sisters is late.   (x)


7. EVERY, EACH, and ONE are magic words that always take singular nouns and singular verbs.

     Every book has an ending.

     Each book is unique.

     One apple a day keeps the doctor away.


8. The modifier between a Subject and a Verb does not affect the subject.

     The music / in Christopher Nolan's films / is worth studying.


9. The subject is almost always before the preposition “of”

     The king of England went to war with France.


     *Identifying “of” is KEY in SAT Writing and ACT English.


10. However, with many expressions of quantity, it is easier to apply subject-verb agreement rules when we consider the noun that follows the preposition "of" as the subject (This is a controversial topic in the grammar world, but the usage here is strictly for the SAT).

     A lot of money is required for tuition.

     A lot of books contain controversial ideas.

     A lot of love was given.


     Some of my friends have called me.

     Some of the information is now available.


     All research provides useful information.

     

11. Either/ Neither is singular.

     Either is fine.

     Neither is fine.


12. Either + or  / Neither + nor

When a singular subject and a plural subject are connected by either/or or neither/nor, the subject that is closer to the verb is the main subject.

     Either my brothers or my mom is angry with me.

     Either my brothers or my mom are angry with me.   (x)


     Neither my mom nor my brothers are angry with me.


13. A number of vs. The number of


*The number is singular.

     The number of students in my class is fifteen.


*A number of is an expression of quantity (it means "many").

     A number of students were late for class.


14. Gerund / Infinitive subject is singular.

     Watching movies is fun.

     To watch a movie is fun.


15. Noun clause subject is singular.

     What I want is you.

     That he called me is not surprising.

Popular posts from this blog

Adjective Clause Advanced 2 (preposition + which/whom)

Among different types of adjective clauses, those that involve " preposition + which " or " preposition + whom " construction are definitely the hardest.  Examples: in which, under which, by which, over which, with whom, of whom Again, I’m going to simplify the concept as much as I can. When approaching these questions, we need to try to see the ORIGINAL sentence and what the adjective clause is modifying.
Read more

Common SAT and ACT Idiom List

Idiom refers to 1) an expression that people use in everyday conversation or 2) a group of words that has its own meaning. For example, in a movie or a TV show, you will hear a phrase like "break a leg" or "easy does it." In the SAT and the ACT, however, instead of these "expressions," Idiom questions ask students to choose the correct preposition (in, under, over), gerund (-ing), or infinitive (to + verb), that goes along with a given word. For those who are avid readers, these questions come naturally and don't pose much challenge. However, for many students, especially those who speak English as a second language, idiom questions are very difficult because idioms don't follow specific rules like subject-verb agreement or verb tenses. To make matters worse, there are thousands of different idioms in the English language. The best way to study for idiom questions is to simply memorize common idioms, including the ones that have appeared in the SAT...
Read more