| Agreement Continued |
Subject and Verb continued Most compound subjects joined by the word and take a plural verb. However, a few compound subjects joined by the word and name a single person or thing, and therefore take a singular verb. This includes the use of the coorelative conjunction both...and. For example: Both her brother and her cousin are teachers. Rock and roll is here to stay. Here, "rock and roll" refers to a singular entity. Singular subjects joined by or or nor take a singular verb. These usually contain the words either or neither, but these may be omitted. For example: Neither Mark nor Matt knows the address. Does Jane or Kate have the key? When a singular and plural subject are joined by or or nor, the verb agrees with the nearer sentence. For example: Either Joe or his aunts were up to something. Here, "aunts" is closer to the verb "were" than "Joe," so the verb agrees with "aunts." Words stating an amount are usually singular, because they usually refer to a single unit. When the number is stating a collection of individual parts rather than a single unit, use a plural verb. When you use the phrase the number of, use a singular verb. When you use the phrase a number of, use a plural verb. For example: Two years is a long time. Here, two years is considered one unit of time. Three quarters were in my pocket. Here, you are referring to three individual quarters. The number of female athletes is growing. A number of girls participate in sports. Note: A verb agrees with its subject, not with its predicate nominative. For example, The greatest threat to campers is bears. The verb "is" must agree with the noun "threat," not with "bears." When the subject follows a verb, such as those sentences beginning with here or there, be careful that the verb agrees with the subject. For example: Here are the brushes you need. Collective Nouns Collective nouns may be either singular or plural. Soem words name a group of people or objects. This kind of word is known as a "collective" noun. A collective noun is singular and takes a singular verb when the group is throught of as a whole unit. A collective noun is plural and takes a plural verb when members of a group are thought of as individuals acting seperately. For example: Kathy's club is visiting the museum. Here, "club" is thought of as one unit. Kathy's club are all wearing their new uniforms. Here, the "club" is thought of as individuals. Every or Many before a word or series of words is followed by a singular verb. |