SUBJECT VERB AGREEMENT
Subject Predicate
1. Ali works here.
2. He works hard.
3. To work hard is very important.
4. Working hard is the distinguishing
feature of Ali.
5. That Ali is a hard worker is above board.
SUBJECT VERB AGREEMENT
1. Basic Spirit. For example:
Singular Plural
• The bell rings. The bells ring.
• The rope stretches. The ropes stretch.
SUBJECT VERB AGREEMENT
2. Long Phrases as Subject. For example:
• The repetition of the drumbeats help to stir
emotions.
• Unemployment as well as taxes influence
votes.
SUBJECT VERB AGREEMENT
3. Subjects joined by “and” . For example:
• My parents and my uncle does not understand my
problems.
• Building a good marriage and building a good log
fire is similar in many ways.
SUBJECT VERB AGREEMENT
(a) A compound subject denoting one person or
a single unit. For example:
The inventor and chief practitioner are a native
son of our land.
SUBJECT VERB AGREEMENT
(b) A compound subject preceded by ‘each or every’ . For
example:
• Every silver knife, fork, and spoon has to be counted.
*Each when it is placed after a plural subject. For
example:
• The cat and the dog each have their own toys.
SUBJECT VERB AGREEMENT
3. Singular subjects joined by or, either…or, or
neither…nor. For example:
• Neither criticism nor the praise affects them.
• Either the governor or the chief minister is the
keynote speaker.
• Not only the quality but also the prices have
changed.
SUBJECT VERB AGREEMENT
• Almost all the information in those texts on the Aztec
Indians and their civilizations appear to be well
researched.
• An orange and a black bird is sitting in that tree.
• Each penny, nickel, dime and quarter are counted
carefully by the bank teller.
• Either a lasting prestige or a high position in government
are his ambition of life.
SUBJECT VERB AGREEMENT
4. inverted verb order (verb + subject). For
example:
• Hardest hit by the drought was farmers.
• There were protests, burnings, and marches.
SUBJECT VERB AGREEMENT
5. Subject Verb Agreement after (Who/which/that). For
example:
• It is the pharmacist who often suggest a new brand.
• This is one of the papers that print a daily horoscope.
SUBJECT VERB AGREEMENT
6. singular indefinite pronouns (someone, anyone,
everyone, no one, either, neither etc.). For example:
• Everybody in the office like coffee.
• No one eats meat in our home.
SUBJECT VERB AGREEMENT
7. Plural indefinite pronouns (both, few, several, many
etc.) For example:
• Both has political ambitions.
• Many require special attention.
SUBJECT VERB AGREEMENT
Dual Function indefinite pronouns (all, any, none,
some, most etc.). For example:
• Most of the books are mine.
• Most of the knowledge comes from books.
SUBJECT VERB AGREEMENT
8. Collective nouns For example:
• The club is meeting today. (Club is a unit)
• The group are separating this week.
(Each member is considered separately)
• The staff is in meeting. (Staff is a unit)
• The jury are in disagreement about the findings.
(Each member is considered separately)
SUBJECT VERB AGREEMENT
• The number of highway deaths has decreased.
• A number of highway deaths are caused by over
speeding.
9. A linking verb agrees with its subject, not with
its complement. For example:
His problem are frequent headaches.
SUBJECT VERB AGREEMENT
10. Nouns plural in form but singular in meaning (News,
Measles, Tennis, Politics etc.)
Nouns singular in form but plural in meaning (the
Police, People, Clergy etc.) For example:
• News are traveling faster than ever before.
• The police plays an important role to enforce laws.
SUBJECT VERB AGREEMENT
11. Titles of a single work or a word spoken of as
word even with plural form. For example:
• Romeo and Juliet never grows old.
• Autumn Leaves is a beautiful song.
• Ladies has been spelled wrong in your essay.
SUBJECT VERB AGREEMENT
12. Some specific quantity or amount of time distance
and money. For example:
• Fifteen minutes is the time allowed to each speaker.
13. Ratios
• Two-thirds of the city has been turned in ruins.
• Two-thirds of the migrants have returned to the
native country.
SUBJECT VERB AGREEMENT
A. The means you are using to solve this problem are
not sufficient.
B. The means which you used to solve this problem
are not sufficient.
C. The means you are using to solve this problem is
not sufficient.
D. The mean you are using to solve this problem are
not sufficient.
SUBJECT VERB AGREEMENT
A. Many a man has succumbed to the
temptation of wealth and status.
B. Many a men has succumbed to the
temptation of wealth and status.
C. Many a men have succumbed to the
temptation of wealth and status.
D. Many men has succumbed to the temptation
of wealth and status.
SUBJECT VERB AGREEMENT
A. Either he or I is mistaken.
B. Either he or I am mistaken.
C. Either he or I are mistaken.
D. Either he nor I am mistaken.
THANK YOU
