The
basic structures and modifiers of a sentence are bound together by meaning,
relationship words, and word order. Another way of making the elements of a
sentence cohere is the relating of significant forms. This relating of forms is
called agreement.
Agreement
occurs when a structure changes its form because of the influence of another
structure. In English, nominal subjects influence the forms of finite verbs;
nominals also influence the forms of pronouns. In some European languages, a
noun will influence the form of the article that comes before it. Thus in
Spanish we find la television and el
futbol: la is used because the noun is feminine; el is used because the noun is masculine. In English,
distinctions are occasionally based on gender, but number is the most common
ground on which agreement is based.
The
rule for number agreement is not difficult. A singular subject requires a
singular verb; a plural subject requires a plural verb. To apply the rule,
however, you must be able to do three things: remember that the subject
controls the verb form and not be distracted by other structures which may
stand close to the verb; be able to determine the number of the subject; and
finally, know the correct singular and plural forms of the verb.
In
the sentence One of our ships is missing there is a temptation to let the plural noun ships, which stands by the verb, control the verb form
because ships is sounds peculiar. The temptation must be resisted, for it is
the more remote word one, the
subject of the verb, which controls the number of the verb. There are several
circumstances where another structure may distract the writer from remembering
that the subject controls the number of the verb form.
(1) The verb agrees with
the subject, not with the elements in the modifier of the subject.
Each of the sofas is ninety inches long.
A swarm of bees is coming towards us.
The men in the district office have organized a ball team.
[Sofas, bees,
and office stand close to the
verb, but they do not control the form of the verb; the subject does.]
(2) The verb agrees with
the subject even if the following modifier sounds and looks like a coordinator
joining two nouns.
Several
prepositions have a strong coordinating sense, such as including, together
with, along with, no less than, in addition to, and as well as, but the verb that follows must agree with the noun subject that is
modified by the prepositional phrase.
The mayor, as well as the councilmen, has been implicated. [Mayor is the singular
subject which controls the form of the
singular verb has been implicated.]
(3) The verb agrees with the subject, not with the
following complement.
The
greatest nuisance is the refunds we have to make.
The children of today are the hope of tomorrow.
[The complement nouns refunds and hope
do not control the verb form. They must be moved into the subject position of
the sentence to become the subjects of their sentences: The hope of tomorrow
is the children of today.]
(4) If for any reason the
subject is moved out of the subject position, it will still control the verb
form as another nominal is not moved into its place.
Ramon
and Eduardo are at the jai alai game.
Where
are Ramon and Eduardo? [The sentence has been transformed into a question, andRamon
and Eduardo is still the subject of
the sentence.]
There
were twelve players on the field.
[There has been moved into the subject position, but it
means nothing; it is an expletive, a space filler, and twelve players is still the subject of the sentence as is a fight in the sentence There was a fight on the field. The subjects control the
verb
forms.]
There
is one exception to the rule. The
word it also can function as an
expletive displacing the subject of the sentence. However, because it is also a
singular pronoun, it controls the verb even if the subject is plural.
It
is ambitious executives who catch the
early train. [Ambitious executives
is the plural
subject, but it is the expletive it which controls the verb form is.]
Usually the subject displaced
by it is obviously singular so
that it doesn't really matter what controls the singular verb form.
It
is rumored that he is about to resign. [The noun clause is the singular subject of the
Sentence.]
Most
problems in subject-verb agreement occur because the number of the noun or
nouns functioning as the subject is not always apparent. The fish can be
singular or plural despite its singular form. The news is always singular
despite its plural form.
(1) Some nouns in the plural form can be singular in
meaning, or they can be plural in meaning. Trousers, tongs, wages, tactics,
pliers, scissors, odds and barracks
are plural in meaning. Therefore they require a plural verb.
The scissors are in the lefthand drawer.
Billiards,
news, mathematics, linguistics, mumps, and measles are singular in meaning. Therefore they require a
singular verb.
Measles
is a communicable disease. [Some
people do say, however, that Measles are
catching.]
(2) Some nouns in the plural form can be both singular
and plural. When they denote fields
of knowledge or activity, they are singular; in most other uses, they are
plural.
Politics has always attracted persons of talent.
The politics of the situation are complicated.
Statistics is not always a dry subject.
The statistics were largely erroneous.
(3) Some
nouns which specify an amount of something are singular when the things or
people involved are regarded as a unit.
In this case, they take a singular verb.
Two plus two is four.
Two-thirds of the sweater has been completed.
Eight pounds of grapes seems a lot.
Ten percent of their capital has been absorbed already.
Ten percent of the men drafted are over thirty. [Here the men are regarded as
individuals, not as a unit.]
(3) Collective nouns are usually singular but can be
plural. If the collective is regarded
as a unit, the collective noun is singular and requires a singular verb.
The orchestra performs well under any conductor.
The family is coming over this afternoon.
If,
however, members of the collective are considered individually, the collective
noun is plural and requires a plural verb.
The family were informed as soon as they could be reached by telephone.
[Members
of the family were informed individually by means of several
telephone
calls. ]
(5)
The number of some foreign plurals can be confused where a plural is mistaken
for a singular.
*The
public media is in trouble. [Media is plural in form and meaning; therefore the
verb should be plural. The public media are in trouble. ]
*This phenomena fascinates him. [These phenomena
fascinate him. ]
(1) A compound subject
coordinated by "and" is nearly always plural and requires a plural
verb form.
Mink and sable are expensive furs.
The senator and his wife were warmly received.
If, however, the compound subject refers to just one person or thing, then the verb form is singular.
A scholar and a gentleman is what he strives to be. [one person]
This prelude and fugue is by Bach. [one composition]
When
the compound subject refers to closely related things, it can be singular or
plural depending on the closeness of the relationship. In borderline cases, the
singular form of the following verb sounds better.
The courage and patriotism of De Gaulle were cherished
by many
Frenchmen
in 1940. [The two qualities are related but distinct from each other; so the
plural verb form is used.]
The protection and feeding of young fledglings is the
constant
preoccupation of the adult birds. [The two qualities seem so
close that
the
singular verb form is used.]
(2) Singular nouns
coordinated by "or," "either ... or, "neither... nor,
" or by "not only ... but also" are regarded as a singular
subject and require a singular verb form.
Not only the mother but also the child was badly
dehydrated.
Either the muffler or the tailpipe was replaced.
Neither time nor prosperity has softened his heart.
I think Armando or Helen has our passports.
When these coordinating conjunctions join plural
nouns, the verb is plural. (Neither the Saints nor the Packers are going to win this year.) When these conjunctions join
singular and plural nouns, then the verb agrees in number with the closer noun
to it.
Neither his advisors nor the President himself has acted wisely in this
crisis.
[President is closer to the verb.]
Either the cloth or the dyes are defective. [Dyes is closer to the verb.]
Some writers dislike this construction and recast the sentence to avoid it.
Either the cloth was defective or the dyes were.
(1) Most indefinite pronouns are regarded as
singular pronouns and require a singular verb form.
Somebody across the street is playing a trombone.
As yet nobody has challenged my theory.
Each
of the sofas is over ninety inches long. [The singular pronoun each, not the plural noun sofas, controls the verb form.]
Everybody in the room was getting sleepy. [Despite the
fact that
everybody
is obviously plural in meaning, it is a singular pronoun in the standard
dialect.]
Some of these indefinite pronouns can work as
determiners before singular nouns, and although there may be a strong feeling
that more than one thing is involved, the verb form is still singular.
Neither idea was any good. [Although the speaker is
talking about two
ideas
being no good, in the standard dialect the verb form must be
singular.]
Each
baby chick was inspected to establish its sex. [Thousands of chicks were
probably being processed this way, but the singular noun chick and the singular
meaning of each demand that the verb be singular in form.]
(2) A few indefinite pronouns such as "many,
" "several, " and "few" refer to more than one person
or thing. These pronouns are plural and take plural verb forms.
Several have already been tested.
Many are called, but few are chosen.
The nouns variety and number also take
plural verb forms when they are preceded by a. When they are preceded by the, they are singular.
A variety of fish abound in these waters.
A number of horsemen were on the hill.
The number of horsemen on the hill was not great.
(3) Like collective nouns, some indefinite pronouns
can be either singular or plural depending on whether they refer to a quantity
or individual units of something.
Some of the cereal is wormy. [a quantity of cereal]
Some of the apples are rotten. (several individual
apples]
Most of the money is gone; so are most of the people.
[A quantity of money and several people have
disappeared.]
The pronoun none behaves in a similar fashion; in addition, it can be singular when the
meaning of not one of the individuals
is intended.
Luckily, none of the property was damaged; none of the horses were
hurt; but none of us is blameless in this matter.
Directions: In some of the sentences below, the subjects and verbs agree; in others they do not. If the sentence is correct, write C in the space to the left. If the subject and verb do not agree, correct the sentence.
1. Neither of the jellies are clear.
2. Every candidate has been tested and several has already been appointed.
3. One of the convicts have escaped.
4. A band of gypsies has been camping here.
5. Neither the omelet nor the cereal was edible.
6. Our greatest joy are our children.
7. None of the tubes have been tested.
8. Two-thirds of black college students is enrolled in predominantly white institutions.
9. Our greatest problem this year is the Japanese beetles.
10. A school of dolphins were sighted near the jetty.
11. Every policy and every contract have been carefully scrutinized.
12. In this poem the rhythm and the meter is awry.
13. The statistics have been compiled carefully.
14. Romeo and Juliet is frequently performed.
15. Neither of the wills have been properly drawn.
16. Azalea is one of those plants that was once considered a botanical genus.
17. in the lake there is two large islands.
18. Twenty years are a harsh sentence for that crime.
19. The barracks built as temporary structures in 1942 are still standing.
20. Because of civil disturbances the legion were recalled to Rome.
21. In this district our greatest problem are the undernourished and diseased children.
22. In this period of repression, where is the men of principle?
23. The major, as well as several non-commissioned officers, were charged with black market operations.
24. Neither the washing machine nor the dryer is rated satisfactory.
25. The Birds is the title of a play by Aristophanes.
Exercise 2
Directions: Each of the sentences below contains two forms of one
verb. Find the subject of the verb and then choose the form of the verb which
agrees with it. Write both the subject and the correct form of the verb in the
spaces to the right. If the verb is governed by two or more subjects, write
both of than in the appropriate space.
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EXAMPLES: |
Subject |
Verb |
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Every article (has, have)
been inspected. |
article |
has |
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The road and the driveway
(need, needs) repair |
road and driveway |
need |
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1. A selection of his short
poems (has, have) been made for publication. |
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2. (Do, does) economics
interest you? |
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3. Allison, Twist and
Turner, Inc. (was, were) the successful bidder. |
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4. (Doesn't, don't) the
vestrymen support the bishop? |
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5. He is one of the three
youths who (was, were) chosen to accompany Admiral Byrd. |
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6. There (is, are) several
reasons for blaming him. |
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7. Eight percent of the
food (is, are) spoiled. |
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8. (Has, have) half of the
foundation been dug? |
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9. The wages of sin (is,
are) death. |
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10. (Has, have) the wages
of office workers risen in this quarter? |
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11. (Is, are) international
news adequately covered by our rural press? |
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12. (Was, were) the team
arguing about who should be their captain? |
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13. Do you agree that the
children (is, are) the hope of the world? |
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14, Her one pleasure (was,
were) her beautiful dresses. |
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15. Her beautiful dresses
(was, were) her one pleasure. |
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16. His tax refund,
together with the little he manages to save, (covers, cover) the cost of his
vacation. |
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17. Neither the president
nor his advisors (has, have) acted wisely in this crisis. |
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18. Either the cloth or the
dyes (is, are) defective. |
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19. Every tree and every
shrub (has, have) been blighted. |
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20. A band of partisans
(is, are) harassing our lines. |
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21. The miners of West
Virginia and Pennsylvania (is, are) suffering from unemployment |
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22. (Is, are) there many
kinds of game in this area? |
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23. Some of the butter (is,
are) rancid. |
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24. Most of the apples (is,
are) wormy. |
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25. There (is, are) several
strong reasons for discontinuing production. |
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Each of the sentences below
contains two forms of one verb. Find the subject of the verb and then choose
the form of the verb which agrees with it. Write both the subject and the
correct form of the verb in the spaces to the right. If the verb is governed by
two or more subjects, write all of them in the appropriate space.
EXAMPLES: Subject Verb
Every article (has, have)
been inspected. article has
The road and the driveway
(needs, need) repair. road
and driveway need
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EXAMPLES: |
Subject |
Verb |
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1. Twice a year the council
(holds, hold) a public meeting. |
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2. There (has, have) been
no objections to the proposed loan |
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3. The President, guarded
by secret service men, (takes, take) a brisk walk every morning |
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4. To the economist
statistics (is, are) an important subject. |
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5. To the economist a
knowledge of statistics (is, are) important |
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6. Each of the elementary
schools (is, are) equipped with a gymnasium |
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7. A package of food (is,
are) sent each month. |
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8. One of our most popular
designs (is, are) the snowflake. |
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9. Which of the two
proposals (has, have) been accepted? |
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10. Here (lies, lie) the
soldiers and sailors of the last war. |
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11. Most of the accounts
(has, have) been audited. |
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12. All of the
trans-Atlantic planes (is, are) jets. |
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13. The supervisor and
several of the inspectors (has, have) been indicted for bribery. |
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14. The supervisor,
together with several inspectors, (has, have) been indicted for bribery. |
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15. (Has, have) either
Perkins and Company or Paul Fleischer Associates submitted a bid? |
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16. A successful wife,
mother, and career woman (is, are) what she
wants to be. |
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17. Exceptions (is, are)
the test of the rule. |
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18. The test of the rule
(is, are) the exceptions. |
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19. When (do, does) the bus
leave for Albany? |
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20. For adult males mumps
(is, are) a serious disease. |
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