Presents: The Dirty Dozen. Workshop Series

Transcription

1 Presents: The Dirty Dozen Workshop Series

2 Workshop Three: Subject/Verb Agreement

3 Which sentence is correct? Packing your own lunches save money. Packing your own lunches saves money.

4 Packing your own lunches save money. Packing your own lunches saves money. Why? Lunches may look like the subject, but actually Packing your own lunches is what saves money, not the lunches themselves. Whenever such a verb phrase serves as the subject, consider it singular. Why does knowing the subject to be singular or plural matter?

5 Rule of thumb: The subject and verb of each clause must agree in number.

6 What do we mean by agree & number? When we talk about agreement, we mean making sure subjects and verbs agree in number and in English, there are only two numbers: singular and plural. So, if you have a singular subject, you will need a singular verb. If you have a plural subject, you need a plural verb.

7 Singular Subject Singular Verb Correct! Plural Subject Plural Verb Correct! Let s take a closer look at those two sentences

8 Packing your own lunches save money. Packing your own lunches saves money. The subject of each sentence is Packing your own lunches. This subject is singular; therefore, the verb must also be singular. Saves is a singular verb in the present tense. Most subject/verb agreement errors occur when dealing with these verbs. Why? Because we intuitively think of s and es as plural.

9 Tip: To determine whether a verb is singular or plural, ask which form of the verb you would use after the subject it and which form you would use with the subject they. Like this: It eats, sleeps, runs, wishes, has dreamed, is loving They eat, sleep, run, wish, have dreamed, are loving In other words It uses singular verbs. They uses plural verbs.

10 There are many rules of subject-verb agreement. Let s look at them, starting with the most common.

11 A subject and a verb must agree, even when other words or phrases come between them. Example: The flock of geese is flying south for the winter. The subject is flock, so the verb should be is flying. Ignore the prepositional phrase of geese when determining verb number.

12 Subjects joined by and usually take a plural verb. Example: Dave and Bree are going on a date. Exception: For phrases like each girl and boy or every cat and bird, where the subjects are considered individually, use a singular verb. Each actor and actress has a line in the play.

13 Collective nouns can either be singular or plural, depending on the context of the sentence. Pssst! Collective nouns are words that refer to groups of people or things (e.g. class, family, jury, herd).

14 Rule of thumb: If the context of the sentence makes you visualize the group doing something together, as one unit, then the noun is singular and takes a singular verb. If you visualize different members of the group performing different actions, then the noun is plural and takes a plural verb.

15 Examples: The group agrees that new curtains would improve the space. (The group is acting as a unit, so the word group is singular.) The old group have gone their separate ways. (The group members are acting individually, so the word group is plural.)

16 The indefinite pronouns all, any, more, most, none, and some can be either singular or plural, depending on whether the word they refer to is singular or plural.

17 Examples: All of the cupcake batter is poured into a greased pan. (Here, all refers to batter, which is singular.) All of the cupcakes are topped with cream cheese frosting. (Here, all refers to cupcakes, which is plural.)

18 The indefinite pronouns each, either, every, much, and neither require singular verbs. Example: Each of us has enormous potential to succeed in life.

19 The indefinite pronouns both, few, many, and several take plural verbs. Example: Both of us have enormous potential to succeed in life.

20 The verb must agree with its subject even when the subject follows the verb. Questions, sentences beginning with here or there, and sometimes sentences beginning with a prepositional phrase place the subject after the verb.

21 Examples: Is success measured by people s wealth or their happiness? Are wealth and happiness the same thing? Out of the boat jumped the fish. Here are my car keys. There is my uncle s house.

22 Subjects that look plural (because they end in s) but refer to only one thing are singular. Examples: The lens is broken. Economics is a field of study. Psst! Many nouns ending in ics (economics, statistics, and politics) take singular or plural verbs, depending on how they are used.

23 Some nouns (such as glasses, pliers, scissors, and pants) are considered plural unless they are preceded by the phrase pair of. Example: My pants require tailoring. This pair of pants requires tailoring.

24 With subjects joined by or or nor, the verb should agree with the subject closer to it. Examples: Neither the principal nor the teachers like the new budget cuts. Either her brothers or Tammy waters the front lawn every day. Psst! For a more natural-sounding sentence, place the plural part of a compound subject second. Example: Either Tammy or her brothers water the front lawn every day.

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26 Which verb correctly completes this sentence? Remember, watch out for prepositional phrases between subjects and verbs. The sale of apples and pears (accounts/account) for a large amount of the farmer s income.

27 The sale of apples and pears accounts for a large amount of the farmer s income. The sale of apples and pears account for a large amount of the farmer s income. Remember rule #1: A subject and a verb must agree even when other words or phrases come between them. Frequently, prepositional phrases come between subjects and verbs. Ignore these prepositional phrases.

28 In the following pairs, one sentence is correct, and the other sentence has a subjectverb agreement error. Which sentence is correct? A) My collection of silver spoons and tea sets often impresses others. B) My collection of silver spoons and tea sets often impress others.

29 A) My collection of silver spoons and tea sets often impresses others. B) My collection of silver spoons and tea sets often impress others. Why? The subject is collection, which is a singular noun, so the verb must be singular. The correct verb is impresses. Remember, the object of the preposition (silver spoons and tea sets) is never the subject of the sentence.

30 In the following pairs, one sentence is correct, and the other sentence has a subjectverb agreement error. Which sentence is correct? A) However, there is more luxurious accommodations in this hotel. B) However, there are more luxurious accommodations in this hotel.

31 A) However, there is more luxurious accommodations in this hotel. B) However, there are more luxurious accommodations in this hotel. Why? Remember rule #7: The verb must agree with its subject even when the subject follows the verb. Questions, sentences beginning with here or there, and sometimes sentences beginning with a prepositional phrase, place the subject after the verb. Example: Here are several ideas.

32 In the following pairs, one sentence is correct, and the other sentence has a subjectverb agreement error. Which sentence is correct? A) The pole and bait you need for fishing is already on the dock. B) The pole and bait you need for fishing are already on the dock.

33 A) The pole and bait you need for fishing is already on the dock. B) The pole and bait you need for fishing are already on the dock. Why? Remember rule #2: Here the subject is compound (the pole and bait), which makes it plural. Therefore, the verb must also be plural.

34 These Dirty Dozen Workshops are available online at the Writing Center s website in two exciting formats: Workshop Presentation PDFs Under Handouts, we have posted pdfs of the PowerPoint presentations we use in these workshops. New! Quick & Dirty Dozen Videos We have been making short videos that recap each workshop in five minutes or less. For appointments, resources, handouts and more, visit:

35 Join us next time Pronoun-Antecedent Agreement Errors