Subject-Verb Agreement

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What is Subject-Verb Agreement?

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Subject-Verb Agreement is the grammatical rule that the subject and verb in a sentence must agree in number (singular or plural).

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When do you use a singular verb?

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A singular verb is used when the subject is singular (e.g., 'The cat runs').

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When do you use a plural verb?

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A plural verb is used when the subject is plural (e.g., 'The cats run').

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What is a compound subject?

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A compound subject consists of two or more subjects joined by a conjunction (e.g., 'Tom and Jerry').

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How do you determine the verb for a compound subject joined by 'and'?

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When subjects are joined by 'and', use a plural verb (e.g., 'Tom and Jerry are friends').

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How do you determine the verb for a compound subject joined by 'or'?

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When subjects are joined by 'or', the verb agrees with the subject closest to it (e.g., 'Either the cat or the dogs are playing').

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What is an indefinite pronoun?

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An indefinite pronoun refers to non-specific persons or things (e.g., 'everyone', 'many').

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How do you make verbs agree with indefinite pronouns?

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Some indefinite pronouns are always singular (e.g., 'everyone is happy'), while others are always plural (e.g., 'few are left').

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What is a collective noun?

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A collective noun refers to a group of individuals or things (e.g., 'team', 'flock').

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How do you treat collective nouns in terms of subject-verb agreement?

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Collective nouns can take either singular or plural verbs depending on whether the group acts as a single unit or as individuals (e.g., 'The team wins' vs. 'The team are arguing').