Subject Verb Agreement - Indefinite Pronouns

Front

What is subject-verb agreement?

Back

Subject-verb agreement is the grammatical rule that the subject of a sentence must agree in number with its verb. Singular subjects take singular verbs, and plural subjects take plural verbs.

Front

What are indefinite pronouns?

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Indefinite pronouns are pronouns that do not refer to a specific person, thing, or amount. Examples include 'everyone', 'each', 'nobody', 'all', and 'none'.

Front

How does the indefinite pronoun 'everyone' affect verb choice?

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The indefinite pronoun 'everyone' is considered singular, so it takes a singular verb. For example, 'Everyone wants to participate.'

Front

What verb form should be used with the indefinite pronoun 'each'?

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The indefinite pronoun 'each' is singular and requires a singular verb. For example, 'Each of the players was excited.'

Front

What is the correct verb form for the indefinite pronoun 'nobody'?

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The indefinite pronoun 'nobody' is singular, so it takes a singular verb. For example, 'Nobody knows the answer.'

Front

How does the indefinite pronoun 'all' affect verb agreement?

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The verb form used with 'all' depends on the noun it refers to. If 'all' refers to a plural noun, use a plural verb. For example, 'All of the cookies are gone.'

Front

What verb form should be used with the indefinite pronoun 'none'?

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The verb form used with 'none' can be singular or plural depending on the context. For example, 'None of the cake was left.' (singular) or 'None of the players were late.' (plural).

Front

What is the correct verb form for the phrase 'none of the answers'?

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The phrase 'none of the answers' is plural, so it takes a plural verb. For example, 'None of the answers were correct.'

Front

What is the rule for using 'was' and 'were' with indefinite pronouns?

Back

Use 'was' with singular indefinite pronouns (e.g., 'each', 'nobody') and 'were' with plural indefinite pronouns (e.g., 'all', 'none').

Front

How do you determine the correct verb form with 'all of the pieces'?

Back

Since 'pieces' is plural, use the plural verb 'are'. For example, 'All of the pieces are gone.'