Subject and Verb Agreement

Front

What is subject-verb agreement?

Back

Subject-verb agreement is the grammatical rule that the subject of a sentence must agree in number (singular or plural) with its verb.

Front

When do you use a singular verb?

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A singular verb is used when the subject is singular, meaning it refers to one person, place, thing, or idea.

Front

When do you use a plural verb?

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A plural verb is used when the subject is plural, meaning it refers to more than one person, place, thing, or idea.

Front

What is the correct verb form for 'Forest fires (destroys/destroy) millions of trees each year'?

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The correct verb form is 'destroy' because 'forest fires' is plural.

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What is the correct verb form for 'Almost everybody who plans on attending college ___ a part time job now'?

Back

The correct verb form is 'has' because 'everybody' is treated as a singular subject.

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What is the correct verb form for 'Each of my cats ________ his own distinct personality'?

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The correct verb form is 'has' because 'each' is a singular subject.

Front

What is the correct verb form for 'Everything for the party _____________ in its place and ready for the big surprise'?

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The correct verb form is 'is' because 'everything' is a singular subject.

Front

What is the correct verb form for 'Those women _______________ busy'?

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The correct verb form is 'are' because 'women' is a plural subject.

Front

What is a collective noun?

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A collective noun is a word that represents a group of individuals or things, such as 'team' or 'flock', and can take either singular or plural verbs depending on context.

Front

How does the presence of phrases like 'along with', 'as well as', or 'together with' affect subject-verb agreement?

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These phrases do not change the number of the subject; the verb should agree with the main subject.