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 should a singular verb be used?

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

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When should a plural verb be used?

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

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What is the rule for compound subjects joined by 'and'?

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

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What is the rule for compound subjects joined by 'or' or 'nor'?

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When subjects are joined by 'or' or 'nor', the verb agrees with the subject closest to it (e.g., 'Neither the teacher nor the students are ready').

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How does the presence of phrases like 'as well as' affect verb agreement?

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Phrases like 'as well as' do not change the number of the subject; the verb agrees with the main subject (e.g., 'The players, as well as the captain, want to win').

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What is the rule for collective nouns?

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Collective nouns can be singular or plural depending on whether the group acts as a single unit or as individuals (e.g., 'The team is winning' vs. 'The team are arguing among themselves').

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How does the word 'none' affect verb agreement?

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'None' can be singular or plural depending on the context (e.g., 'None of the cake is left' vs. 'None of the players are here').

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What is the rule for subjects that are uncountable nouns?

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Uncountable nouns take a singular verb (e.g., 'The information is useful').

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What is the rule for titles of books, movies, or organizations?

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Titles of books, movies, or organizations are treated as singular (e.g., 'The Hunger Games is a popular series').