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 fast.'

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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 fast.'

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What is the rule for 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 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., 'The dog or the cats are outside.'

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How does the presence of phrases affect subject-verb agreement?

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Phrases that come between the subject and verb do not affect agreement, e.g., 'The man, along with his friends, lives here.'

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What is the rule for collective nouns?

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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.'

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What is the rule for subjects with indefinite pronouns?

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Indefinite pronouns like 'everyone' and 'somebody' take singular verbs, e.g., 'Everyone loves pizza.'

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What is the exception for 'none' in subject-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 cookies are left.'

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How does the verb change with 'each' and 'every'?

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'Each' and 'every' take singular verbs, e.g., 'Each student has a book.'