SINGULAR AND PLURAL When a word refers to one person,

place, thing or idea, it is singular in number.

When a word refers to more than one, it is plural in number.

Singular: circle, he, one, woman, loss

Plural: circles, they, some, women, losses

AGREEMENT

SUBJECT VERB

A SUBJECT MUST AGREE WITH ITS VERB

A singular subject takes a singular verb.

A plural subject takes a plural verb.

Generally speaking…

Subjects that end in an ‘s’ are plural.

Verbs that end in an ‘s’ are singular.

TO CHECK FOR AGREEMENT…

Isolate the subject and the verb.

Mexican art is interesting.

Mexican holidays vary greatly.

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E1. The fifth of May (is, are) an important

Mexican holiday.

2. Many Mexican Americans (celebrate,

celebrates) this holiday.

3. Some people (watch, watches) these

celebrations in Los Angeles.

4. Others (see, sees) them in San Antonio.

5. The celebrations (include, includes) parades

6. Bands (play, plays) Mexican and American

music.

7. Marchers (wear, wears) traditional costumes.

KEEP IN MIND…

If the sentence has a verb phrase, make

the first helping verb agree.

Bob has been studying art.

Dogs are known to roll around in mud.

1. We (have, has) learned about Mexican

traditions.

2. Immigrants (do, does) bring new traditions.

3. Mexican corridos (is, are) heard in the

Southwest.

4. In English, corridos (is, are) known as

ballads.

5. What (do, does) these ballads describe?

6. In them, heroes’ lives (has, have) been

recorded.

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AGREEMENT WITH COMPOUND SUBJECTS

1. Subjects joined by and usually take a

plural verb.

2. A compound subject that refers to only

one person or thing takes a singular

verb.

a. Sweet and sour is a common style of food

preparation.

3. Singular subjects joined by or or nor

take a singular verb.

a. Neither Lucy nor Susan likes lemonade.

b. Either Peter or Edward becomes king.

4. Plural subjects joined by or or nor take

a plural verb.

c. Strawberries or raspberries are in their

backyard.

5. When a singular subject and plural

subject are joined by or or nor, the verb

agrees with the subject closest to the

verb.

a. Unripe apples or sour milk makes you sick.

b. Sour milk or unripe apples make you sick.

1. ____ Vinegar and lemon juice (contain, contains) acids.

2. ____ Neither lemons nor limes (is, are) bases.

3. ____ Baking soda or soap (is, are) a salt.

4. ____ Acids and bases (combine, combines) to make salt.

5. ____ Acids and bases (is, are) our next topics in science

class.

6. ____ Fats or oils (is, are) added to bases to make soap.

7. ____Some food and common household items (contain,

contains) acids.

8. ____ Plaster and cement (is, are) made with bases.

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Proofreading: 4 errors in agreement, 2

spelling

Amy and Bethany have learned that

spaghetti and meatballs are the best-

known Italian dish. Lasagna and pizza is

also well known. But macarroni or tomato

sause are not in every Italian dish. Meat

juices or marinade are sometimes used

for flavor.

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SUBJECT/VERB CONTINUED:SPECIAL SITUATIONS

1. A collective noun, like flock or class

names a group. It takes a singular verb

when it refers to the whole group. It takes a

plural verb when it refers to parts of a

group.

a. The family is closely knit.

(The family unit is closely knit)

b. The family are meeting in Rochester.

(Individual members are meeting)

2. The subject usually follows the verb in

questions and in sentences beginning

with here or there. Make sure the subject

and verb still agree.

There is the house.

Try rephrasing, as in: The house is there.

3. The contractions here’s, there’s, and where’s contain the verb is and should only be used with singular subjects.

4. Words stating amounts are usually

singular.

a. Five dollars is a good price for that lunch.

5. A title is singular, even when plural in form.

a. Beauty and the Beast is a great movie for kids and adults alike!

6. The words don’t and doesn’t are contractions of do not and does not.

Use don’t with all plural subjects and with the pronouns I and you.

Use doesn’t with all singular subjects except I and you.a. Plaids don’t match with stripes.b. Brown doesn’t always go well with purple.

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E1. Civics (is, are) his favorite subject.

2. The class (is, are) working on its science

project.

3. You (doesn’t, don’t) have enough money.

4. The family (is, are) discussing their vacation

plans.

5. (Has, Have) the jury reached a verdict?

6. Here (is, are) the canned goods for the food

drive.

7. A machine (doesn’t, don’t) work properly

unless it’s oiled.

8. The Magnificent Ambersons (is, are) a famous

movie.

AGREEMENT

PRONOUN ANTECEDENT

A PRONOUN MUST AGREE WITH ITS ANTECEDENT

A pronoun usually refers to a noun or

another pronoun, called its antecedent.

Whenever you use a pronoun, make

sure it agrees with its antecedent.

1. A pronoun must agree with its

antecedent in number and gender;

Some singular personal pronouns have

forms that indicate gender.

a. Him, he, and his are masculine.

b. She, hers, and her are feminine.

c. It and its are neutral.

2. Sometimes, the antecedent of a

personal pronoun can be another kind of

pronoun, such as each, either, or none.

In such cases, you need to look in the

phrase that follows the antecedent to

determine which personal pronoun to

use.

a. Each of the men put his keys on a hook by

the door.

3. Some antecedents may be masculine

or feminine. When referring to such

antecedents, use both the masculine and

feminine pronoun.

a. Everybody in the group wanted his or her

own invitation.

4. Use a singular pronoun to refer to each,

either, neither, one, everyone, everybody,

no one, nobody, anyone, anybody,

someone, or somebody.

a. Nobody in the league wanted his or her

team to lose.

5. Use a plural pronoun to refer to two or

more antecedents joined by and.

a. Bill and Buddy will lend their microscopes

to the class.

Dairy products are a rich sourse of protein. They are also good sources of calcium and various vitamens. Unfortunately, many dairy products are high in fat. Almost everyone should include some dairy products in their diet. Yet, no one should do so without thinking about his fat intake. For example, Ms. Wittimer chooses low-fat dairy products such as yogert in her diet. Mr. and Mrs. Rubin include low-fat cottage cheese in their diet. The Ramirez sisters use skim milk with her breakfast sereals. Each of these individuals is making a sensable decision about their dairy products. By doing so, each is contributing to their own well-being.

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AGREEMENTWITH INDEFINITE PRONOUNS

1. A pronoun that does not refer to a

specific (or definite) person, place, thing,

or idea is called an Indefinite Pronoun.

Refer to memorization lists

(gold worksheet)

2. The following indefinite pronouns are singular.

each, either, neither, one, everyone, everybody, no one, nobody, anyone, anybody, someone, somebody

a. Nobody on our street grows a better tomato than Otis.

3. The following indefinite pronouns are plural.

both, few, many, severala. Many of his tomatoes taste sweet and juicy.

4. All, any, most, none, and some may be either singular or plural.

The pronouns will always be followed by a prepositional phrase. The number of the object in the prepositional phrase determines the number of the pronoun.

a. If the pronoun refers to a singular object, it is singular.

b. If the pronoun refers to a plural object, it is plural.

4. CONTINUED…

None of his effort is wasted.

None [of his effort] is wasted.

Some of his tomatoes are fantastic!

Some [of his tomatoes] are fantastic!

**Isolate the prepositional phrase to find what the pronoun refers to!

1. One of my brothers (plant, plants)

tomatoes every year.

2. No one on the block (believe, believes)

his plants will grow.

3. Many of the plants (does, do) not do

very well.

4. Everyone in the neighborhood (say,

says) the soil is not good enough.

5. A few of them (reach, reaches) full

size.

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1. ____ All of my cousins (like, likes) mariachi

bands.

2. ____ Some of my classmates also (listen,

listens) to them.

3. ____ (Do, Does) any of the band play

multiple instruments?

4. ____ None of our neighbors ever (complain,

complains).

5. ____ Most of our music (is, are) fun to listen

to.

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