Subject-Verb Agreement -- portions

• With words that indicate portions—percent, fraction, part, majority, some, all, none, remainder, and so forth —look at the noun in your of phrase (object of the preposition) to determine whether to use a singular or plural verb. If the object of the preposition is singular, use a singular verb. If the object of the preposition is plural, use a plural verb.

• • Examples: • Fifty percent of the pie has disappeared.

– “Pie” is the object of the preposition “of.” • Fifty percent of the pies have disappeared.

– Pies is the object of the preposition “of.” • One-third of the city is unemployed. • One-third of the people are unemployed.• NOTE: Hyphenate all spelled-out fractions.

Subject-Verb Agreement -- portions

• All of the pie _____ gone. • All of the pies _____ gone. • Some of the pie _____ missing. • Some of the pies _____ missing. • One-third of the garbage _____ picked up. • One-third of the sentences _____ punctuated

correctly. • Of all her books, none _____ sold as well as the

first one

is

is

is

are

are

are

have

Subject-Verb Agreement – portions Practice

• Write three pair of sentences using the same beginning but yielding verbs of different plurality– EX:

• Most of the puppies are gassy.• Most of the puppy is brown.

Subject-Verb Agreement – singular indefinite pronouns

• The words each, each one, every one, either, neither, everyone, everybody, anybody, anyone, nobody, somebody, someone, and no one are singular and require a singular verb.

• Ex:– Each of these hot dogs is juicy.– Everybody knows Mr. Jones.– Neither of them is available to speak right now.– Either of us is capable of doing the job.

Subject-Verb Agreement – singular indefinite pronouns

• Everyone in the hallway _____ slowly (to walk)• Everyone in the hallway walks slowly (to walk)

• Neither of the students ________ his or her homework (to forget)• Neither of the students forgets his or her homework (to forget)• Each of the crocodiles ______ fake tears (to cry)• Each of the crocodiles cries fake tears (to cry)

Subject-Verb Agreement – singular indefinite pronouns

• Write five sentences using the indefinite pronouns and present tense verbs.

S/V Agreement – Intervening Phrases• Do not be misled by a phrase that comes

between the subject and the verb. The verb agrees with the subject, not with a noun or pronoun in the phrase.– EX:

• One of the boxes is open.• The people who listen to that music are few.• The team captain, as well as his players, is anxious.• The book, including all the chapters in the first section, is

boring.• The woman with all the dogs walks down my street.

• __________ to find a cure for the deadly infection that has appeared among the region’s population. (To race)

• , __________ the hospital demanding immediate treatment. (To storm)

• , __________ full to bursting with corpses. (To be)

• __________ up his inventory to help people during the time of crisis. (To open)

race

storm

is

opens

at the local hospitalThe doctorsThe doctors

The localsThe locals who are scared beyond rational thought,

The county morgueThe county morgue which is not designed to handle this many deaths at once,

The ownerThe owner of the local chain of grocery stores

S/V Agreement – Intervening Phrases

• Practice: Write five sentences with phrases that intervene between the subject and the verb. The sentences should be written in PRESENT tense.

S/V Agreement – Intervening Phrases

Subject/verb Agreement -- And

• When the subject of a sentence is composed of two or more nouns or pronouns connected by “and,” use a plural verb.

• She and her cow are at the fair.

Subject/verb Agreement -- And• 1. He and I _________ swimming. (To hate)

• 2. She and he __________ in the park in the afternoons. (To walk)

• 3. John and his father __________ to get a puppy for Christmas. (To want)

• 4. Umkulthoum and her sister __________ kittens. (To kill)

• 5. Umkulthoum and her sister __________ sociopaths. (To be)

hate

walk

want

kill

are

Subject/verb Agreement – Or/Nor

• When a compound subject contains nouns or pronouns joined by “or” or “nor,” the verb should agree with the part of the subject that is nearer the verb.

• The boy or his friends run every day.

• His friends or the boy runs every day.

Subject/verb Agreement – “or/nor”• Either you or he _________ swimming. (To

hate)• Neither she nor we __________ in the park in

the afternoons. (To walk)• John or his father __________ to get a puppy

for Christmas. (To want)• Umkulthoum or her sisters __________ kittens.

(To kill)• Umkulthoum or her sister __________

sociopathic. (To be)

hates

walk

wants

kill

is

Subject/verb Agreement – “And/Or/Nor” Practice

• Write three (present tense) sentence pairs (one wrong version, one correct version) using “and” to join subjects of a sentence.

• Write three (present tense) sentence pairs (one wrong version, one correct version) using “or” or “nor” to join subjects of a sentence.

• In sentences beginning with there is or there are, the subject follows the verb. Since there is not the subject, the verb agrees with what follows.

• There are many questions.

• There is a question.

Subject/Verb Agreement – There

• There ______ an explosion at the plant. (To be)

• There _______ many injuries as a result. (To be)

• There ______ no reason for you to be hired. (To exist)

• There ______ several varieties of dog. (To exist)

Subject/Verb Agreement – There

is/was

are/wereexists

exist

• Write three (present tense) sentence pairs (one wrong version, one correct version) beginning with the word “there.”

Subject/Verb Agreement – There