chapter # 1

Sentence Agreement



Introduction


Here you learn how to match subjects and verbs, pronouns and antecedents, and maybe even a few outfits. You find out how agreement works with collective nouns and indefinite pronouns, too. Agreement is a biggie, because it occurs at least once a sentence. Thoug i was able to append this section with Structure & expression writing but it will puzzle both distinguished materials.


Singular Subjects and Verbs

The following guidelines make it easy to match singular subjects and verbs.

1. A singular subject takes a singular verb. For example:

" He who hesitates is probably right ".
The singular subject he agrees with the singular verb is.

"Isaac Asimov was the only author to have a book in every Dewey Decimal System category".
The singular subject Isaac Asimov requires the singular verb was.

2. Plural subjects that function as a single unit take a singular verb. For instance:

"Spaghetti and meatballs is my favorite dish".
The singular subject spaghetti and meatballs agrees with the singular verb is.

"Ham and eggs was the breakfast of champions in the 1950s".
The singular subject ham and eggs agrees with the singular verb was.

3. Titles are always singular. It doesn't matter how long the title is, what it names, or whether or not it sounds plural. As a result, a title always takes a singular verb. Here are two examples:

'Moby Dick was a whale of a tale".
The singular title Moby Dick agrees with the singular verb was.

"The Valachi Papers is a good read".

The singular title The Valachi Papers agrees with the singular verb is—even though the title appears plural, it is singular. That's because all titles are singular.

4. Singular subjects connected by either/or, neither/nor, and not only/but also require a singular verb. That's because the connecting words show that you are choosing only one item.

"Either the witness or the defendant was lying".
Only one person is lying: the witness or the defendant. Therefore, the subject is singular. And the singular subject (the witness or the defendant) matches the singular verb (was).







Plural Subjects and Verbs


Matching plural subjects and verbs is a snap with these simple guidelines: Here's the #1 rule:

1. A plural subject takes a plural verb.

"The rejected New Mexico state motto: Lizards make excellent pets".
The plural subject lizards matches the plural verb make.

"Mosquitoes are attracted to blue more than any other color".
The plural subject mosquitoes matches the plural verb are.

Think of the conjunction and as a plus sign. Whether the parts of the subject joined by and are singular or plural (or both), they all add up to a plural subject and so require a plural verb.

"Anwar and Hosni are going to the movies".
The plural subject Anwar and Hosni agrees with the plural verb are.

"Teddy Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln were great presidents".
The plural subject Teddy Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln agrees with the plural verb were.

2. If the subject is made up of two or more nouns or pronouns connected by or, nor, not only, or but also, the verb agrees with the noun closest to the pronoun.

"Neither the contract nor the page proofs are arriving in time to meet the deadline".
The plural subject proofs agrees with the plural verb are.

"Neither the page proofs nor the contract is arriving in time to meet the deadline".
The singular subject contract agrees with the singular verb is.

3. Ignore words or phrases that come between the subject and the verb. A phrase or clause that comes between a subject and its verb does not affect subject-verb agreement.

"The purpose of working out for several hours is to get fit and buff".
The singular subject purpose matches the singular verb is. Ignore the intervening prepositional phrase “of working out for several hours.”

"Downward mobility—a quick ride down the social and economic ladders—poses a serious problem".
The singular subject downward mobility agrees with the singular verb poses. Ignore the intervening appositive “a quick ride down the social and economic ladders.”




Collective Nouns


Collective nouns are singular in form but plural in sense. Here are some examples of collective nouns:


assembly
committee
faculty
herd
audience
crew
family
jury
class
crowd
flock
team
Army
etc.................

For purposes of agreement, collective nouns can be singular or plural, depending on how they are used in a sentence. Collective nouns used as one unit take a singular verb; collective nouns that indicate many units take a plural verb.

Singular collective nouns

Singular collective nouns include molasses (one kind of syrup) and chicken pox (one kind of disease). Other examples include measles, civics, social studies, mumps, news, cast, social studies, economics, and mathematics.

"The play's cast is rehearsing for today's show".
The singular subject cast takes the singular verb is. The members of the cast are functioning as a single unit.

"The jury returns a unanimous verdict".
The singular subject jury requires the singular verb returns; the members of the jury are working together as one unit.


Plural collective nouns

A collective noun is treated as plural when the group it names is considered to be made up of individuals. Because members of the group can act on their own, the word is considered plural.

"The play's cast are rehearsing their lines".
The plural subject cast requires the plural verb are because the members of the cast are functioning as individual people doing separate things.

"The jury often have different reactions to the evidence they hear".
The plural subject jury requires the plural verb have because the members of the jury are being considered as individuals.