Subject-Verb Agreement

Arab Academy for Science, Technology & Maritime
Transport
College of Language & Communication (Alexandria)
Languages Department
ESP II (LH 132)
English for Engineering
Subject –Verb
Agreement
SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL
GRAMMAR 3
PP. 14-18
Watch the video provided in
the link and take notes of
the meaning of subject-verb
agreement and its different
cases.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LfJPA8GwT
dk
Now Let’s concentrate more
on specific cases.
 Every book is checked before printing.
 One of the books is missing.
 The books ___________
were
on the table
yesterday.
 Whatever you want to do _______
is
fine with
me.
 The news ______
is on at 6:00.
Rule 1: The subject of a sentence or clause must agree in number with the
main or the auxiliary verb of that sentence or clause.
 Ex: $7.50 is the minimum wage.
 Five miles _________
is
an average distance for
me to run.
Rule 2 a: With fractions, percentages, amounts and distances a singular
verb is used when they are not followed by an “of” phrase.
.
 Ex: Half of the tables are occupied.

 21% of the population ___________poor.
is
 10% of the books __________paperback.

are
Rule 2 b: With fractions, percentages, amounts and distances with an “of”

phrase, the verb agrees with the object of the preposition
.
 Ex: Much of the book seems relevant to this
study.
 All the news ________________
is current
 Ex: Many researchers depend on grants from
industry.
are
 All the studies________________ current.
Rule3 : With indefinite quantifiers (e.g., all, few, many, much, some) the
verb agrees with the preceding noun or clause:
a. with a singular or non-count noun or clause use a singular verb.

b. with a plural noun use a plural verb.
 Ex: The rich get richer.
 The poor ____________
face many hardships.
Rule 4: Adjectives preceded by “THE” and used as plural nouns take a plural
verb.
 Ex: The number of students registered in the
class is 20.
 The number of girls studying Engineering
________
is increasing.
 Ex: A number of tourists are asking for the
way to the stadium.
 A number of students ______________
are
late.
Rule 5: Expressions using the phrase “number of” depend on the meaning
of the phrase:
a. They take a singular verb when referring to a single quantity.
b. They take plural verbs when they are used as indefinite quantifiers.
 Ex: France, as well as other European
countries, has a tip-included policy.
 Waiters, in addition to others who work for
tip, ______________
are usually generous
tippers.
Rule 6:With expressions “AS WELL AS, IN ADDITION TO, TOGETHER

WITH”, the first noun determines if the verb is singular or plural.
 Ex: Not only the waiter but also the cook and
busboy work for tips.
 Neither the host nor his guests
______________
are happy.
 Neither the guests nor their host
is
____________ happy.
Rule 7:In the subjects with “NEITHER/NOR and NOT ONLY BUT ALSO” the
noun closest to the verb determines if that verb is singular or plural.
Ex: Either John or his brother is going to make 
dinner.
 Either Maria or her parents _____________
get
dinner on weekends.
Rule 8: With “EITHER/OR”, the closest noun determines if the verb is

singular or plural.
 Ex: Both John and his sister are going to be at
the party.
 Carol and Bob _______________
are at the party.
Rule 9 a: A plural verb is used with subjects using “BOTH/AND”.
The administration and interpretation of

educational tests ___________
is an important
part of her job.
Rule 9 b: If the compound subject describes two parts of a single process,
then a singular verb is used.
 Ex: Half of my family lives/live in Canada.
 All of the class _________________
are/is
here.
 Ten percent of the population
____________________bilingual.
Was/were
Rule 10: With a collective noun, use singular/plural verb, depending on

whether you want to emphasize the single group or its individual
members.
 Ex: None of the workers receives a tip.
 None of the men _____________
wants to go on the
shopping tour.
Rule 11:Usually, a singular verb follows “NONE”, even if the noun following
it is plural.
Now it’s time to assess yourself.

Correct the grammatical mistakes in the
following paragraph.
Planes travels much faster than high-speed trains. The fastest
high-speed trains travels at just over 300 km/h. Commercial
aircraft flying at an altitude of around 30,000 feet travel with a
groundspeed of around 800 km/h. Therefore, on board trips is
typically faster on planes. However, rail networks generally links
city centers, which is often more convenient destinations than
out-of-town airports. Planes also tend to be delayed more often
than trains, due to air traffic congestion at airports. Large
aircraft do not takes off and lands immediately after one
another due to the need for separation distances for safety, and
to allow air turbulence time to clear along the runway after each
takeoff and landing. Also, checking in for flights take longer
than boarding trains. For these reasons, overall journey times
on high-speed trains are as short as or shorter than those on
planes over distances of 500 km to 1,500 km.
Identify the verb that correctly agrees with the
subject in each sentence.
 Several pieces of machine cogs (need - needs) to be replaced.

 All three computers (beep - beeps) when you turn them on.
 The flags that (keep – keeps) flapping on the top of the
scoreboard attest to the force of the wind.
 Either the senior engineers or the manager of the company (is
going - are going) to make a decision.
 The aircraft’s airspeed is the speed that it (pass – passes) through
the air.
 Only quarter of the employees in the company (play – plays) an
important role in decision-making processes.
 The maximum speed of this vehicle (is - are) 200 km/h.
 Some junior engineers (build – builds) models of our projects.
 All information that (is needed – are needed) for the
research has to be up to date.
 The workers (has – have) a lot of experience.
 The number of maintenance workers (was – were) only 20.
 A number of students (take – takes) their training in the
petrochemical company.
 Generating a horizontal together with landing speed (help
– helps) to simulate the effects of the wind blowing the
parachute.
 Not only the sensors but also the triggers (was
disconnected– were disconnected) last night.
 Both airspeed and groundspeed (is – are) important factors
for aircrafts successful operation.
 None of the parachutes (was tested – were tested) before
being used.

 Use subject-verb agreement rules to write a
paragraph about the different branches of
engineering.

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Arab Academy for Science, Technology & Maritime

 Ex: Half of the tables are occupied.

 10% of the books __________paperback.

Rule 2 b: With fractions, percentages, amounts and distances with an “of”

a. with a singular or non-count noun or clause use a singular verb.

Rule 6:With expressions “AS WELL AS, IN ADDITION TO, TOGETHER

Rule 8: With “EITHER/OR”, the closest noun determines if the verb is

The administration and interpretation of

Rule 10: With a collective noun, use singular/plural verb, depending on

Now it’s time to assess yourself.

 Several pieces of machine cogs (need - needs) to be replaced.

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