Subject Verb Agreement
Subject Verb Agreement
AGREEMENT
Subject
is the main point of interest
Nouns and Pronouns may be singular or
plural.
Example:
Singular Plural
Farmer Farmers
Foot Feet
Ox Oxen
Him Them
I We
My ( datum , data ) is gone
last night.
Singular Plural
Is Are
Does Do
Was Were
Sings Sing
The Ramoses’s articles ( is, are )
interesting.
Example:
My father has many duties.
My mother teaches fifty boys and girls.
They come in all colors.
My aunt or my uncle ( is , are )
arriving by train today.
If contractions are used in sentences, the
verb agrees in number with the subject.
Singular Plural
Is not – isn’t Are not – aren’t
Was not – wasn’t Were not – weren’t
Does not – doesn’t Do not – don’t
Has not – hasn’t Have not – haven’t
Here is – here’s
There is – there’s
Examples:
The ilang-ilang isn’t a vine
The durian tree hasn’t begun to blossom.
The farmers don’t forget to smudge them.
RULE 2
Thenoun or pronoun coming after of is
generally not the true subject of the
verb.
Example:
The flight of swallows is very low.
Talk of huge mosquitoes ( doesn’t, don’t )
frighten me at all.
Example:
My house, like all other Muslim houses, is built
differently.
Salih, as well as other boys his age, swims very
well.
RULE 4
A compound subject connected by and
generally takes a plural verb.
Example:
My cousins and I go to Manila for our
vacation.
A car and a bike are my means of
transportation.
My classmate and friend (is , are ) with
me
Examples:
Mathematics is a subject which many
students find difficult.
Measles is a disease often fatal to children.
RULE 6
Fractions may take singular or
plural verbs depending on the object of
preposition.
Examples :
Two-thirds of the farm is planted to
coconut.
One-half of the coconuts are sent to
our cousins in the city.
Words or phrases express period of
weights, measurements, and
amounts of money are usually
regarded as singular.
Examples:
Today ten thousand pesos seems a small
sum to pay for building a house.
Two kilos of sugar meets our monthly
needs.
All of the pie ( is , are ) gone.
All of the pies ( is , are ) gone.
Example:
The poor are always with us
RULE 8
Indefinite pronouns such as nobody ,
each , everyone, another,
anyone, and someone take a singular
verbs.
Example:
Nobody in our class has tasted a durian.
Examples;
Many have gone to barrio fiesta.
Examples:
The committee is making plans for the fiesta.
Examples:
There are four hurdles to jump.
There is a high hurdle to jump.
RULE 11
In sentences beginning with It, the word it
is always followed by a singular verb.
Examples:
It was a Tausug who won the gold medal
for swimming.
It is people like the Tausug who produce
swimming champions.
RULE 12
The expression The number takes a
singular verb; the expression A number
takes a plural verb.
Examples:
The number of resorts is large.
A number of visitors are going to the pearl
farms in Sulu.
RULE 13
Sometimes the pronoun who, that , or
which is the subject of a verb in the
middle of the sentence.
Example:
Salma is the scientist who writes the
reports.
HANK YOU
“I am” is the shortest
complete sentence in
the English language.
Make a sentence using these word/s
and write it on the board.
Some
The number