Chapter Twenty-Six
Subject-Verb Agreement
English Skills, 8e
English Skills with Readings, 6e
© 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
Chapter 26
Subject-Verb Agreement
• When subjects and verbs agree, they match in
number and person.
• In other words, singular subjects require singular
verbs and plural subjects match plural verbs;
third person subjects require the third person form
of the verb.
My brothers
buy
old bicycles
to repair.
English Skills, 8e
English Skills with Readings, 6e
My brother
buys
old bicycles
to repair.
© 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
Chapter 26
Subject/Verb Agreement
• In English, regular verbs take the same form
for singular and plural except for the thirdperson singular form of the verb.
The
• The -s,
orboy
-es walks.
ending on aThe
verb
designates
a
boys
walk.
singular verb.
• In fact, nouns and verbs are the opposite
where plural endings are concerned.
English Skills, 8e
English Skills with Readings, 6e
© 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
Chapter 26
Subject-Verb Agreement
• A subject agrees with its verb no matter how far
apart the two are. Do not be distracted by nouns
or pronouns placed between the subject and verb.
• The ducks on the lake behind the school swim
in large groups.
• A list of required readings is mailed to entering
freshmen.
English Skills, 8e
English Skills with Readings, 6e
© 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
Chapter 26
Subject-Verb Agreement
• A compound subject that is linked by the conjunction
“and ” requires a plural verb.
• Both the college newspaper and the literary magazine
fail to attract experienced staff.
English Skills, 8e
English Skills with Readings, 6e
© 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
Chapter 26
Subject-Verb Agreement
• A compound subject linked by the conjunction
or or nor requires a singular verb.
• Either the dean or his assistant addresses the
freshmen class.
• Neither geology nor astronomy is required
for my major.
English Skills, 8e
English Skills with Readings, 6e
© 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
Chapter 26
Subject-Verb Agreement
• Indefinite pronouns refer to indefinite
persons or things and usually require a
singular verb.
• Each of the volunteers tutors for at least
three hours every week.
English Skills, 8e
English Skills with Readings, 6e
© 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
Chapter 26
Subject-Verb Agreement
• If a collective noun acts as a single unit, it
takes a singular verb.
• My entire family is coming for homecoming
weekend.
English Skills, 8e
English Skills with Readings, 6e
© 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
Chapter 26
Subject-Verb Agreement
• When normal word order is inverted and
the subject follows the verb, the subject and
verb must agree.
• Standing at the door with grins on their faces
were the cheerleaders.
English Skills, 8e
English Skills with Readings, 6e
© 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
Chapter 26
Subject-Verb Agreement
• Note: Sentences that begin with there or here
have the subject follow the verb.
• There are three branches of government:
judicial, executive, and legislative.
English Skills, 8e
English Skills with Readings, 6e
© 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
Chapter 26
Click to see answer….
Incorrect
Movies in today’s
market makes a
great deal of
money.
English Skills, 8e
English Skills with Readings, 6e
© 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
Chapter 26
Revised
Movies in today’s
market make a
great deal of
money.
English Skills, 8e
English Skills with Readings, 6e
© 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
Chapter 26
Incorrect
The American
audiences pays
for tickets at
the theater
and for cable at
home.
English Skills, 8e
English Skills with Readings, 6e
© 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
Chapter 26
Revised
The American
audiences pay for
tickets at the
theater and for
cable at home.
English Skills, 8e
English Skills with Readings, 6e
© 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
Chapter 26
Correct
The international
market, which
includes dozens
of countries,
produces even
more profit.
English Skills, 8e
English Skills with Readings, 6e
© 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
Chapter 26
Incorrect
Films are very
expensive to
manufacture, so
American studios
creates far more
films than other
countries.
English Skills, 8e
English Skills with Readings, 6e
© 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
Chapter 26
Revised
Films are very
expensive to
manufacture, so
American studios
create far more
films than other
countries.
English Skills, 8e
English Skills with Readings, 6e
© 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
Chapter 26
Incorrect
There is many
advantages to
seeing a movie
in the theater rather
than watching
a video at home.
English Skills, 8e
English Skills with Readings, 6e
© 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
Chapter 26
Revised
There are many
advantages to
seeing a movie
in the theater
rather than
watching a video
at home.
English Skills, 8e
English Skills with Readings, 6e
© 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
Chapter 26
Correct
The dark theater
and the enormous
screen take the
movie viewer to
another world.
English Skills, 8e
English Skills with Readings, 6e
© 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
Chapter 26
Incorrect
The background
music in movies
play an important
role.
English Skills, 8e
English Skills with Readings, 6e
© 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
Chapter 26
Revised
The background
music in movies
plays an important
role.
English Skills, 8e
English Skills with Readings, 6e
© 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
Chapter 26
Correct
The music creates
a mood and gives a
signal of something
to come.
English Skills, 8e
English Skills with Readings, 6e
© 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
Chapter 26
Incorrect
Not everyone in
the entertainment
fields agree about
the quality of
movies.
English Skills, 8e
English Skills with Readings, 6e
© 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
Chapter 26
Revised
Not everyone in the
entertainment field
agrees about the
quality of movies.
English Skills, 8e
English Skills with Readings, 6e
© 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
Chapter 26
Incorrect
Neither the use of
subtitles nor black
and white
photography
demonstrate the
preferences of most
Americans.
English Skills, 8e
English Skills with Readings, 6e
© 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
Chapter 26
Revised
Neither the use of
subtitles nor black
and white
photography
demonstrates the
preferences of most
Americans.
English Skills, 8e
English Skills with Readings, 6e
© 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.