S-V Agreement Mathis 2009
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1) shake
2) shook
3) shuck
S-V Agreement Mathis 2009
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SINGULAR









PLURAL
child (1)
fox (1)
Mathematics (1 subject)
fish, hair, moose (1 hair, 1
fish, 1 moose)
sugar
Cannot be
sand
wax
counted.
water
milk




Children (more than one)
Foxes (more than one)
Mathematics classes
fish, hair, moose (more than
one)
S-V Agreement Mathis 2009
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chase
chases
chasing
 The
dog _________________ the cat.
S-V Agreement Mathis 2009
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chase
chases
chasing
 The
dog _________________ the cat.
 The
dog chases the cat.
singular
S-V Agreement Mathis 2009
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chase
chases
chasing
 The
mice ___________ the elephant.
PLURAL
S-V Agreement Mathis 2009
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A can of lima beans sits on the shelf.
Simple subject?
Do the subject and
verb agree?
Verb?
Ignore the interrupting phrase “of lima beans.” The
subject is never in a prepositional phrase.
S-V Agreement Mathis 2009
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has
_________
a specific job on the team.
(have, has)
 Each
Singular:
each one –
as an individual
Singular indefinite pronouns: each, either, neither, one, no one,
Nobody, anyone, anybody, anything, someone, something,
everyone, everybody, everything
S-V Agreement Mathis 2009
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 Plural
indefinite pronoun subjects take
plural verbs: several, few, both, many
do a specific job on the team.
Both ____
(do, does)
Some indefinite pronouns are singular or plural (some,
any, none, all, most), depending upon the noun that
follows.
is
Some of the sugar ______on
the floor.
Some of the marbles ______
are on the floor.
S-V Agreement Mathis 2009
Can sugar be counted?
Can marbles be counted?
9
A
make
pencil and an eraser _____writing
easier.
are great teachers.
Mrs. Mathis and Ms. Frankfort _____
S-V Agreement Mathis 2009
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 Neither
is paying
E.J. nor Shapiro ____
attention.
(Think: neither one )
are going to win the contest.
Either the boys or the girls _____
5) Inverted subjects must agree with the verb.
How ___
are the relatives taking the news?
singular or plural?
S-V Agreement Mathis 2009
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 The
jury has awarded custody to the
grandmother. (the jury is one unit, one
group)
 The jury have been arguing for days.
(members are individuals)
S-V Agreement Mathis 2009
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 Sports
Illustrated is his favorite magazine.
is
 Physics ____
Mr. Mattox’s major.
(Yes, physics ends in ‘s’, but it is one subject.)
Other things to know: Plural form subjects that take on one meaning
are singular and take a singular verb. Plural form subjects can take a
singular or plural verb, depending upon the meaning.
Mumps is contagious. Measles is, too. (8)
arethe
A pair of scissors ___isneeded. The scissors ____ on
table.
S-V Agreement Mathis 2009
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o
o
o
o
o
o
Here is the grasshoppers that you need to give the iguana while
Marvin recovers in the hospital.
Wrestling on the cafeteria floor are two hungry students that
want the last slice of pepperoni pizza.
Either the squid soufflé or the fried octopus make a delicious
snack to eat while you are watching 20,000 Leagues Under
the Sea.
Mary Anne's compassion, as well as the Professor's intelligence
and the Skipper's good humor, are what Jillian most enjoys
about Gilligan's Island.
Each of these yo-yo champions give the same advice: you have
to risk whacking yourself in the head a few times to master the
really challenging tricks.
The powdery sugar on lemon doughnuts makes Rhonda happy
to start a new day.
S-V Agreement Mathis 2009
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