STUDENT LESSON SUMMARY
LESSON
COPYMASTER
Verb Agreement with
Collective Nouns and Other
Tricky Subjects
6
ACADEMIC VOCABULARY
collective noun: names a group of people or things
number: in grammar, whether a word refers to one (singular) or more than one (plural)
agreement: the use of singular verbs for singular subjects and plural verbs for
plural subjects
HERE’S HOW
Grammar 6
Step 1: Review collective nouns. A collective noun can be singular or plural
depending on how it is used in a sentence.
EXAMPLES
army, audience, class, committee, council, family, group, nation, team
Step 2: Use a singular verb when a collective noun refers to one unified
action or whole. Use a plural verb when it refers to individuals. Sometimes
a pronoun signals whether the noun refers to a unit or to individuals.
Copyright by McDougal Littell, a division of Houghton Mifflin Company
EXAMPLES
In 1911, a robbery team steals the Mona Lisa from the Louvre Museum in Paris.
The museum staff considers its strategy to recover the painting.
The police have identified their prime suspects.
Step 3: Use a singular verb to agree with some nouns ending in -s or -ics,
those which look plural but are actually singular.
EXAMPLE WORDS:
mumps, news, linguistics, physics, economics, molasses, mathematics
Step 4: Use a singular verb to agree with the title of a work of art,
literature, or music. Titles are singular, even when they consist of a plural noun.
EXAMPLE
The Twelve Chairs is a comic mystery story.
Step 5: Use a singular verb to agree with most numerical
expressions. Words and phrases that express measurement and number are treated as
singular when they refer to an amount rather than to separate items. A fraction can be singular
or plural too, depending on whether it refers to an amount or to separate parts.
EXAMPLES
Over two-thirds of the money comes from private donations. (singular)
Three-fourths of the museum’s paintings are in storage. (plural)
Step 6: Phrases or clauses used as subjects take singular verbs.
EXAMPLES
To win a competition is the goal of many ice dancers. (infinitive phrase)
Learning ice dancing requires a commitment. (gerund phrase)
What people don’t understand is the effort it takes to compete. (noun clause)
Standards Lesson Files
Book 5: Grammar
Grade 9
53
Name
LESSON
6
Date
PRACTICE WORKSHEET A
COPYMASTER
Verb Agreement with
Collective Nouns and Other
Tricky Subjects
Directions: Rewrite each sentence in the space provided. Correct any errors in subject-verb
agreement. If a sentence is already correct, write C.
1. On an August day in 1911, the usual crowd begin to gather at the Louvre Museum.
2. The Mona Lisa is not hanging on the wall.
Grammar 6
3. The security staff are confident in its opinion that the painting is being photographed.
4. Sixty minutes are all the time that the robbery and escape took.
5. The robbery team consist of a mastermind, a forger, a carpenter, and two accomplices.
7. News of the robbery breaks slowly.
8. Meeting hastily, a group of top officials are divided in their opinions about what to
tell the press.
9. Forensics are used to help detect fake Mona Lisas.
10. Adventures in Artful Crimes are a nonfiction book about art robberies and investigations.
54
Book 5: Grammar
Grade 9
Standards Lesson Files
Copyright by McDougal Littell, a division of Houghton Mifflin Company
6. A million francs do not even come close to the amount represented by the loss.
Name
Date
LESSON
6
PRACTICE WORKSHEET B
COPYMASTER
Verb Agreement with
Collective Nouns and Other
Tricky Subjects
A: Directions: Rewrite each sentence in the space provided. Correct any errors in
subject-verb agreement. If a sentence is already correct, write C.
1. “Art and Authenticity” are an article you might enjoy if you are interested in the subject
of art forgery.
2. The Art of the Faker also provides a wealth of information on this topic.
Grammar 6
3. News of forgeries occasionally make headlines.
4. These days, thirty million dollars are not an unheard-of price for a painting by a famous
artist.
Copyright by McDougal Littell, a division of Houghton Mifflin Company
5. Of course, the majority of art forgeries duplicates the most valuable works.
B. Directions: On a separate sheet, rewrite the boxed paragraph, correcting any errors in
subject-verb agreement. (HINT: There are five errors.)
(6.) To fight forgery and theft, the staff of a modern museum spend much of
its time, energy, and money on security. (7.) As much as two-thirds of a budget
go toward security-related expenditures. (8.) “Famous Forgeries and Fabulous
Fakes” is the title of a lecture series that one art museum is sponsoring. A team of
speakers has prepared several talks, illustrated with slides. (9.) Forty minutes are
the time limit for each lecture. (10.) While listening to these suspenseful tales, the
audience often sits on the edge of their seats!
Standards Lesson Files
Book 5: Grammar
Grade 9
55