Agree or Disagree?

We have disagreements all the time in real life. So it is with grammar too!

What we call rules can easily be remembered if we think of the words as behaving exactly like us, humans. They are close friends with some and at loggerheads with others.

Thus we come to that slippery subject Subject - Verb Agreement which often slips in unnoticed in many an English Language test paper and leaves us ruffled.

Let's get the facts clear first-

What is subject - verb agreement?

Take the example of ...

Shirin goes to school with her sister.

The subject in this sentence is Shirin as we are talking about Shirin in this sentence.

The verb is 'goes' since the subject is singular.

If the subject had been Shirin and her sister, then we would have to use the verb 'go', and the sentence would have been written as follows:-

Shirin and her sister go to school.

So the verb in a sentence has to agree with the subject.

Let's see if we can do the following Subject - Verb exercise. Warning: These are real tricky ones!

Fill in the blanks with an appropriate verb

( Clue:Go for the subject right next to the verb. The verb agrees with it.)

i) There _________ a cupboard and a bed in this room.

ii) Either the writers or the publisher _____________ to blame.

iii) The minister and the painter ______________ coming.

iv) The team __________ done a good job.

v)  The pair of scissors ___________ on the desk.

vi) The committee _____________ working on  the issue.

vii) Neither the students nor the teacher _____________ enjoying the show.

viii) Neither the students nor the teachers ___________ enjoying the show.

ix) Which of those charts ______________ yours?

x) The costume with all its accessories _______________ reached the salon.

useful links: http://www.towson.edu/ows/sub-verb.htm

http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/sv_agr.htm

http://www.icseenglishhelp.org/2008/11/prasal-verbs.html

Answers:

i) There __is___a cupboard and a bed in this room. ( We consider each of the things - hence singular- cupboard and bed)

ii) Either the writers or the publisher ___is____ to blame.( We consider the subject right next to the verb.)

iii) The minister and the painter ____are____ coming. (Here, the minister and the painter are two different people - if they are the same we use 'is')

iv) The team ____has____ done a good job. ( the team is considered to be singular as it is a collective)

v)  The pair of trousers __are___ on the bed.( The pair is considered as plural - so we use are)

vi) The committee ___is___ working on  the issue. (The committee acts as one unit - so we use the singular verb)

vii) Neither the students nor the teacher ____is_____enjoying the show.

viii) Neither the students nor the teachers ____are____ enjoying the show.

ix) Which of those charts ___is____yours? ( Which refers to a singular subject)

x) The costume with all its accessories _____has____ reached the salon.( The costume is the main subject and is singular)

The thumb rule to follow is - check whether the subject is singular or plural - then proceed.