It is very important to use correct verb form to write grammatically correct English. This part of discussion will help you in your endeavour to write correct English.
SUBJECT – VERB AGREEMENT
|
Singular
|
Plural
|
|
|
1st Person
|
I
|
WE
|
|
2nd Person
|
YOU
|
YOU
|
|
3rd Person
|
HE,SHE , It ,
(Rajan , David etc., any
one name )
|
THEY
|
Person and
Number ?
The
speaker(s) is/are 1st person
To
whom it is spoken is 2nd person
The
thing/place/person being talked about is the 3rd person
How to find a subject ?
Place
Who/What before a verb. The answer is subject and it is, by default, a noun or
pronoun.
e.g:-
The General gives orders.
Who/
What gives orders? Ans:- The General
How to find an object ?
Place
Who/ What/whom after the verb. The answer is object and by default, it is also
Noun/Pronoun.
e.g:-
The General gives orders.
The
General gives what? Ans:- Object.
Remember – Nouns coming
after ‘is,am,are,was , were, has, have,
had look like OBJECTS but they are actually COMPLEMENT TO THE VERB as they
complete the meaning of the verb. How to
determine this? Try to change them into passive. They won’t change.
E.g:- I am a singer
I am what?=Singer but change it to
passive! It won’t
*** ONE MORE THING!
Nouns/ -ing words coming before verb of the sentence are
subjects and hence, nouns.
e.g:- Swimming is my
hobby. (Here swimming is a Noun)
What is a finite verb?
Verb that changes its form according
to the subject. In other words, Finite means controlled. Who controls whom? The
subject controls he verb. A
sentence can not be formed without a finite verb .
Example:-
He is my friend
They watched a movie last
night
Therefore
, it is very important to identify the number and person of the subject .
Example
:-
The
Tsunami tragedy that shocked the world (3rd
person singular number) is still remembered with horror .
All
the buildings (Plural)
in this city are beautiful.
Rule 1.
If there is only one subject in
a sentence, the verb agrees with the number and person of the subject.
Ex:-
1. They (3rd pl.)
------ (be) all going to the party.
2. The naughty Raju (3rd
sg.) ------ (love) ice cream
Rule 2.
If there
are two subjects in a sentence and they are joined by ‘and’ , it becomes plural
and hence they behave as 1st ,2nd & 3rd
person plural ,depending on the subjects .
Ex:-
1. My brother and I (=we) are good friends
2.
Your brother and you (=you) are selected
3.
Seema and her sister (=they) are good singers
Rule 3.
However, sometimes two nouns joined by ‘and’
look like plural ( rice
and dal) but they are actually singular in sense ( because
they form single unit or describe the same thing ) and
hence, the verb agrees with the subject in singularity .
Ex:-
1. Bread and butter
is a common breakfast
(one dish)
2. The poet
and singer is coming today ( note the single
determiner )
BUT
The poet
and the singer are coming today (note the double
determiners )
Rule 4.
If there
are two nouns in the subject position and they are joined by ‘along with ,
together with ,as well as’ , the verb agrees with the subject in the first
place.
Ex:-
My dog along
with other dogs runs in the park
The players
as well as the coach were sad
Rule 5.
‘one of , none of , neither of ,
either of’ are followed by plural noun but the verb agrees with the singularity
of the subject.
Ex:-
One of the books is missing from the table
Neither of the brothers is good at
sports.
Rule 6.
Indefinite pronouns like ‘Every
,each , no one , none, some one , somebody ‘ indicate singularity and hence verb agrees
with the singularity of the subject.
Ex:-
Everybody wants money
None is so stupid to support this statement .
Rule 7.
Two
nouns joined by ‘or , either----or, neither ----nor’ , the verb agrees with the
subject adjacent to it .
Ex:-
Neither
she nor her parents are aware of
this
Either
you or I am to be blamed for this
Rule 8.
It is highly recommended to use plural verbs with the collective nouns when they act
as a unit but singular verb when act individually .
Ex:-
The Spanish armada is famous in the country
Standard X E is the most obedient class
The board of members are divided in
opinion
The jury is unanimous in their opinion
The Indian team are
bubbling with energy
Rule 9.
Objects/things coming in pairs
must have a plural verb.
Ex:- The scissors are
on the table
His trousers are
costly
Rule 10.
i) Adjectives like ‘much , less, many a--’ , ii) decimals and
fractions and iii) a total unit – all
take singular verb.
Ex:-
i)
A little salt is added
Much less than 50000 rupees is required
ii)
Three quarters of a year is a long time
3.6 km is
about 2 miles
iii)
500 km is not a long distance
200 Rupees per day is not a
meagre amount
But
Note :- A lot of inspiration
is required
A
lot of books
are piled in the room
In
this case see the singularity or plurality of the NOUN .
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