Agreement with Subject & Verb
1. Mary and I am going for a walk.
(wrong)
2. The car with its accessories have been stolen. (wrong)
3. The cat as well as its kittens have been missing. (wrong)
4. I as well as my sons are going pinicking next Sunday. (wrong)
5. Not only Tom, but also the workmen was fast asleep. (wrong)
6. Either of these methods are satisfactory. (wrong)
7. Each boy are responsbile for themselves alone. (wrong)
8. Either Jim or his two brothers is responsible for the duty. (wrong)
A verb must agree
with its subject in number and person.
When two singular nouns are connected by 'and' and form the subject of a sentence,
the verb is in the plural.
1. Mary and I are going for a walk. (correct)
In example 2, a singular
subject (The car) with an enlargement of the subject (with its accessories)
is followed by a singular verb.
2. The car with its accessories has been stolen. (correct)
3. The cat as well as its kittens has been missing. (correct)
The verb must agree with its subject not only in number
but also in person.
4. I as well as my sons am going pinicking next Sunday.
(correct)
In sentences with
'not only ... but also', the verb takes the number and person of the second
subject.
5. Not only Tom, but also the workmen were fast asleep.
(correct)
'Either', 'neither',
'each' & 'every' used as pronouns or adjectives + nouns take a singular
verb.
6. Either of these methods is satisfactory. (correct)
7. Each boy is responsbile for himself alone. (correct)
When two subjects
are joined by 'either ... or' or by 'neither ... nor', the verb agrees with
the second subject.
8. Either Jim or his two brothers are responsible for
the duty. (correct)
9.
The committee do not hold itself responsible for the loss of any article. (wrong)
10. The committee was unable to agree on the subject of slum clearance. (wrong)
11. The number of boys in this class are 40. (wrong)
12. A number of his friends was anxious for his safety. (wrong)
13. I was one of the lucky men who was not captured by the enemy. (wrong)
14. Neither of the boys who was questioned was able to give the correct answer.
(wrong)
15. Three months are the maximum time we can allow you for this work. (wrong)
16. Nearly three-quarters of my country are desert.(wrong)
17. Nearly three-quarter of the people of my country is illiterate. (wrong)
A collective noun
is followed by a singular noun or a plural noun according to the sense.
9. The committee does not hold itself responsible for
the loss of any article. (correct)
10. The committee were unable to agree on the subject of slum clearance. (correct)
In Example 9 the committee is regarded as a body of persons
and the singular verb is used. In Example 10 the
members of the committee were divided in their opinions and the plural verb
is used.
'The number of' takes
a singular verb as the subject is 'The number'. 'A number of' takes a plural
verb as
the subject is 'friends'.
11. The number of boys in this class is 40. (correct)
12. A number of his friends were anxious for his safety. (correct)
The verb in a relative
clause must agree in number with the antecedent(word come before the relative
pronoun).
13. I was one of the lucky men who were not captured by the enemy. (correct)
14. Neither of the boys who were questioned was able to give the correct answer.
(correct)
If the expression
is regarded as a unit, a singular noun is used.
15. Three months is the maximum time we can allow you for this work. (correct)
Some plural nouns
take a singular or a plural verb according to the context.
16. Nearly three-quarters of my country is desert. (correct))
17.Nearly three-quarter of the people of my country are illiterate. (correct)