CHAPTER I

SUBJECT-VERB AGREEMENT

A. The Defenition of Subject-Verb Agreement

Agreement it means conformity, in other words of the agreement is concord
while subject verb agreement is the compatibility between the subject with a verb in a
sentence.
A verb must be in compatible with the subject.
e.g. :

The cat eats fish. The cats eat fish.

cat = singular subject cats = plural subject

eats = singular verb eat = plural verb

B. The Regulation of Subject-Verb Agreement

a. The Use of Final -S/-ES :
 A final -s or -es is added to a noun to make the noun plural.
friend = a singular noun
friends = a plural noun
e.g. :
NOUN + -S: Friends are important
NOUN + -ES: I like my classes
 A final -s or -es is added to a simple present verb when the subject is a
singular noun (e.g., Mary, my father, the machine) or third person
singular pronoun (she, he, it).
Mary works = singular She works = singular
The students work = plural They work = plural
b. The Pronunciation of -S/-ES
 Final -s is pronounced /s/ after voiceless sounds,”t”,”p”,”k” are
examples of voiceless sounds.
e.g. :
seats = seat/s/
backs = back/s/

1
  Final -s is pronounced /z/ after voiced sounds, “d”,”b”,”g”, and “ee” are
examples of voiced sounds.

e.g. :

seeds = seed/z/

robes = robe/z/

bags = bag/z/

sees = see/z/

c. Spelling Final -S vs. -ES

For most words (whether a verb or a noun), simply a final -s is added to
spell the word correctly.
e.g. :
sing - sings
song - songs
 Final -es is added to words that end in -sh, -ch, -s, -z, -x.
e.g. :
wash - washes
watch - watches
class - classes
buzz - buzzes
box - boxes
 For words that end in -y :
e.g. :
a) toy - toys In (a): If -y is preceded by a
vowel, only -s is added.
buy- buys

b) baby- babies In (b): If -y is preceded by a

consonant, the -y is changed to
cry - cries -i and -es is added.

2
C. Basic Subject-Verb Agreement
a. Verb + -s/-es = third person singular in the simple present tense.
e.g. :
My friend lives in Boston.
b. noun + -s/-es = plural.
e.g. :
My friends live in Boston.
c. Two or more subjects connected by and require a plural verb.
e.g. :

(a) My brother and sister live 1n Boston.

(b) My brother, sister, and cousin live in Boston.

d. There is an exception for every and each are always followed immediately by
singular nouns. In this case, even when there are two (or more) nouns connected by
and, the verb is singular.
e.g. :

a). Every man, woman, and child needs love.

b). Each book and magazine is listed in the card catalog.

e. Sometimes a phrase or clause separates a subject from its verb. These interrupting
structures do not affect basic agreement.
e.g. :
a). That book on political parties is interesting.
NOTE :
In (a) the interrupting prepositional phrase on political parties does not change
the fact that the verb is must agree with the subject book.

b). The book that I got from my parents was very interesting.
c). The books I bought at the bookstore were expensive.
NOTE :
In (b) and (c) the subject and verb are separated by an adjective clause.

3
 f. A gerund used as the subject of the sentence requires a singular verb.
e.g. :
Growing flowers is her hobby.

D. Subject-Verb Agreement: Using Expresions of Quantity

In most expressions of quantity, the verb is determined by the noun (or
pronoun) that follows of. For example :
e.g. :
(a) Some of the book is good (b) Some of the books are good.
NOTE :

In (a): Some of + singular noun = singular verb.

In (b): Some of + plural noun = plural verb.

EXCEPTIONS : One of, each of, and every one of take singular verbs.

one of

each of + plural noun = singular verb

every one of

e.g. :

a) One of my friends is here.

b) Each of my friends is here.
c) Every one of my friends is here.
Subject with none of are considered singular in very formal English, but plural
verbs are often used in informal speech writing.
e.g. :
Singular verb : Plural verb :
(a) None of the boys is here. (b) None of the boys are here (informal)

COMPARE :

(1) The number of students in the class is fifteen.

(2) A number of students were late for class.

4
 In (1), The number is the subject. In (2), A number of is an expression
of quantity meaning “a lot of”. It is followed by a plural noun and a
plural verb.

E. Subject-Verb Agreement: Using There + Be

In the structure there + be, there is called an “expletive”. It has no meaning as
a vocabulary word. It introduces the idea that something exists in a particular place.
Pattern: there + be + subject + expression of place
e.g. :
(a) There are twenty students in my class.
(b) There’s a fly in the room.
The subject follows be when there is used.
SINGULAR VERB PLURAL VERB
(c) There is a book on the (d) There are some books In (c): The subject is book.
shelf. on the shelf. In (d): The subject is books.

F. Subject-Verb Agreement: Some Irregularities

Sometimes a proper noun that ends in -s is singular. In the examples, if the
noun is changed to a pronoun, the singular pronoun it is used (no the plural pronoun
they) because the noun is singular.
e.g. :
The United States = it (not they).

SINGULAR VERBS
a). The news is interesting.
b). Mathematics is easy for her. Physics is
easy for her too.
c). Diabetes is an illness.
d). Eight hours of sleep is enough.
e). Ten dollars is too much to pay.
f). Five thousand miles is too far to travel.
News is singular
Fields of study that end in -ics require singular verbs.
Certain illness that end in -s are singular: diabetes,
measles, mumps, rabies, rickets, shingles.
Expressions of time, money, and distance usually
require a singular verb.

5
g). Two plus two is four. Arithmetic expressions require singular verbs.
h). Five times five is twenty-five.
PLURAL VERB
i). Those people are from canada. People,*police, and cattle do not end in -s but are
j). The police have been called. plural nouns and require plural verbs.
k). Cattle are domestic animals.