2 - Rules On Subject-Verb Agreement in English

ENGL
01_JCV_First Sem AY 2020-2021
A presentation by:
JOHN PAUL C. VALLENTE
(English for Teachers)

Subject-Verb Agreement
in the English Language
ENGL 01_JCV_First Sem AY 2020-2021
RULE # 01
By adding the suffix –s or –es, you

can produce the singular form of a
regular verb in the present tense.
EXAMPLES
Teachers create an impact as to whether

or not the students have captured the
concepts of authentic learning.
Demonstration method provides

opportunity in learning new exploration
and visual learning tasks from a different
perspective.
SUBJECT
VERB
RULE # 02
If two subjects are joined by the

conjunction “and”, they usually
require a plural verb. However, if
the subjects separated by “and”
refer to the same person or thing,
singular verb should be used.
EXAMPLES
Teachers and students play significant
roles in the learning process of essential
concepts and skills.
The teacher and classroom facilitator

implements the service learning method
which increases motivation and retention
of academic skills.
SUBJECT
VERB
RULE # 03
Phrases of inclusion, such as together

with, including, and along with, and other
prepositional phrases that appear
between the subject & verb, only
interrupt the agreement but do not affect
the number or the quantity of the
subject.
EXAMPLES
The classroom performance of TLE
teachers improves by systematic
evaluation of concerned authorities.
The lack of TLE teachers, including the

requirements of offering major course in the
tech-voc track of the K to 12 program, results in
importing teachers from other subjects who just
had training from short-term courses.
SUBJECT
VERB
RULE # 04
If the subjects are both singular and are
connected by the conjunction “or” and “nor,”
and if the pronouns “neither” and “either”
appear by themselves, the verb is singular.
However, if these pronouns function as
correlative conjunctions and become
neither/nor and either/or, the quantity of the
subject closest to the verb determines the
quantity of the verb.
EXAMPLES
The teachers nor the learners are to be blamed for a
failure in the educational system of many public schools.
Neither of the two parties is held responsible for

poor academic performance among Filipino
students in Science and Math education.
Either the lack of support from the government or
the problematic educational curricula cause the
gaps in the public educational system that need
to be addressed.
SUBJECT
VERB
RULE # 05
If the sentence starts with “here” or
“there,” the subject is placed after the
verb. However, the verb still determines
the quantity of the subject. Note that
even though these words appear at the
beginning of a sentence, they do not
necessarily function as the subject; they
are still part of the verb phrase.
EXAMPLES
There are calls to move away from the
traditional lecture to interactive computer
learning systems.
There is an expectation among the

students to meet the desired learning
competency to pursue college.
SUBJECT
VERB
RULE # 06
If an indefinite pronoun, such as
each, everybody, anything,
someone, no one, or nobody,
comes before the subject or
represents the subject of the
sentence, a singular verb is used.
EXAMPLES
Every TLE teacher has to be empowered
to strengthen the vocational skills of
students.
Each stakeholder has an important role to

play in achieving the goals of K to 12
program where TLE has come to the fore.
SUBJECT
VERB
RULE # 07
Indefinite pronouns, such as

few, many, several, both, all,
and some always take the
plural form of the verb
EXAMPLES
Many (of the Social Studies teachers)
attend trainings and seminars in order for
them to be knowledgeable on the trends
and issues in their field.
Several (HMAEd students) find it hard to

pass the licensure examination because of
the many components that they have to
master.
SUBJECT
VERB
RULE # 08
When indefinite pronouns like

some, half, none, more and all are
followed by a prepositional phrase,
the object of the preposition
identifies the form of the verb that
should be used in the sentence.
EXAMPLES
All of the learning competencies in
Science education are expected to be
mastered by the teacher so he/she could
teach these effectively.
Most of our country’s educational system

is perceived to be problematic and faulty.
SUBJECT
VERB
RULE # 09
Units of measurement and

time take the singular form
of the verb.
EXAMPLES
4 years is not enough to be proficient in

all the components of TLE, it seems.
Several meters of distance is being

travelled by language teachers just to
attend workshops in other parts of the
country.
SUBJECT
VERB
RULE # 10
If a collective noun functions

as the subject of the
sentence, the verb should
be in the singular form.
EXAMPLES
A group of TLE students appeals for a
reconsideration of policies in terms of the
nature of their licensure examination.
The crowd goes ecstatic as the Social

Studies teacher presents her intriguing
research findings about the lives of
Ilocano women during the Spanish
colonization.
SUBJECT
VERB
RULE # 11
Titles of various media

platforms are always treated as
singular; thus they always
agree with a singular verb.
EXAMPLES
The Plight of Unseen Teachers, which is a

documentary on the lives of indigenous
professional teachers, holds a strong
position in the list of local documentaries
to be awarded this year.
SUBJECT MODIFYING PHRASE
VERB
RULE # 12
A singular form of the verb follows the gerund

acting as the subject of a sentence. However,
when two gerund-subjects, referring to two
different situations, are linked by the
conjunction “and,” the plural form of the verb
should be used. Remember, focus on the
gerund and not on the noun phrase that may
come after it.
EXAMPLES
Conceptualizing the learning
competencies and implementing them are
crucial in achieving the goals of the Values
Education curriculum.
Empowering the teacher, together with the

learners, is needed to successfully carry
out the delivery of any educational
curriculum.
SUBJECT ADDITIVE PHRASE
VERB

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ENGL

01_JCV_First Sem AY 2020-2021

(English for Teachers)

By adding the suffix –s or –es, you

Teachers create an impact as to whether

Demonstration method provides

If two subjects are joined by the

The teacher and classroom facilitator

Phrases of inclusion, such as together

The lack of TLE teachers, including the

Neither of the two parties is held responsible for

There is an expectation among the

Each stakeholder has an important role to

Indefinite pronouns, such as

Several (HMAEd students) find it hard to

When indefinite pronouns like

Most of our country’s educational system

Units of measurement and

4 years is not enough to be proficient in

Several meters of distance is being

If a collective noun functions

The crowd goes ecstatic as the Social

Titles of various media

The Plight of Unseen Teachers, which is a

SUBJECT MODIFYING PHRASE

A singular form of the verb follows the gerund

Empowering the teacher, together with the

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