Subject-Verb Agreement

Subjects and verbs must always

agree in number.
Source: https://academicguides.waldenu.edu/writingcenter/grammar/subjectverbagreement
 Subject-Verb Agreement

Rule 1: If the subject is singular, the verb must be singular

too
Example: She writes every day.
Exception: When using the singular "they," use plural verb forms.
Example: The participant expressed satisfaction with their
job. They are currently in a managerial role at the organization.
 Subject-Verb Agreement

Rule 2: If the subject is plural, the verb must also be

plural.
Example: They write every day.
Sometimes, however, it seems a bit more complicated than
this.
 Subject-Verb Agreement

Rule 3: When the subject of the sentence is composed of

two or more nouns or pronouns connected by and, use a
plural verb.
1.Example: The doctoral student and the committee
members write every day.
2.Example: The percentage of employees who called in
sick and the number of employees who left their jobs
within 2 years are reflective of the level of job satisfaction.
 Subject-Verb Agreement

Rule 4: When there is one subject and more than one verb,
the verbs throughout the sentence must agree with the
subject.
Example: Interviews are one way to collect data
and allow researchers to gain an in-depth understanding of
participants.
Example: An assumption is something that is generally
accepted as true and is an important consideration when
conducting a doctoral study.
 Subject-Verb Agreement

Rule 5: When a phrase comes between the subject and the

verb, remember that the verb still agrees with the subject,
not the noun or pronoun in the phrase following the
subject of the sentence.
Example: The student, as well as the committee members, is excited.
Example: The student with all the master’s degrees is very motivated.
Example: Strategies that the teacher uses to encourage classroom
participation include using small groups and clarifying expectations.
Example: The focus of the interviews was nine purposively selected
participants.
 Subject-Verb Agreement

Rule 6: When two or more singular nouns or pronouns are

connected by "or" or "nor," use a singular verb

Example: The chairperson or the CEO approves the proposal

before proceeding.
 Subject-Verb Agreement

Rule 7: When a compound subject contains both a

singular and a plural noun or pronoun joined by "or" or
"nor," the verb should agree with the part of the subject
that is closest to the verb. This is also called the rule of
proximity.
Example: The student or the committee members write every day.
Example: The committee members or the student writes every day.
 Subject-Verb Agreement

Rule 8: The words and phrases "each," "each one,"

"either," "neither," "everyone," "everybody," "anyone,"
"anybody," "nobody," "somebody," "someone," and "no
one" are singular and require a singular verb.
Example: Each of the participants was willing to be recorded.
Example: Neither alternative hypothesis was accepted.
Example: I will offer a $5 gift card to everybody who participates in the study.
Example: No one was available to meet with me at the preferred times.
 Subject-Verb Agreement

Rule 9: Noncount nouns take a singular verb

Example: Education is the key to success.

Example: Diabetes affects many people around the world.
Example: The information obtained from the business
owners was relevant to include in the study.
Example: The research I found on the topic was limited.
 Subject-Verb Agreement

Rule 10: Some countable nouns in English such as

earnings, goods, odds, surroundings, proceeds, contents,
and valuables only have a plural form and take a plural
verb.
Example: The earnings for this quarter exceed expectations.
Example: The proceeds from the sale go to support the homeless
population in the city.
Example: Locally produced goods have the advantage of shorter
supply chains.
 Subject-Verb Agreement

Rule 11: In sentences beginning with "there is" or "there

are," the subject follows the verb. Since "there" is not the
subject, the verb agrees with what follows the verb.
Example: There is little administrative support.
Example: There are many factors affecting teacher retention.
 Subject-Verb Agreement

Rule 12: Collective nouns are words that imply more than
one person but are considered singular and take a singular
verb. Some examples are "group," "team," "committee,"
"family," and "class."
Example: The group meets every week.
Example: The committee agrees on the quality of the writing.

However, the plural verb is used if the focus is on the individuals in the
group. This is much less common.
Example: The committee participate in various volunteer activities in
their private lives.
 Identifying Common Errors

Grammar for Academic Writing

Source: https://waldencss.adobeconnect.com/pymq3in2zg9u/
 Identifying Common Errors

English has more than a dozen verb tenses

Tenses show the time of the action or state, or general
truths

She writes She is writing She wrote last

every day. right now. night.

She was She has She has been

writing when written writing for 2
he called. Chapter 1. hours.
 Identifying Common Errors

Simple Present
• The hospital admits patients whether or not they have
proof of insurance.

Simple Past
• Zimbardo (1998) researched many aspects of social
psychology.

Present Perfect
• Numerous researchers in the field have used this
method.

Future
• I will conduct semistructured interviews.
 Consistency in Sentence

•Bakke (2015) conducted the interviews and then transcribed

them. (Both past tense)

•Herrington (2014) found that the survey participants drink an

average of 2.2 cups of coffee per day. (Past and present tenses)

•The researchers explained that identifying a cause will be

difficult. (Past and future tenses)
 Consistency in Sentence

•Bakke (2014) conducted the interviews and then transcribed

them.

•Herrington (2014) found that the survey participants drink an

average of 2.2 cups of coffee per day.

•The researchers explained that identifying a cause will be

difficult.
 Consistency in Sentence
Progressive tenses:
• I am writing my paper.
• She is earning her doctorate in business.
• The researcher is finding that the new staff need more professional
development.
• The researcher found that the new staff need more professional
development.
While grammatically correct, this tense is rarely used in
academic writing:
• Focus on what has already been completed
• Focus on explaining general truths
 Consistency in Sentence
•Verbs that do not make sense in the context of the sentence

I would complete my master’s program in 2019.

Revision: I will complete my master’s program in 2019.

Most children experienced some form of rebellion against their parents.

Revision: Most children experience some form of rebellion against their
parents.

I am working on homework every night.

Revision: I work on homework every night.
 Nonessential Clauses
Essential
Main clause: Dependent Main clause:
Part 1 phrase/clause Part 2
The students who had completed their projects early did
not have homework over the weekend.
Essential
Main clause: Dependent
Part 1 phrase/clause
I read the article that was assigned for Week 3.
 Nonessential Clauses

Essential (Restrictive) Clause:

• Restricts or defines meaning of the noun
• Essential to the intended meaning of the
sentence
• Not separated by commas
 Nonessential Clauses
Interrupting/Nonessential
Main clause: Dependent Main clause:
Part 1 , phrase/clause , Part 2
The students, who are in their third week of the program,
did not have homework over the weekend.
Nonessential
Main clause: Dependent
Part 1 , phrase/clause
I read the article, which only took me 15 minutes.
 Nonessential Clauses

Nonessential (Nonrestrictive) Clauses:

• Add extra information
• Not essential to intended meaning of the sentence
• Separated by commas
 Nonessential Clauses
The extra information is essential because it
describes a noun/pronoun.
The employees who work remotely requested further training.

She received the article that she requested from the library.

The printers that malfunctioned are now working again.

* That is only used in essential clauses/phrases (without commas).

 Nonessential Clauses
•The extra information is not essential to the meaning of the
sentence, so it is between commas.

The students despite being warned about the test’s difficulty

did not adequately prepare.
Revision: The students, despite being warned about the test’s
difficulty, did not adequately prepare.

Some students however still earned passing grades.

Revision: Some students, however, still earned passing grades.
 Nonessential Clauses

Essential (Restrictive) Clause:

The book that she read was
important for her literature review. • Restricts or defines
meaning of noun
• Not separated by commas

The book, which she read while Nonessential (Nonrestrictive)

sitting by the pool, was important Clause:
for her literature review. • Adds extra information
• Separated by commas
Commas After Introductory Words or Phrases

Introductory
Sentence
word/phrase ,

Introductory
word/phrase: Not Sentence: Subject +
necessary for grammatical predicate
correctness of sentence (complete sentence)

Between September and December, the student

completed 40 hours of observation.
Commas After Introductory Words or Phrases

Words Phrases
• However • According to
• Furthermore Bakke (2015)
• Therefore • Typing quickly
• Between
• Often adverbs September and
December
 Commas After Introductory Words or Phrases

•According to Bakke (2015), allergies in dogs are on the

rise.

•However, new medications can help reduce the

scratching behavior caused by allergens.

•Typing quickly, he accidently deleted a sentence he

wanted to keep.
 Commas After Introductory Words or Phrases

Short introductory phrases with four words or fewer that begin with
prepositions (e.g. for, by, from, in) may not need to be followed by a
comma:

For many weeks I have been searching for relevant articles.

However, it is typically also correct to include a comma:

• For many weeks, I have been searching for relevant articles.

 Possessive Forms

The possessive form, typically created with

an apostrophe (’) and an s shows that
something belongs to a person, people, or
thing(s).

•Pavlov’s theory of classical conditioning

 Singular Possessive

•Pavlov’s theory of classical conditioning is based on his

experiments with dogs.

•The company’s code of conduct is included in the

employee manual.

•Jones’s (2015) research revolved around online academic

writing feedback.
 Plural Possessive

•The Nurses’ Association has a code of conduct.

•The researchers’ methods were sound.

Irregular plurals:

The Children’s Museum has a dinosaur exhibit this month.

 Commas After Introductory Words or Phrases

• Incorrect: Cell phones became commonly used in the 1990’s.

Years • Correct: Cell phones became commonly used in the 1990s.

Making
• Incorrect: The CEO’s met at the technology summit.
acronyms
• Correct: The CEOs met at the technology summit.
plural

Making a • Incorrect: The teacher’s attended the conference.

noun plural • Correct: The teachers attended the conference.