SUBJECT-VERB AGREEMENT/CONCORD

Basic rule: 7HNLO|]QHWHNLOILLOoR÷XO|]QHoR÷XOILLO

x The list of items is on the desk.

x The noises of the demonstration are distracting.

Rule 1: Cümle de özne, ‘and’ LOHED÷ODQPÕúveya birden fazla özneden ROXúX\RUVD FRRUGLQDWHGVXEMHFW 
oR÷XOILLODOÕU
x A car and a bike are my means of transportation.
x Your kitchen, your living-room, your dining-room, are too small.

Note 1: ‘And’ ile ED÷ODQPÕú|]QHOHUD\QÕNLúLYHQHVQH\LDQODWÕ\RUVD|]QHWHNLOROXU

x The first serious poem I read in grade school and one I later studied in high school was ‘Ozymandias’ by
Shelley. (The first serious poem was identical with the one later studied.)
x A conscientious and honest politician has nothing to fear.

1RWHµDQG¶LOHED÷ODQPÕúED]Õ|]QHOHUNDOÕSODúPÕúWÕUYHLNLVLELUEWQKDOLQHJHOPLúWLU %XúHNLOGH
NXOODQÕODQLIDGHOHUWHNLOILLODOÕU

x Bread and butter is good for you. (Bread with butter on it is . . . )

x Red beans and rice is my mom's favorite dish.
x Breaking and entering is against the law.
x The bed and breakfast was charming.

Rule 2: Özne,\DQÕQGDSDUDQWH]LOHDoÕNODPDYH\Dµalong with, as well as, besides,with, in addition to, not’

gibi ifadeler varsa bunlar özneyi etkilemez.

x The politician, along with the newsmen, is expected shortly.

x Excitement, as well as nervousness, is the cause of her shaking .
x The teacher, not the students, is here.
x Joe (and his trusty mutt) was always welcome.
x It is not the faculty members but the president who decides this issue.

Rule 3: g]QHHLWKHU«RUQHLWKHU«««QRUQRWRQO\««««EXWDOVRLOHROXúWXUXOPXúVD FRRUGLQDWHG

VXEMHFW ILLOHHQ\DNÕQRODQ|]QHWHPHODOÕQÕU SUR[LPLW\UXOH

x No food or drink was provided.

x Neither your brother nor your sisters are responsible.
x Not only the students but also the teacher was satisfied with the results.

Rule 4: Belgisiz zamirler (QRWKLQJDQ\RQHVRPHRQHHWF WHNLOILLODOÕU

x Everybody is now here.

x Someone has borrowed my comb.

5XOHµHLWKHUQHLWKHUHDFKYHHYHU\HYHU\RQHRIHDFKRIRQHRI¶WHNLOILLODOÕU

x Every student has a duty.

x Each of the students has a problem.
x Every chair and table is there. JHQHOOLNOHµDQG¶VRQUDVÕLNLQFLµDUWLFOH¶YHULOPH]
x Every aunt, uncle, and cousin of mine was at the family reunion.
x One the questions was easy.
x (LWKHUERRNLVRN WHNLOLVLPDOÕU
x 1HLWKHUER\LVKHUH WHNLOLVLPDOÕU

1RWHµ(LWKHURIYHQHLWKHURI¶VRQUDoR÷XOLVLPJHOLU)LLOWHNLO\DGDoR÷XORODELlir.
x Either of the ways is/are suitable.
x Neither of the methods is/are used.

5XOHµQRQHRI¶VD\ÕODPD\DQLVLPOHUOHLOHNXOODQÕOGÕ÷ÕQGDtekilVD\ÕODELOHQoR÷XOLVLPOHNXOODQÕOGÕ÷ÕQGDILLO
WHNLO\DGDoR÷XORODELOLU

x None of the information is accurate.

x None of the students is/are here.

Rule 7: Quantifiers (all, some, many, any, much) kendilerinden sonraki isme(tekil-oR÷XO J|UHWHNLO\DGD
oR÷XOILLODOÕU

x Some (of the material) is not suitable for children.

x Half (the county) is under water.
x All (the fruit) has been eaten.
x Some (of the pages) are missing.
x Half (of the members) have voted in favour of the amendment to the constitution.
x All (my friends) were abroad.

5XOHg]QHELUFPOHGHQROXúX\RUVDILLOWHNLOROXUg]QHRODQFPOHOHUµDQG¶ LOHED÷ODQPÕúLVHILLOoR÷XO
olur.
x Playing handball relaxes me.
x To make mistakes is only human.
x That he needs a shave is obvious.
x Reading and swimming are my hobbies.

5XOH7RSOXOXNLVLPOHUL FROOHFWLYHQRXQV ELUEWQROXúWXUGX÷XQGDWHNLOILLOWRSOXOX÷XROXúWXUDQ

ELUH\OHUGúQOG÷QGHLVH oR÷XODOÕU$QFDN$PHULFDQ(QJOLVK’de tekil fiil DOÕU

x The audience was very noisy.

x The public has a right to know.
x The jury has retired for the night, but it will resume its deliberations tomorrow.
x The government are confused about what to do next. (The members of the government are . . . )
x All the team are in their places. (All the members of the team are . . . )

Rule 10: µWKHUH¶YHµKHUH¶ERú|]QHROGX÷XLoLQNHQGLOHULQGHQVRQUDNLLVPHJ|UHWHNLO\DGD oR÷XOILLODOÕU

x There are two reasons for this./ There's a girl and two boys outside.
x There is no reason for this.
x Here are two apples.

Rule 11: ‘Majority, minority, variety, one-tenth, two-WKLUGVHWF¶JLELV|]FNYHNHVLUOLVD\ÕODU

VD\ÕODELOHQLVLPOHUOHoR÷XOVD\ÕODPD\DQLVLPOHUOHWHNLOILLODOÕU

x One-third of this article is taken up with statistical analysis.

x One-third of the students have graduate degrees.
x Fifty percent of the computers have CD-ROM drives.
x Fifty percent of the job is routine.
x A majority of Canadians have voted for change.
x The majority of the population lives in poverty

Rule 12: özne konumundaki zaman, para ve ölçü EULULPOHULELUEWQONLIDGHHGL\RUVDWHNLOILLODOÕU

x Ten dollars is a great deal of money to a child.

x Ten kilometres is too far to walk.
x Six weeks is not long enough.

BUT
Ten dollars (i.e., dollar bills) were scattered on the floor.
Rule 13: one of oR÷XOLVLPµZKRZKLFK¶GHQVRQUDJHQHOOLNOHWHNLOILLONXOODQÕOPDNWDGÕUDQFDNoR÷XOILLOGH
NXOODQÕOÕU
x He is one of the students who were/was late for the lecture.

BUT
The only one of+plural noun+who/that/which’ den sonra fiil tekil olur.
x Ali is the only one of the students who knows English.

Rule 14: ‘amounts of ve quantities of’ JLELPLNWDUEHOLUWHQLIGHOHULQNHQGLOHULoR÷XOROGX÷XLoLQNHQGLVLQGHQ

VRQUDJHOHQLVLPVD\ÕODPD\DQROVDELOHILLOoR÷XODOXU

x Only small quantities of money are still needed for the expedition.
x Very large quantities of aid are needed.
x Two pieces of metal were being rubbed together.

5XOHµDQXPEHURI¶oR÷XOILLOµWKHQXPEHURI¶WHNLOILLODOÕU

x A large number of students were here.

x The number of students who want participating the journey has already reached 50.

5XOHµFRXSOHFDWWOHSROLFHYHUPLQ¶V|]FNOHULoR÷XOILLODOÕU

x The cattle were grazing in the pasture.

x The police are investigating the event.
x The vermin are harmful
x The couple who live here are from England.

5XOHdR÷XOözel LVLPOHUNLWDSGHUJLILOPHWFDGODUÕDOÕQWÕODU WHNLOILLODOÕU

x Great Expectations was written by Charles Dickens.

x The Pirates of Penzance is my favourite operatte.
x The New York Times was, as usual, factual.

Rule 18: ‘It is/I/you/they’ LOHEDúOD\DQD\UÕNFPOeOHUGH FOHIWVHQWHQFH ILLOX\XPXDúD÷ÕGDNLJLELGLU

x It is I who need help. (formal)

x It is me who needs help. (informal)

5XOHµWKHVÕIDW¶EWQELUJUXEXWHPVLOHWWL÷LLoLQ oR÷XOILLODOÕU

x The rich are not always happy.

x The young like to listen to loud music.

5XOHµV¶LOHELWHQDQFDNGDLPDWHNLORODQLVLPOHUWHNLOILLODOÕU
+DVWDOÕNDGODUÕ
Diabetes measles mumps rabies arthirits tuberculous

dHúLWOLELOLPDGODUÕ
Economics electronics linguistics politics statistics meathematics
Genetics physics phonics

%D]ÕVSRUWUOHULQLQDGODUÕ
Athletics bowls billiards acrobatics gymnastics

'L÷HULVLPOHU
News ethics civics series species

x The news is bad.

x Gymnastics is fun to watch.

NOT: µ3ROLWLFVYHVWDWLVWLFVYHHFRQRPLFV¶ELOLPGDOÕGÕúÕQGDEDúNDELUDQODPLOHNXOODQÕOGÕ÷ÕQGDoRJXOILLO
DOÕU µVHULHVYHVSHFLHV¶\DQÕQGDNLEHOLUWHoOHUoR÷XOLVHoR÷XOLVLPDOÕU(these series, three species etc)

x The economics of the situation demand that . . . .

x Recent statistics show that…….
x His politics are not aligned with any party platform.
x 5XOHGDLPDoR÷XORODQDGODUoR÷XOILLODOÕU

Binoculars glasses pincers pliers scissors tweezers tongs

Pants shorts shoes trousers tights goods leftovers

Bu isimler özne konumunda ‘a pair of’ ODNXOODQÕOGÕNODUÕQGDILLOWHkil olur.

x Pants are necessary here.

x A pair of pants is what I want.

Note: Özne yüklem uyumu ararkeQFPOHLoHULVLQGHNLEWQDQDYH\DQFPOHOHUHEDNÕOPDOÕGÕU

There is people who believes that the ship are left alone as a memorial to the many people who was lost at
sea when it sank. (*)

Subject-Verb Agreement Practice Exercises

1. Everyone (has/have) done his or her homework.
2. Each of the students (is/are) responsible for doing his or her work.
3. Either my father or my brothers (is/are) going to sell the car.
4. Neither my sisters nor my mother (is/are) going to sell the house.
5. The samples on the tray in the lab (need/needs) testing.
6. Mary and John usually (plays/play) together.
7. Both of the dogs (has/have) collars.
8. Neither the dogs nor the cat (is/are) very hungry.
9. Either the girls or the boy (walk/walks) in the evening.
10. Either the boy or the girls (walk/walks) in the evening.
11. At the end of the fall (comes/come) the hard tests.
12. The slaughter of animals for their fur (has/have) caused controversy.
13. The student, as well as his teacher, (was/were) going on the field trip.
14. The hard tests (comes/come) at the end of the fall.
15. Both of my roommates (has/have) decided to live in the dorms.

Subject-Verb Agreement Answers

1. Everyone has done his or her homework.
2. Each of the students is responsible for doing his or her work.
3. Either my father or my brothers are going to sell the car.
4. Neither my sisters nor my mother is going to sell the house.
5. The samples on the tray in the lab need testing.
6. Mary and John usually play together.
7. Both of the dogs have collars.
8. Neither the dogs nor the cat is very hungry.
9. Either the girls or the boy walks in the evening.
10. Either the boy or the girls walk in the evening.
11. At the end of the fall come the hard tests.
12. The slaughter of animals for their fur has caused controversy.
13. The student, as well as his teacher, was going on the field trip.
14. The hard tests come at the end of the fall.
15. Both of my roommates have decided to live in the dorms