Practise these
singular and plural subjects yourself —
|
Singular
Subjects |
Plural Subjects |
||||||
|
everyone |
much |
everbody |
one |
both |
few |
many |
several |
|
everything |
whichever |
anybody |
woman |
feet |
teeth |
mice |
men |
|
noone |
whatever |
anything |
mother |
women |
lice |
geese |
oxen |
|
nobody |
he |
either |
father |
children |
police |
people |
cattle |
|
nothing |
she |
neither |
brother |
gentry |
public |
they |
these |
|
someone |
it |
each |
sister |
those |
girls |
boys |
apples |
|
somebody |
the
boy |
every |
school |
you
and I |
I and they |
data |
leaders |
|
something |
the
girl |
little |
apple |
Raj
and me |
workers |
brooms |
cups |
|
anyone |
the
man |
this |
that |
schools |
parents |
hands |
mobiles |
Grammar
Focus:
Rules of Concord
1.
Singular subjects take singular verbs.
The
earth moves round the sun.
He was absent yesterday. She is kind and cooperative.
The
school has a beautiful garden.
2.
Plural
subjects take plural verbs.
Cows
eat grass.
At
this time yesterday they were watching TV.
We
are human.
These boys have very good appearance.
3.
Modal
auxiliary verbs such as will/would/ can/ could/shall/should/may/might / ought
to/ must/need to/dare to/used to, etc.
are always followed by plural verbs even if the subject is singular.
I will visit Pokhara next month. He would sing a song.
She can sing a song alone.
They could do nothing except watching the
scene.
What shall I do for you?
You should work hard.
He may be a good father but he’s a terrible husband. He
might get there on time, but I can’t be sure.
They ought to apologize for their mistake. He must finish
the work.
All you need to do is complete this form.
He didn’t dare to tell what he thought.
We used to go sailing on the lake in
summer.
4.
Two or more nouns or
pronouns joined by ‘and’ often require a plural verb.
She and I are working together.
Are your father and mother job holder? Fire and water do
not agree.
But, if the noun suggests one idea to the mind or refers
to something, the verb is
singular.
Time and tide waits for no man. Bread and butter is his
only food. Slow and steady wins the race.
Rice and Potato is my favorite food.
5.
Two or more subjects
joined by ‘as well as’, ‘with’,
‘together with’, ‘along with’, accompanied by’, ‘including’, ‘in addition’, ‘no less than’, etc. take verb according
to the former subject.
Silver as well as
gold is
a precious metal. The father as well as his sons is industrious
The
shop, with its articles, was burnt down.
The
ship, along with its crew, was saved.
I, together with my assistants, am busy
in works.
The
text is accompanied by a series of
stunning photographs.
There
is, in addition, one further point to
make.
The
guide contains details of no less than
150 hiking routes.
No
one, besides James, knows it.
Kate,
and not you, has won
the prize.
James,
together with his friends, was present.
6.
Some
nouns ending in –s are plural in form, but singular in meaning like:
a.
Field of study/subjects: mathematics, linguistics, statistics, economics, ethics,
politics, gymnastics, athlete
b.
Diseases
and Injuries: measles, shambles,
rabies, AIDS, mumps,
tuberculosis, syphilis,
paralysis, crisis, diabetes, shingles, rickets, etc.
c.
Games and Sports:
rounders, table tennis, checkers/ draughts, noughts and crosses,
musical bumps, fives, billiards, bowls, darts, dominoes, etc.
Politics
is a dirty game.
Syphilis gets worse over a period of time. Physics is my
favorite subject.
Linguistics
is the scientific study of language.
Ethics
is a branch of philosophy that deals with moral principles.
Darts
is often played in British pubs.
A
musical bump is a child’s party game.
Rounders
is played by two teams using a bat and ball.
7.
Some nouns
like staff, cattle, livestock, people, vermin, poultry, sheep, deer, salmon,
fish, police, outskirts, stairs, arms, swine, gentry and clergymen take plural verb.
The staff in this school are very helpful.
Cattle were first domesticated in Neolithic times. This is a market
where livestock are bought and sold.
There were a lot of people at the party.
Vermin are birds and mammals that prey on game. They
keep/raise poultry on the farm.
The Sheep are grazing in the field. Most male deer have
antlers.
They
live on the outskirts of Kathmandu.
How many stairs are there up to the second floor? The
police are unable to investigate the case.
But a sheep/ deer/ fish/
policeman/ clergyman takes singular verb.
He bought a sheep yesterday. A deer is coming to the
village. This fish tastes funny.
A
policeman is running on the road.
A
clergyman is a male priest or minister in the Christian Church.
8.
Two or more nouns
qualified by each or every, joined by
‘and’ require singular verb.
Each
and every dog has its day.
Every
teacher, parent and student is conscious about quality education.
Every
girl and every boy is in school uniform.
9.
If
the subject of a sentence begins with ‘either of / neither of / each of / one
of / everyone of + plural nouns, it must be followed by singular verb.
Either
of the women is beautiful.
Neither of these two boys is good at English. Each of
these books is written by foreign writers. One of the girls is so brilliant in
this class.
Every one of the students entertains my
class.
10.
Two or
more nouns/pronouns corrected
by ‘either.....or.....’ and ‘neither......nor ’
take
verb according to the latter subject.
Either Sony or I am ready to do it. Neither you nor
Amrita helps me. Either he or they have many problems.
Neither Rita nor her friends are good at
singing.
11.
Phrases beginning
with -a crowd of / a band of/ a group of / a herd of / a flock of
/ a gang of / a regiment of / a set of / a team of / a pack of / a pride of +plural nouns take
both plural and singular verbs.
A whole crowd is/are going to the ball.
A group of girls is / are kidding each
other.
A herd of deer is/ are grazing on the ground. A flock of
sheep is/ are coming.
12.
Phrases beginning with a chain
of / a bunch of / a bouquet of / a batch of / a galaxy
of / a series of / a packet of +plural nouns generally take singular verb.
A bunch of flower is on the table.
13.
Subjects
that are about specific quantity or amount, distance, measurement and
arithmetic sums often have a singular verb.
Ten miles is a long distance.
Ten meters of cloth is required to cover the area. Eighty
thousand rupees is enough for my study. Twelve hours equals to a day.
Six months is enough to finish this task.
Three plus three equals six. Twenty minus five is
fifteen. Eighty dollars is a lot of money.
14.
Plural
noun which is a proper noun for some single object or some collective unit must
be followed by a singular verb.
The United States has a big navy.
The Arabian Nights is still a great
favourite.
Tom and Jerry is a famous cartoon.
15.
Some
nouns like scissors/ shorts/ pants/ jeans/ trousers/ binoculars/ tongs/ pliers take
a plural verb but a pair of trousers/ shorts/ pliers/ pants/ jeans/
binoculars/ tongs/ pliers take a
singular verb
The scissors
are blunt.
The pliers are on the table. A pair of scissors is
blunt.
16.
Collective
nouns such as committee, crew, government,
parliament, jury, staff, family,
team, audience may take either
singular or plural verb.
The team is / are trying best to win the match. The
audience is / are so excited
The audience was/were clapping for five
minutes.
The committee has/have decided to close the restaurant.
None of the passengers and crew was/were injured.
The present government is against
corruption.
The government has/have been considering further tax
cuts. The jury has/have returned a verdict of guilty.
Almost every family in the country owns a
television.
The German parliament is called the
‘Bundestag’.
Three staff members were suspended after the incident. He
is a staff reporter for ‘The Himalayan Times’.
17.
The subject
of a sentence beginning with some of / most of / all of / a few of / a lot
of + plural nouns take a plural verb
but some of / most of/ all of + uncountable nouns take a singular verb.
Most
of the students are good at mathematics. A few girls have participated in the
competition. Most of the rice looks stale.
18.
Indefinite
pronouns as subjects have the following type of agreement:
Always Singular:
anyone, everyone, someone, no one, everybody, anybody, nobody,
somebody, everything, nothing, anything, something, each, every, either,
neither, much, little, one, another, enough, other
Always Plural: both, few, many, several, others
Either
singular or Plural: more, most, none, any, all, some Someone is knocking at the door.
Nothing was wrong. Nobody knows him. None
killed him.
Neither of
them is a hard worker.
Either of them comes to me tonight.
19.
Gerund
and to-infinitive as subject is always followed by singular verb.
Reading
is useful for us.
Seeing
is believing.
Learning
is doing.
Smoking
is injurious to health.
To
err is human.
To
travel around the world is exciting.
20.
Agreement
in Different Structures
|
WH
+ plural verb + plural noun |
Who are these men?
What are the boys doing? |
|
WH
+ singular verb + singular noun |
What has happened
to you? Who was liable to do this? |
|
No + plural noun + plural
verb |
No
laborers are needed for it. |
|
No + singular noun +
singular verb |
No
laborer is needed for it. |
|
A
number + plural noun + plural verb |
A number of boys
are absent today. A number of students in the class are
forty. |
|
The number + plural noun + singular verb |
The number of boys
today is eighteen. The number of students in the class is
forty. |
|
There +singular verb +
singular noun |
There
is a guest in the restaurant. |
|
There + plural verb +
plural noun |
There
are five doctors in the room. |
|
Many a + singular noun +
singular verb |
Many
a good man has been addicted to drugs. |
|
Many a + plural noun +
plural verb |
Many
a good men have been addicted to drugs. |
|
Here + singular verb +
singular noun |
Here
comes the leader. |
|
Here + plural verb +
plural noun |
Here
are some books. |
|
Pair
+ singular noun + singular verb |
The pair of shoes
is missing. A pair of shoes belongs to me. |
|
Couple
+ plural noun + plural verb |
I saw a couple of
men get out. A couple of dresses need to be ironed. |
Grammar
Focus:
Common Errors
|
Incorrect Correct |
|
|
|
The
police have recently caught them. |
|
|
Either
of the girls is beautiful. |
|
|
Neither
of the boys is good at English. |
|
|
Each
of these books is written by me. |
|
|
One
of the students is good at studies. |
|
|
Everyone
enjoys nature. |
|
|
The
teacher and accountant is coming. |
|
|
The
teacher and the accountant are coming. |
|
|
A
number of students have gone to visit. |
|
|
The
number of boys here is twenty. |
|
|
Many
a good boy is addicted to drugs. |
|
|
Silver
as well as gold is a precious metal. |
Additional Practice: Read these sentences.
A golden retriever is one of those dogs that is always faithful.
Aman and Eroj go to the beach to surf with their friends.
All of my goals are being met and surpassed.
Almost all of
the newspaper is devoted to advertisements. At the end of the story, they were living happily ever after. Each
of the vacation homes is furnished with
pots and pans. Either Gupta or I am responsible for allocating the funds.
Every one of the dancers is very limber.
Five dollars is all I have to my name.
His dogs, which
are kept outside, bark all day long.
A pair of paints is in the drawer.
Is it possible that John,
as well as his family, is missing? My problem,
compared to others,
has a great
significance. Neither of the
lawyers is willing to take the
case.
Neither she nor they were willing to
predict the election results.
None of them are coming home tonight.
None of this is your business.
One-third of the city is
experiencing a blackout tonight.
Some of my goals have yet to be met.
Taxes on interest are still deferrable.
The anguish of the victims has gone unnoticed.
The folder, not
the letters, was misplaced.
The group of children from that school has never seen the
ocean.
The majority of the state is
Republican.
The mother duck, along
with all her ducklings, swims so
gracefully.
The original document, as well as subsequent copies, was lost.
The teacher or student is going
to appear on stage first.
There are maps hanging
on the walls. Three-fourths of the pies have been eaten. Does
anyone else want to ask
questions? Everyone has a chance to be there.
Someone is
crying for help.
No one was selected for the tournament.
Everybody knows that I am a teacher.
Is there anybody who can solve this problem?
Nobody speaks the truth here.
Somebody has been locked there inside the toilet.
Everything is perishable.
Nothing matters to them apart from their work.
Is there anything in these stories?
There is something to communicate between us.
A.
Select
the correct form of the verb to complete the given sentences.
1.
The principal as well as his staff (was/were/have) there.
2.
The quality of these books (is/are/were) very good.
3.
The rhinoceros an
endangered animal. (are/is/was)
4.
A number of women (is/are/has) walking in the street.
5.
All his luggage
lost. (was/were/have)
6.
Each of the boys (is/are/have been) playing.
7.
Listen! Someone (is/are/were)
knocking at the door.
8.
A teacher of many subjects
(is/are/am) essential for us.
9.
Neither Ram nor I (has/have/had) understood the question till now.
10.
Pal and Hitesh (is/are/am) the best teachers of our school.
11.
Either of the students
in the park yesterday. (is/was/were)
12.
What (are/is/was) you planning
to do these days?
13.
The principal and in charge coming.(is/are/have been)
14.
The principal and teacher
(has/have/had) arrived.
15.
Which one of these books (is/are/were) yours?
16.
Writing too much (is/are/were) good for the students.
17.
A packet of cigarettes not
enough for me. (is/are/were)
18.
You as well as he responsible
for this action. (is/are/was/were)
19.
All I want in my life (is/are/were) peace and prosperity.
20.
Your glasses (are/were/is)
not good in my opinion.
21.
A number of fools (is/am/are/have) present here.
22.
Each of the boys (is/was/are/were) here on time yesterday.
23.
You had a baby so (had/did/have) she.
24.
Each of them (has/have/had) problems.
25.
Either of the boys strong enough to carry it. (is/am/are)
26.
Either Ram or I (is/are/am) coming.
27.
Everyone who (come/comes/came)
to my house becomes happy.
28.
Fifty kilos of rice (is/has/are) enough for our family.
29.
Five kilometers a
long distance to walk. (is/are/were)
30.
I work hard and so (does/do/is) my sister.
31.
Many a student
bought that book.(has/have/are)
32.
You, who my
friend, should not worry about me. (is/are/was)
33.
My sister and I (was/were/has/have) at the station together.
34.
Name or fame difficult to earn. (is/am/are)
35.
You, who (is/am/are/have)
tall, can reach the top.
36.
Neither Ganesh nor his friends playing here. (is/are/was)
37.
Nobody (try/tries/have tried) to solve this problem.
38.
None of the boys (have/has/had) finished the class work yet.
39.
Not only the players but also their instructor
been invited. (has/have/is)
40.
One dozen tomato rupees forty.(cost/costs/costing)
B.
Select
the correct form of the verb to complete the given sentences.
1.
Two thirds of the book torn. (is/are/has)
2.
Two trucks of stone enough
for this action. (is/are/was/were)
3.
Several letters being
written by the students. (is/am/are)
4.
She and I busy now. (is/are/was/were)
5.
She completed the homework and so (do/had/have/did) you.
6.
The leader, with his assistants (is/am/are)
coming here today.
7.
The minister, along with his officials, (is/are/am)
visiting the town.
8.
The Netherlands a
European country. (is/am/are)
9.
The news published in The Kantipur Daily (is/are/were) very important.
10.
The number of girls in this class 29. (is/are/was)
11.
The rise and fall of anything
natural. (is/are/were)
12.
The teacher and the account (is/am/are) present today.
13.
People (speaks/speak/speaking) English all over the world.
14.
Rita or her brothers
(has/have/was) taken it.
15.
Several aircraft produced
in Europe every year. (have/are/is)
16.
Neither Sushil nor Hom (are/is/am) present today.
17.
Neither the man nor his friends (was/were/had) injured in the accident.
18.
The number of Ministers
fifty six now. (is/are/was)
19.
The poet and philosopher
dead. (is/has/are)
20.
One of my friends
(has/have) been working with me these days.
21.
One of the boys not done his homework today.
(has/have)
22.
One of the students
absent. (is/am/are)
23.
The manager along with his staff, today. (come/comes/is coming)
24.
Two of the
girls in our class (is/am/are/have) very naughty.
25.
We could
(do/does/did) that easily.
26.
Ten kilos of rice (was/is/were)
bought yesterday.
27.
The majority of the voters (is/are/am) absent.
28.
Man and woman complementary to each other. (is / are)
29.
Plenty of mangoes and bananas
available in this season. (is / are)
30.
A dictionary and an atlas missing from the library. (is / are)
31.
The leader as well as his brothers
to the same tribe. (belong / belongs)
32.
Cats and dogs not get along. (do / does)
33.
The brothers as well as their sister good at their studies. (are / is)
34.
The students accompanied by their teacher gone on a picnic. (have/has)
35.
A lot of houses collapsed in the storm. (has / have)
36.
The children as well as their mother missing. (is / are)
37.
A large sum of money stolen. (was / were)
38.
My counselor and my English instructor
agreed to help me. (has/have)
39.
Businesses around the country to expand. (continue/continues )
40.
The questions on this test unfair to me. (seem/seems)
C.
Select
the correct form of the verb to complete the given sentences.
1.
Each of us hard, but I think that I work the hardest.
(study/studies )
2.
In the United States, many mothers
full-time. (work/works)
3.
My employer health
insurance. (provide/provides)
4.
A local artist watercolors of her garden. (paint/paints)
5.
Our team’s shortstop never a hit. (get/gets )
6.
My homework a lot
of time. (take/takes)
7.
Many musicians more
than one instrument. (play/plays)
8.
My oldest sister all the time. (eat/eats)
9.
John soccer every day after school.
(play/plays)
10.
The evidences valid
to me. (seem/seems)
11.
Some mother their
children to daycare every day before work. (take/takes)
12.
Children’s Playgrounds the
oldest playground in the United States. (is/are)
13.
Some midterms more
difficult than final exams. (is/are)
14.
Our Student Union not provide many places to meet people.(do/does)
15.
My backpack all
of my books and supplies. (carry/carries)
16.
The child with
her toys. (play/plays)
17.
Most teachers you
with your assignments. (help/helps)
18.
A teenager often for freedom. (long/longs)
19.
It a
lot in winter. (snow / snows)
20.
That television announcer
with a Texas accent. (speak/speaks )
21.
My husband a
motorcycle, but he prefers to drive
his car. (own/owns)
22.
My roommate to
the radio all the time. (listen/listens)
23.
Antiques in value every year. (increase/increases)
24.
The building lots
of repairs. (need/needs)
25.
Bob stupid
when he and his buddies drink too much. (act/acts)
26.
Judy’s CD collection
all of her guests. (impress/impresses)
27.
This blizzard to be
the worst that I can remember. (has/have)
28.
I pretty
sure school will be canceled tomorrow, too. (is/am/are)
29.
Gender discrimination in hiring practices
often hard to prove. (is/are)
30.
Neither of those mattresses
comfortable. (feel/feels)
31.
Here the first two pages of the essay. (is/are)
32.
Every year my husband
me on my birthday. (surprise/surprises)
33.
Jennifer her children to school every morning at 8:00. (take/takes)
34.
I think the movie scary. (sound/sounds )
35.
Shirley in a small town near Chicago. (live/lives )
36.
All my sisters
chocolate to ice cream. (love/loves )
37.
He a
fine by driving so fast. (risk/risks)
38.
The train to
St. Louis every day at noon. (goes/go)
39.
My personal trainer at a local college. (work/works)
40.
The weather report depressing. (look/looks)
D.
Select
the correct form of the verb to complete the
sentences.
1.
He we
should buy a new car. (think/thinks)
2.
One neighborhood cafe free coffee before 7 a.m. (serve/serves)
3.
The house (is/are/was)
built five years ago.
4.
It (is/are/am)
next to a hillock.
5.
Our house (has/have)
three rooms.
6.
My brother and I (has/have) a room for ourselves.
7.
We (has/have)
a bunk bed.
8.
My bed (is/am/are) the lower one because
I (is/am/are)
younger.
9.
My brother (has/have)
the upper bed as he (is/am/are) older than me.
10.
Dogs (bark/barks) when they (is/are) hungry.
11.
But my dog (bark/barks) at strangers.
12.
Every evening, I (take/takes) my dog for a walk.
13.
We usually (go/goes) to the park.
14.
Many students on
research projects together. (work/works)
15.
Tonight the
Elton John concert at 8:00. (begin/begins )
16.
Most teenagers tired
of school in the senior year. (grow/ grows)
17.
Sunflower seeds and peanuts
required for this bird-food mix. (is/are)
18.
The jokes in that movie not at all funny. (is/are)
19.
Collaboration and feedback
electronically through employee
e-mail accounts and networking technology. (happen/happens)
20.
The cat and the dog curled up together. (sleep/sleeps)
21.
Schools closed everywhere because of the snow in the roads. (is/ are)
22.
My family a lot
of shoveling to do. (has/have)
23.
Either Monday or Friday like a
good day for the meeting. (seems/ seem)
24.
Everybody at my new school friendly.
(is/are)
25.
you helped
other students with their papers before? (Has/Have)
26.
A colourful assortment of toys shoppers.
(attract/attracts)
27.
At night it (keep/keeps) a watch in our house.
28.
Dad (feed/feeds)
our dog.
29.
We (walk/walks)
back home.
30.
When the sky (turn/turns) dark, we (walk/walks)
back home.
31.
My dog (play/plays) with the pets
of my friends.
32.
I (play/plays)
with my friends.
33.
Ruby and her mother cakes and cookies for a local restaurant. (bake/bakes)
34.
In your opinion, what my paper’s
biggest problems? (is/are)
35.
The ice cubes in the punchbowl
melted. (has/have)
36.
The red dot on foreheads that women are married Hindus. (indicates/indicate)
37.
All my neighbours
outside shoveling or playing in the snow. (is/are)
38.
We (is/am/are)
living in this house for the last four years.
39.
We (are/were/was)
younger when we came to this house.
40.
I (is/was/were)
four years old when my father died.
E.
Read the
following paragraph and correct any subject-verb agreement errors.
My sister live on the ground floor of a
two-story apartment and hate living there. For one thing, many cat in her
neighborhood howl right below her bedroom window all night and knock over her
garbage cans. One cat wait patiently outside her door until she open it and
then pounce on her feet, ruining her stockings. But the people living upstairs
be even worse than the cats. The mother
cat start fire almost every month because
she forget to turn off the stove when she leave the kitchen, and
the daughter faithfully practice her gymnastics every evening just as my sister
sit down to study.
Even more annoying, the father park his car in my sister’s parking
space and peek in every time he go past her front window,
so she always have to keep her curtains
closed. All in all, living
there have not been a pleasant experience for my poor
sister.
F.
Find
and correct any subject-verb agreement errors in the following paragraph.
The typical elementary-school teacher are a
woman. More men are going into elementary teaching today, but the percentage of male teachers remain low. One of the reasons are financial. Men
with college degrees often makes more money doing things other than teaching; however, the stereotypes about teaching is
at least as important. Many young men in college
never considers elementary teaching. They may assume that women are “just
naturally better” at working with young children, but patience and kindness is
qualities not found only in females. Men can be wonderful elementary teachers.
Both the boys and girls in their classes grows up knowing that men can be both
strong and caring. Also, the boys in the class learns
a lot about how to be a good father.
The children and the community all wins when there
are positive male role models in the classroom.
G.
Fill
in the blanks with the correct forms of verbs.
The
Rocky Mountains, on the border of the provinces of Alberta and British
Columbia, (have) many attractions for tourists.
One attraction (be) the
Columbia Icefield. This huge field of ancient ice (cover) 125 square kilometers. The
Athabasca, Stutfield and Dome glaciers
(make
up) the Icefield. As the ice (melt), the water (flow)
into four major river systems. These systems
(be) in Columbia, Fraser, Mackenzie and Saskatchewan. The melt water (flow) down these rivers into three
different oceans, the Pacific, Arctic and Atlantic. This high point in a
continent’s water system (be)
called a “hydrological apex”, and the
Columbia Icefield (be) one of the only, two such apexes in the world. Tourists (visit) the icefield from April to October each year. Walking tours
and Snow coach tours (be) available.
