agreement between subject and verb

Question 1

agreement between verb and subject 1

Answer 1

• if the subject is a clause, we use a singular verb: to keep these animals in captivity is inhuman;
• if we use a what-clause as subject, we use a singular verb if the following main noun is singular, and a plural verb if the following main noun is plural: what worries us is the poor selection process; what is needed are additional resources
• nouns referring to groups of some kind(committee, council, community) :1. individuals do : the committee raise their hands; 2. the school is to close next year - will happen to school , not individual people (face closure)

Question 2

extremely cruel

Answer 2

inhuman : be subjected to inhuman and degrading treatment

Question 3

resources collocations

Answer 3

natural/energy resources, limited/scarce resources, a valuable resource, have the resources to do sth, use resources efficiently; an invaluable resource, a teaching resource
Despite being rich in resources like timber and minerals, the country’s outlook is bleak

Question 4

agreement between subject and verb 2

Answer 4

1. any of, each of, either of, neither of, none of + a plural noun - singular
2. a/the majority of, a number of, a lot of, plenty of, all (of) and some (of) + a plural noun/pronoun - plural ; the number- singular: a number of refugees have been deported; the number of books has risen to ..
3. one of+a plural noun - singular, one of+plural noun+who-plural
4. any of, none of, the majority of, a lot of, plenty of, all of, some of + an uncountable noun - singular
5. every/each+a singular noun/x and y - singular
6. every….,body…, -thing… - singulat

Question 5

either and neither and verb agreement

Answer 5

if the last item is singular - singular
if the last item is plural- plural

Question 6

to be or considered as sth

Answer 6

constitute
this latest defeat constitutes a major setback for the company,
constitute a breach of duty, constitute a major blow to, constitute a challenge
- be part of sth: constitute a great proportion of sth, constitute … percent of the population

Question 7

which nouns take a plural verb (list plural nouns)

Answer 7

earnings, belongings, clothes, congratulations, goods, outskirts, overheads, particulars, premises, riches, savings, stairs, surroundings, thanks
- police and people take a plural verb
whereabouts can be used with either a sing. or a plur. verb

Question 8

goods colloc

Answer 8

use the Internet to sell goods and deliver services
discount on electrical goods, manufacture/export goods

Question 9

expenditure on heating, rent etc.

Answer 9

overheads
cut/reduce/slash overheads, high/increased/low/reduced overheads, overhead costs/expenses
One way of increasing profit margins is to cut overhead costs.

Question 10

details -

Answer 10

particulars
supply full particulars, further particulars

Question 11

location-

Answer 11

premises
relocate to new premises, on school premises, on/off the premises
whereabouts- police believe that he is currently hiding out in Brazil, although his exact whereabouts are /is unknown

Question 12

wealth

Answer 12

riches

Question 13

common mistakes with plural/singular nouns with colloc

Answer 13

1. datum - singular, data - plural
   all the data are available (at hand) for public inspection; the data show that Hispanics constitute more than 80 percent of the agricultural workforce
   financial/personal/sales data , provide/collect
   the fact is a datum worth taking into account
2. medium, media
   the local/national media, media coverage/attention: the issue has ben extensively discussed in the media;
   television is the most powerful medium available/ products are the medium for communication between corporations and the market/advertise through the medium of direct mail;
   the broadcasting/print medium, through the medium of, act as a medium of;
3. criterion , criteria
   i agree that the criteria are not of equal importance;
   meet certain environmental criteria/selection criteria;
   a further criterion needs to be considered/a paramount criterion for, academic ability is not the sole criterion for allocating funds
4. phenomenon, phenomena
   a rare/natural phenomenon

Question 14

means of colloc

Answer 14

means of communication,

Question 15

whats linguistics

Answer 15

the scientific study of human language; it is called a scientific study because it entails a comprehensive, systematic, objective and precise analysis of all aspects of language

Question 16

no winners/when competitors are on the same level

Answer 16

dead heat
end in a dead heat; be in a dead heat

Question 17

compound nouns; when is the first noun singular/plural? ‘s and prepositions

Answer 17

• when the first noun only has a plural form(a savings account, a customs officer, the arms trade, a glasses case , an arts festival)
  -we refer to an institution /industry or department which deals with more than one kind of item; the publications department
• noun+’s+noun: when the first noun is the user of the second(a baby’s bedroom, a women’s clinic ), when the item in the second noun is produced by the thing in the first(goat’s cheese, BUT lamb chops, chicken drumsticks), when we talk abt parts(a woman’s face BUT a computer keyboard/ a pen top)
• preposition: container with its contents a cup of tea)

Question 18

compound noun made up of verbs(with examples)

Answer 18

break out of prison- there was a major break-out from the prison
countable compound nouns have a plural form ending in-s
read-out (read sth out- read aloud) a read-out of the results of the test - on a computer screen
push-up, intake(a sharp intake of breath, daily intake of), outcome(hinge on the outcome), have a family get-together, a short stopover in, allegations of a cover up

exceptions: onlookers, runners-up, passers-by, hangers-on
- a state-of-the-art - modern- a state-of-the-art tablet computer/technology/equipment/facilities /
up-to-date information,
day-to-day running of the company/problems/responsibilities/expenditure such as household goods/ be in touch with clients on a day-to-day basis
middle-of-the-road - not politically extreme - middle-of-the-road policy/voters
round the clock-all might and day- work round the clock, round-the-clock care/protection
step-by-step instructions/ a step-by-step guide to installing the software
once-in-a-lifetime experience/opportunity
down-to-earth approach
the man/woman in the street - to appeal to the typical man in the street
a larger than life person