Must Know - SC - S-V Agreement Flashcards
Singular or Plural?
each of [noun]
Singular
ex. Each of us prefers a different style of cooking.
To find the subject of a clause we . . . ?
find the noun that is doing or being what the main verb in the clause expresses
ex. The sailboats in the harbor on the south side of the island were rocked by waves.
Singular or Plural?
a regular verb that ends in -s
Singular
For regular verbs, we place an -s at the end of a singular verb, and we drop the -s at the end of a plural verb.
ex. She swims in the sea. (singular)
When a prepositional phrase, appositive, or relative clause appears between a subject and its verb, we can use what strategy to determine subject-verb agreement?
Cross off the prepositional phrase, appositive, or relative clause that appears between the subject and its verb.
ex. The dispute about whether to get rid of the old books has the family in an uproar.
[noun] and [noun]
singular: the two nouns name a single entity
* ex. Rice and beans is a popular dish.
plural: the two nouns name two separate things
* ex. The boy and girl walk hand in hand to school.
True or False?
Additive phrases make singular subjects plural.
False
Additive phrases do NOT make singular subjects plural.
ex. The mayor, along with members of the city council, is out to lunch.
Which one would be a plural subject?
- Sue, along with Bob
- Sue and Bob
- Sue, in addition to Bob
- Sue, as well as Bob
Sue and Bob
Only and creates a plural subject when connecting singular nouns.
*ex. Sue and Bob are going to the movies. *
5 common ways additive phrases begin
- as well as
- in addition to
- along with
- together with
- accompanied by
[noun] or [noun]
singular subject when . . . ?
plural subject when . . . ?
singular: when the noun closer to the verb is singular (or both nouns are singular)
* ex. The chairs or the couch has to be moved.
plural: when the noun closer to the verb is plural
* ex. The couch or the chairs have to be moved.
Where is the subject in an inverted sentence?
after the main verb
ex. Through those trees lives a creepy old man.
[collective noun] of [noun]
singular subject when . . . ?
plural subject when . . . ?
singular: when the group acts as a single unit
* ex. That flock of geese flying overhead was the largest that I've seen.
plural: when the members of the group act individually
* ex. A group of dogs were chasing each other in the park.
singular or plural?
each
singular
ex. Each snowflake is unique.
singular or plural?
every
singular
ex. Every day is a gift.
singular or plural?
every one of [noun]
singular
ex. Every one of them has something to contribute.
singular or plural?
many a/an [noun]
singular
ex. Many an email has gone unanswered.
The verb in a relative clause must agree in number with which element in a sentence?
the noun that the relative clause modifies
ex. The earrings that are on the nightstand are beautiful.
singular or plural?
anybody
singular
ex. Anybody here is welcome to join the party.
singular or plural?
everybody
singular
ex. Everybody is very pleased with the outcome.
singular or plural?
anything
singular
ex. Anything is possible if you don’t give up.
singular or plural?
everyone
singular
ex. After the concert, everyone was ready to go home.
singular or plural?
everything
singular
ex. Lately, everything seems to be going well.
singular or plural?
somebody
singular
ex. I’m sure somebody knows what happened.
singular or plural?
nobody
singular
ex. Unfortunately, nobody has the code to open the safe.
singular or plural?
something
singular
ex. Something spooky is going on in that old house on the hill.
singular or plural?
nothing
singular
ex. Nothing about the meetings leaves the board feeling confident.
singular or plural?
no one
singular
ex. No one knows for sure whether intelligent life exists on other planets.
singular or plural?
whatever
singular
ex. He does whatever makes his wife happy.
singular or plural?
whoever
singular
ex. Whoever wins the election will inherit quite a mess.
note: The construction “whoever the [noun]” takes a singular verb if the noun is singular and a plural verb if the noun is plural.
* ex1. Whoever the winner is, we’ll be happy.
* ex2. Whoever the winners are, we’ll be happy.
singular or plural?
either
singular
ex. Either party is guaranteed to be a good time.
singular or plural?
either of [noun]
singular
ex. Either of them has the ability to complete the project quickly.
singular or plural?
neither
singular
ex. Neither plan makes much sense.
singular or plural?
neither of [noun]
singular
ex. Neither of the girls likes doing chores on the weekends.
singular or plural?
both
plural
ex. Both of the candidates meet the requirements for the job.
singular or plural?
few
plural
ex. Few of my favorite movies involve special effects.
singular or plural?
many
plural
ex. Many of the animals up for adoption are abandoned pets.
singular or plural?
many of [noun]
plural
ex. Many of the students are interested in careers in the arts.
SANAMM pronouns
SANAMM:
* Some
* A ny
* None
* All
* More
* Most
singular or plural?
several
plural
ex. Several of the students prefer to read silently.
ingular or plural?
the number of [noun]
singular
ex. The number of students who apply for summer internships has been increasing.
singular or plural?
a number of [noun]
plural
ex. A number of students have applied for summer internships.
singular or plural?
the percentage of [noun]
singular
ex. The percentage of people who don’t vote is astounding.
[fraction] of [noun]
singular subject when . . . ?
plural subject when . . . ?
singular: when the noun is singular
* ex. Half of the class is going on a field trip.
plural: when the noun is plural
* ex. One-third of the students have shown an interest in geology.
[x percent] of the [noun]
singular subject when . . . ?
plural subject when . . . ?
singular: when the noun is singular
* ex. Ninety percent of the board was present.
plural: when the noun is plural
* ex. Fifty percent of the board members are in favor of the acquisition.
plural = ?
alumnus
alumni
plural = ?
criterion
criteria
plural = ?
fungus
fungi
plural = ?
phenomenon
phenomena
plural = ?
nucleus
nuclei
plural = ?
syllabus
syllabi
a noun that ends in -ics
singular subject when . . . ?
plural subject when . . . ?
singular: when the noun names a field of study
* ex. Mathematics is my worst subject.
plural: when the noun does NOT name a field of study
* ex. His politics get in the way of his personal relationships.
singular or plural?
nontraditional subject
singular
- ex1. Swimming is good exercise. (gerund as subject)
- ex2. What I want is for you to be healthy. (noun clause as subject)
- ex3. To run outdoors during winter is difficult at times. (infinitive as subject)
singular subject or plural subject?
To know them . . .
singular subject
When an infinitive is a subject, it is always singular.
ex. To know them is to love them.
singular subject or plural subject?
Failing two tests . . .
singular subject
When a gerund is a subject, it is always singular.
ex. Failing two tests is not the end of the world.
singular subject or plural subject?
That you have four cats . . .
singular subject
When a noun clause is a subject, it is always singular.
ex. That you have four cats is not a problem for me.
singular or plural?
anyone
singular
ex. Anyone has a shot at winning the contest.
either [noun] or [noun]
singular subject when . . . ?
plural subject when . . . ?
singular: when the noun closer to the verb is singular
* ex. Either the teachers or the principal starts the meeting.
plural: when the noun closer to the verb is plural
* ex. Either the principal or the teachers start the meeting.
singular or plural?
someone
singular
ex. If someone fixes up this house, it will be lovely.
plural = ?
medium
media
exception: When “medium” means someone who talks to spirits, the plural is “mediums.”
a percentage of [noun]
singular subject when . . . ?
plural subject when . . . ?
singular: when the noun is singular
* ex. A large percentage of the food served at these events comes from local farms.
plural: when the noun is plural
* ex. A small percentage of the participants were disqualified.
a/the majority of [noun]
singular subject when . . . ?
plural subject when . . . ?
singular: when the majority itself is the logical "doer" of the action
* ex. A two-thirds majority of the ministers was required for the passage of the amendment.
plural: when the things within the majority are the logical “doers” of the action
* ex. A majority of the students are already applying for jobs.
neither [noun] nor [noun]
singular subject when . . . ?
plural subject when . . . ?
singular: when the noun closer to the verb is singular
* ex. Neither the parents nor the teacher is happy.
plural: when the noun closer to the verb is plural
* ex. Neither the teacher nor the parents are happy.
[SANAMM pronoun] of [noun]
singular subject when . . . ?
plural subject when . . . ?
singular: when the noun is singular
* ex. All of the class was present yesterday.
plural: when the noun is plural
* ex. All of the students want the teacher to extend the deadline.
exception: “None of [plural noun]” can be singular or plural.
* ex. None of these candidates is worth supporting. (correct)
* None of these candidates are worth supporting. (also correct)
a/the minority of [noun]
singular subject when . . . ?
plural subject when . . . ?
singular: when the minority itself is the logical “doer” of the action
* ex. A large enough minority is sufficient for blocking passage of a new amendment.
plural: when the things within the minority are the logical “doers” of the action
* ex. Only a small minority of people believe that Earth is flat.
collective noun
singular subject when . . . ?
plural subject when . . . ?
singular: when the group acts as a single unit
* ex. The crew is scheduled to arrive in the afternoon.
plural: when the members of the group act individually
* ex. The crew sometimes argue with each other about who should do what.
