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Iman's GMAT Verbal > Must Know - SC - S-V Agreement > Flashcards

Must Know - SC - S-V Agreement Flashcards

1
Q

Singular or Plural?

each of [noun]

A

Singular

ex. Each of us prefers a different style of cooking.

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2
Q

To find the subject of a clause we . . . ?

A

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.

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3
Q

Singular or Plural?

a regular verb that ends in -s

A

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)

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4
Q

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?

A

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.

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5
Q

[noun] and [noun]

A

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.

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6
Q

True or False?

Additive phrases make singular subjects plural.

A

False

Additive phrases do NOT make singular subjects plural.

ex. The mayor, along with members of the city council, is out to lunch.

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7
Q

Which one would be a plural subject?

  • Sue, along with Bob
  • Sue and Bob
  • Sue, in addition to Bob
  • Sue, as well as Bob
A

Sue and Bob
Only and creates a plural subject when connecting singular nouns.

*ex. Sue and Bob are going to the movies. *

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8
Q

5 common ways additive phrases begin

A
  • as well as
  • in addition to
  • along with
  • together with
  • accompanied by
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9
Q

[noun] or [noun]

singular subject when . . . ?
plural subject when . . . ?

A

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.

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10
Q

Where is the subject in an inverted sentence?

A

after the main verb

ex. Through those trees lives a creepy old man.

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11
Q

[collective noun] of [noun]

singular subject when . . . ?
plural subject when . . . ?

A

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.

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12
Q

singular or plural?

each

A

singular

ex. Each snowflake is unique.

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13
Q

singular or plural?

every

A

singular

ex. Every day is a gift.

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14
Q

singular or plural?

every one of [noun]

A

singular

ex. Every one of them has something to contribute.

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15
Q

singular or plural?

many a/an [noun]

A

singular

ex. Many an email has gone unanswered.

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16
Q

The verb in a relative clause must agree in number with which element in a sentence?

A

the noun that the relative clause modifies

ex. The earrings that are on the nightstand are beautiful.

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17
Q

singular or plural?

anybody

A

singular

ex. Anybody here is welcome to join the party.

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18
Q

singular or plural?

everybody

A

singular

ex. Everybody is very pleased with the outcome.

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19
Q

singular or plural?

anything

A

singular

ex. Anything is possible if you don’t give up.

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20
Q

singular or plural?

everyone

A

singular

ex. After the concert, everyone was ready to go home.

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21
Q

singular or plural?

everything

A

singular

ex. Lately, everything seems to be going well.

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22
Q

singular or plural?

somebody

A

singular

ex. I’m sure somebody knows what happened.

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23
Q

singular or plural?

nobody

A

singular

ex. Unfortunately, nobody has the code to open the safe.

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24
Q

singular or plural?

something

A

singular

ex. Something spooky is going on in that old house on the hill.

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25
Q

singular or plural?

nothing

A

singular

ex. Nothing about the meetings leaves the board feeling confident.

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26
Q

singular or plural?

no one

A

singular

ex. No one knows for sure whether intelligent life exists on other planets.

27
Q

singular or plural?

whatever

A

singular

ex. He does whatever makes his wife happy.

28
Q

singular or plural?

whoever

A

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.

29
Q

singular or plural?

either

A

singular

ex. Either party is guaranteed to be a good time.

30
Q

singular or plural?

either of [noun]

A

singular

ex. Either of them has the ability to complete the project quickly.

31
Q

singular or plural?

neither

A

singular

ex. Neither plan makes much sense.

32
Q

singular or plural?

neither of [noun]

A

singular

ex. Neither of the girls likes doing chores on the weekends.

33
Q

singular or plural?

both

A

plural

ex. Both of the candidates meet the requirements for the job.

34
Q

singular or plural?

few

A

plural

ex. Few of my favorite movies involve special effects.

35
Q

singular or plural?

many

A

plural

ex. Many of the animals up for adoption are abandoned pets.

36
Q

singular or plural?

many of [noun]

A

plural

ex. Many of the students are interested in careers in the arts.

37
Q

SANAMM pronouns

A

SANAMM:
* Some
* A ny
* None
* All
* More
* Most

37
Q

singular or plural?

several

A

plural

ex. Several of the students prefer to read silently.

38
Q

ingular or plural?

the number of [noun]

A

singular

ex. The number of students who apply for summer internships has been increasing.

39
Q

singular or plural?

a number of [noun]

A

plural

ex. A number of students have applied for summer internships.

40
Q

singular or plural?

the percentage of [noun]

A

singular

ex. The percentage of people who don’t vote is astounding.

41
Q

[fraction] of [noun]

singular subject when . . . ?
plural subject when . . . ?

A

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.

42
Q

[x percent] of the [noun]

singular subject when . . . ?
plural subject when . . . ?

A

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.

43
Q

plural = ?

alumnus

A

alumni

44
Q

plural = ?

criterion

A

criteria

45
Q

plural = ?

fungus

A

fungi

46
Q

plural = ?

phenomenon

A

phenomena

47
Q

plural = ?

nucleus

A

nuclei

48
Q

plural = ?

syllabus

A

syllabi

49
Q

a noun that ends in -ics

singular subject when . . . ?
plural subject when . . . ?

A

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.

50
Q

singular or plural?

nontraditional subject

A

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)
51
Q

singular subject or plural subject?

To know them . . .

A

singular subject
When an infinitive is a subject, it is always singular.

ex. To know them is to love them.

52
Q

singular subject or plural subject?

Failing two tests . . .

A

singular subject
When a gerund is a subject, it is always singular.

ex. Failing two tests is not the end of the world.

53
Q

singular subject or plural subject?

That you have four cats . . .

A

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.

54
Q

singular or plural?

anyone

A

singular

ex. Anyone has a shot at winning the contest.

55
Q

either [noun] or [noun]

singular subject when . . . ?
plural subject when . . . ?

A

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.

56
Q

singular or plural?

someone

A

singular

ex. If someone fixes up this house, it will be lovely.

57
Q

plural = ?

medium

A

media

exception: When “medium” means someone who talks to spirits, the plural is “mediums.”

58
Q

a percentage of [noun]

singular subject when . . . ?
plural subject when . . . ?

A

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.

59
Q

a/the majority of [noun]

singular subject when . . . ?
plural subject when . . . ?

A

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.

60
Q

neither [noun] nor [noun]

singular subject when . . . ?
plural subject when . . . ?

A

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.

61
Q

[SANAMM pronoun] of [noun]

singular subject when . . . ?
plural subject when . . . ?

A

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)

62
Q

a/the minority of [noun]

singular subject when . . . ?
plural subject when . . . ?

A

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.

63
Q

collective noun

singular subject when . . . ?
plural subject when . . . ?

A

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.

Iman's GMAT Verbal (14 decks)

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