Subject Agreement Flashcards
What is a prepositional phrase?
a group of words consisting of a preposition, its object, and any words that modify the object.
can start with ‘by’ ‘for’ or ‘in’
Why is knowing what a prepositional phrase important?
With the exception of some special situations, the subject of a clause will not be found in a prepositional phrase.
What is an appositive?
An appositive is an element of a sentence that modifies or further describes another element of a sentence by renaming it.
Example ‘My brother John’ ‘John’ is the appositive.
When checking for subject-verb agreement, ignore any appositives that separate a subject and its finite verb.
What is a relative clause?
a relative clause is a clause that begins with a relative pronoun, such as “that,” “which,” “when,” “where,” “who,” or “whom.”
‘that will be fun for everyone’
‘which is the longest river in Asia’
Why is knowing what a relative clause is important?
When checking for subject-verb agreement, ignore any relative clauses that separate a subject and its finite verb.
What is a compound subject?
Subject composed of multiple nouns joined by the coordinating junction ‘and’ or ‘or’ ‘
Normally, compound subjects require a plural verb.
Exceptions for this are when two nouns name a single entity such as ‘rice and beans’ and ‘bed and breakfast’. singular verb should be used
Should additive phases be treated as singular or plural?
Additive phrases, which are phrases that begin with structures such as “along with,” “as well as,” “in addition to,” “accompanied by,” or “together with,” do not create plural subjects.
A singular subject followed by an additive phrase remains singular.
Example: Sally, along with Joe, Bobby and Sue, is going to the fair tonight.
Sentences and clauses containing compound subjects joined by the conjunctions “or,” “either … or,” or “neither … nor” abide by their own special subject-verb agreement rule.
The verb in a clause or sentence containing a compound subject joined by the conjunctions “or,” “either … or,” or “neither … nor” must agree with the subject noun to which it is closest.
Neither her dogs nor Astrid enjoys walking in the rain.
Neither Astrid nor her dogs enjoy walking in the rain.
What are inverted sentences?
In an inverted sentence, the main verb precedes the subject.
In an inverted sentence, the verb precedes the subject, but the subject and verb must still agree.
Example: Coyotes, medium-sized, dog-like animals, are found in many suburban areas.
Only after seeing the highlights of the game on film were the captain of the team and the coach able to clearly see what factors had contributed to the team’s loss.
What are collective nouns?
Collective nouns are nouns that name groups of people or things. Some examples of collective nouns are “team,” “crowd,” “litter,” “choir,” “crew,” “band,” “troupe,” “pack,” “staff,” “army,” “regiment,” “tribe,” “panel,” “gang,” “flock,” and “board.”
- When collective nouns refer to a single group acting as one, singular verb must be used.
Example: The team is at the lake this weekend.
- When the context of a sentence makes it clear that the members of a group are not acting as a single unit but rather as individuals, a plural verb is required.
Example: The board needs a quorum before it holds a vote on amendments to the bylaws.
‘Majority of’ ‘minority of’
Like other collective nouns, the collective nouns “majority” and “minority” can be considered singular or plural depending on the contexts in which they appear.
Plural:
- A majority of the students are already applying for jobs.
Singular:
1. A large enough minority is sufficient for blocking passage of a new amendment.
How to treat subjects that begin with ‘every’ ‘each’ ‘many a’ ‘many an’
When a subject begins with these, the subject always takes singular verb.
Example:
1. Each of us prefers a different style of cooking, and so, it has been difficult to reach a consensus about the menu.
What are relative pronouns?
Further descriptions of nouns ‘that, ‘which, ‘who’ etc.
When a relative pronoun refers to a singular noun, it too is singular and takes a singular verb. On the other hand, when a relative pronoun refers to a plural noun, it is likewise plural and requires a plural verb.
Examples:
Singular:
1. The only restaurant that serves burritos is La Costa.
Plural:
1. The proposed upgrades to the community center, which include the addition of a pool, will be voted on at the community meeting later this month.
Some indefinite pronoun are always singular and always require a singular verb
anybody, anyone, anything, each, either, everybody, everyone, everything, neither, nobody, no one, nothing, one, somebody, someone, something, whatever, whoever
only exception for these is if paired with ‘either or’ or ‘neither or’
A plural indefinite pronoun always takes a plural verb.
These pronouns include the following: “both,” “few,” “many,” and “several.”
Example:
1. Both of my sisters like to watch cartoons on the weekend.
