Subject/verb agreement

Question 1

Most singular verbs end in “s”;

Answer 1

Most plural verbs do not

Question 2

Rule 1

Answer 2

When the subject of a sentence is composed of two or more nouns or pronouns connected by AND, use a plural verb.
She and her friends are at the fair

Question 3

Rule 2

Answer 3

When two or more singular nouns or pronouns are connected by OR or NOR, use a singular verb
The book or the pen is in the drawer

Question 4

Rule 3

Answer 4

When a compound subject contains both a singular and a plural noun or pronoun joined by OR or NOR, the verb should agree with the part of the subject that is nearer the verb
The boy or his friends run every day
His friends or the boy runs everyday

Question 5

Rule 4

Answer 5

Doesn’t is a contraction of DOES NOT and should be used with a singular subject. DON’T is a contraction of DO NOT and should be use only with a plural subject. The exception to this rule appears in the case of the first person and second person pronouns I and YOU. With these pronouns, the contraction DON’T should be used.

He doesn’t like it
They don’t like it

Question 6

Rule 5

Answer 6

Do not be mislead by a phrase that comes between the subject and the verb. The verb agrees with the subject,not with a noun or pronoun in the phrase.

One of the boxes is open
The people who listen to music are few
The team capatain, as well as his players, is anxious
The book, including all the chapters in the first sentence is boring
The woman with all the dogs walks down my street

Question 7

Rule 6

Answer 7

The words EACH, EACH ONE, EITHER, NEITHER, EVERYONE, EVERYBODY, ANYBODY, ANYONE, NOBODY, SOMEBODY, Someone, and NO ONE are singular and require a singular verb

EACH of these hot dogs is juicy
EVERYBODY knows Mr. Jones
Either is correct

Question 8

Rule 7

Answer 8

Nouns such as civics, mathematics, dollars, measles, and news require singular verbs
The news is on at six
NOTE: dollars is a special case. When talking about an amount of money, it requires a singular verb, but when referring to the dollars themselves, a plural verb is required
FIVE dollars IS a lot of money
DOLLARS ARE often used instead of rubles in Russia

Question 9

Rule 8

Answer 9

Nouns such as scissors, tweezers, trousers, and shears require plural verbs (there are two parts to these things)
The scissors are dull
Those trousers are made of wool

Question 10

Rule 9

Answer 10

In sentences beginning with THERE IS or THERE ARE, the subject follows the verb. Since there is not the subject, the verb agrees with was follows
There ARE many questions
THERE IS a question

Question 11

Rule 10

Answer 11

Collective nouns are words that imply more than one person but that are considered singular and take a singular verb, such as GROUP, TEAM, COMMITTEE, CLASS, and FAMILY
The team runs during practice 
The committee decides how to proceed
The family has a long history
My family has never been able to agree.

Question 12

Rule 11

Answer 12

Expressions such as WITH, TOGETHER WITH, INCLUDING, ACCOMPANIED BY, IN ADDITION TO, or AS WELL do not changed the number of the subject. If the subject is singular, the verb is too

THE PRESIDENT, accompanied by his wife, IS traveling to India
ALL OF THE BOOKS, including yours, ARE in that box