Agreement of subject and verb
Dahlia Bartley, Contributor

Let me begin today's lesson by checking your answers to the homework. You were asked to identify the subject in some sentences. I have repeated the sentences and underlined the subject in each.

• Colleen's students did well in the external examination.
• For most of his life, Jim has lived in Kingston.
• Listen to that song! (The subject here is [You]. Remember, this is a command)
• May I help you with your bags?
• John took the car and Mary went to the store.
• Into the centre strode two policemen.
• What she said to me is encouraging.
• There will be plenty of time for playing when we visit London.

Now that you can identify the subject in a sentence, let's put your knowledge to work by looking briefly at agreement of subject and verb. You must understand this basic aspect of grammar if you are to write and speak correctly.

All verbs must agree with their subjects! Let's examine some sentences.

• The girl who is wearing the red dress is from Kingston.
• One of the athletes has won a scholarship to the university.
• From which book is he reading?

If we look at the main subject in each sentence, (I have underlined them for you), you will notice that they are all singular, so they must take a singular verb. Please note carefully, the verb used in each sentence. Also, pay close attention to the second sentence in which the main word in the subject is one and not athletes. The tendency to use the wrong subject word in such a sentence is common. You must be careful not to be misled into believing that the noun nearest to the verb governs it.

Now to another set of sentences:

• John's bags and uniform were bought in Montego Bay.
• Are the netballers doing well in the competition?
• Among the passengers were the members of the drama club and their teacher.

In each sentence, identify the subject and the verb which goes along with it. What is your conclusion? On examining both sets of sentences, you should realise the following:

The singular subject takes a singular verb.

The plural subject takes a plural verb.

Note, however, that the pronoun 'you' always takes a plural verb.

Take special care with sentences which include such phrases as along with, together with, in addition to, as well as, either ... or, not only ... but also. Once these are joining two singular subjects, the verb remains singular. Examples:

• Peggy, as well as Patricia, teaches at the school down the road.
• Not only the price but also the quality of their products fluctuates wildly.
• Paying attention in class, in addition to reading ahead, prepares us for success.

Be careful with 's'

Be careful, too, with those words which end in 's', yet are singular: mathematics, news, measles. Then there are those words ending in 's' which may be singular or plural, depending on usage. For example, politics, statistics.

It is also necessary to draw your attention to the following:

• I, on behalf of the cricketers, is making the presentation.
  Can you explain why the sentence is incorrect? You are correct if you realise that I is, indeed, the subject of the sentence and that the first person singular of the irregular verb to be is am. The correct sentence, therefore, is:
• I, on behalf of the cricketers, am making the presentation.
  Once you put the verb as close as possible to its subject, you will avoid confusing the main subject word with another noun in the sentence.
  When you and a friend come together and agree on a matter, we can say that you are in concord. So it is that when the subject and the verb agree, the term used to describe it is concord.
  Please be reminded of the following as well:
• When subjects are connected by or, the subject closer to the verb determines the number of the verb.
• When two or more singular nouns or pronouns are connected by or or nor, use a singular verb.
• The boy or his sisters make the beds.
• A singular verb is used with the following: each, each one, either, neither, everyone, everybody, anybody, anyone, nobody, somebody, someone, and no one.
• Collective nouns are words that involve more than one person but are considered singular and so take a singular verb. Examples are team, committee and family.

Homework

I have merely touched the topic. I know your teachers will be doing more work with you as it is so vital that you understand the basics here. As usual, I close with your homework.

Choose the correct verb in each of the following sentences.

• Each of the boys in Miss Simpson's class (is, are) reading the recently acquired texts.
• All of the books, even the tattered one, (is, are) in this bag.
• Janice, as well as Merle, (is, are) operating the restaurant in the town.
• (Has, have) the keys been returned?
• (Do, Does) the boy and his mother know the way to the station?
• One of my favourite fruits (is, are) the naseberry.

Do make sure that today's lesson is clear to you as your ability to write correctly depends on the content presented. See you next week.

Shanon Murray (right) explains to her classmate Clevetan Reid how she drew this portrait, during an art and craft exhibition at Bridgeport High School, recently. Pieces on display were either submitted for School-based Assessment purpose or created mainly for the exhibition. - Anthony Minott/Freelance Photographer

Dahlia Bartley teaches at Glenmuir High School.