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A Grammar and Usage Programme for GP

Module 1

SUBJECT-VERB AGREEMENT

“My Mummy work.

My Daddy drink.
My brother fight.
My sister think.”
If this is what a student write,
His teacher say
“Your English stink!”

Some of you may be wondering why so much fuss should be made about the
presence or absence of one little letter “s”. After all, you may say to yourselves, if I
say “he go” rather than “he goes” everyone will understand me.

That’s true.

Everyone in the international English-speaking community will also understand that

you are using a second class form of the language, a downgraded and incompetent
version. Of more immediate practical concern is the fact that examiners will penalize
those who show themselves unable to control this mechanism. Or to put it simply:
you will lose marks.

Subject-Verb Agreement (Concord)

The SUBJECT is the word which identifies the person, thing, idea or action that does
something.
The VERB is the word which identifies what is done.

In order to determine subject-verb agreement, it is important to decide which word

(or words) of the subject agrees with the verb. In the following sentence licence
determines the form of the verb. The licence, not the credit cards, was lost.

♦ My licence, rather than my credit cards, was lost.

♦ In this next sentence, the doors, not the building, were hand carved.

♦ The building’s wooden doors were hand carved.

In some cases, the whole subject determines the form of the verb.

♦ That the trees lose their leaves is a sign of winter.

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Activity 1
Study the following sentences. What words determine subject-verb agreement? If
you are not sure, look at the verb.

1. Large supplies of petroleum were shipped from Alaska.

2. A drop in prices is predicted for the coming year.
3. The majority of these birds migrate for the winter.
4. Most of the homework is useful.
5. One of the most stressful aspects of student life is final examinations.
6. Alaska and Texas are the largest states in the USA.
7. How the great pyramids of the world were built is still a mystery.
8. The thought of spending years in prison terrifies him.

Notice in the 3rd and 4th examples that birds (plural, countable) and homework
(uncountable), not majority or most, determine the form of the verb.

When a noun is uncountable, it takes the singular form of the verb.

♦ The meat has a lot of fat.

Words such as news and physics are uncountable nouns, even though they end in –
s. They would, therefore, take the singular form of the verb.
♦ The news of Kate’s marriage is surprising.

Singular countable nouns, such as door and student, take the singular form of the
verb. Plural countable nouns, such as doors and students, take the plural form of the
verb. Irregular plurals can sometimes be confusing.
♦ This person always comes late. (Singular)
♦ These people always come late. (Plural)
♦ The sheep is John’s pet. (Singular)
♦ The sheep are lined up two by two. (Plural)

Words like everyone, everybody, no one, nobody, someone, somebody,and each

(one) are singular.
♦ Everyone enjoys the annual folklore festival.

Common Concord Errors in Students’ Writing

1. Subject-Verb Concord (When the subject is not next to the verb)

Often the subject and the verb are not standing next to one another – they may be
separated by a relative or subordinate clause, or by a long adverbial group, as well
as by other things. The trick is to look for the verb that qualifies what the subject is
doing and ensure that it agrees with the subject (S-V concord).
♦ All the suggestions given to the committee seems unworkable and useless.
(Wrong)
♦ The student, partly through his laziness and partly through his attitude, have no
chance of passing the examination. (Wrong)
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2. Subject-Verb Concord (When the noun closest to the verb is opposite in

number to the subject)

Students are often confused about S-V Concord when the noun closest to the verb is
opposite in number to the subject. For example in the sentence, “The laws of the
country need changing”, the verb “need” agrees with “laws”, which is the subject and
plural, and not with “country” which is next to it and singular. There may many nouns
in between the subject and the verb but the concord always connects these two
elements.
• The different proposals suggested by the principal has an impact on the
school’s development. (Wrong)
• The decisions which will ultimately affect his future progress arises from the
worsening economic situation. (Wrong)

3. Subject-Verb Concord (With Irregular Nouns)

Tips: Irregular nouns may make S-V Concord confusing.

1) Many nouns do not add a simple –s to form the plural, e.g. “children, criteria,
women, formulae”. There are also nouns which look singular but are in fact plural,
e.g. “cattle, police, people, vermin”; and nouns which look plural but are in fact
singular, e.g. “measles, shambles, mathematics, civics”. Some nouns which have the
same form for both singular and plural, e.g. “deer, fish, aircraft, offspring, Chinese,
series, species, means”. Here you have to look for other clues: “this series”
(singular), “these series” (plural).

2) Some nouns called ‘collective nouns’ can be used as singular or plural depending
on whether they are thought of as ‘one body’ or as separate individuals: “The
committee is in full agreement..” or “the committee are divided over the issue..” Other
such nouns are “family, union, army, government, team, college, faculty, company”.

• The people are supporting the government’s initiative on the problems of the
aged.
• Some aircraft were reported missing after the last training flight.

Activity 2
Study the following sentences. Correct all errors of concord.

1. The solutions proposed by the committee is not well received by the

government.
2. All the suggestions given to the police seem impracticable and useless.
3. The warring factions, although engaged in negotiations in the United Nations,
is not likely to come to a compromise.
4. My experience, although I do not claim to be an expert, lead me to view the
matter differently.
5. External trade for Singapore in the third quarter of 1999 have shown
substantial increases.
6. The different events in the Senior Minister’s life has an effect on his character.
7. Each one of these countries were guilty of human rights abuse.
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8. The discoveries of the scientists in the university seems to have far-reaching

consequences.
9. The decisions which will ultimately affect Thailand’s future progress arises
from the worsening economic situation.
10. The latest debates on abortion and genetic engineering is still raging and
there appears to be no consensus on the issues.
11. New species of insects was discovered on a remote Pacific island.
12. The government are considering the new proposals for rehousing the poor.
13. According to reports measles is now declining in severity in the world.
14. The means suggested to reverse the problems of the declining birth rate is not
acceptable to the committee.
15. The curricula of these courses for the special stream is too rigorous and time-
consuming.

Activity 3
Identify and remove any subject-verb disagreements in the following passage.

Reading or the enjoyment of books have always been regarded among the
charms of a cultured life and are respected and envied by those who rarely give
themselves that privilege. This is easy to understand when we compare the
difference between the life of a man who do no reading and that of a man who do.
The man who has not the habit of reading is imprisoned in his immediate world in
respect of time and space. His life fall into a set of routine; he is limited to contact
and conversation with a few friends and he see only what happen in this immediate
neighbourhood.

From this prison there is no escape. But the moment he takes up a book, he
immediately enter a different world, and if it is a good book, he is immediately put in
touch with one of the best sellers in the world. This talker lead him on and carry him
into a different country or a different age, or unburden to him some of his personal
regrets, or discuss with him some special line or aspect of life that the reader know
nothing about. An ancient author puts him in communion with a dead spirit of long
ago, and as he read along, he begins to imagine what that ancient author looked like
and what type of person he were. Now to be able to live two hours out of twelve in a
different world and take one’s thoughts off the claims of the immediate present are,
of course, a privilege to be envied by people shut up in their bodily prison. Such a
change of environment are really similar to travel in its psychological effect.

(CKH/TJD 2008)
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Additional Exercises on Subject-Verb Agreement

Exercise 1
Circle the best answer.

1. The women’s courage during the flood (was) (were) exceptional.

2. There are two evening flights to Atlanta that (leave) (leaves) before 7pm.
3. Local news (is) (are) on TV every night at 5.30pm.
4. Small amounts of poison (was) (were) found in the coffee shop.
5. There (was) (were) much discussion about salary raises.
6. Both the table and the chair (looks) (look) uncomfortable.
7. A number of sheep (has) (have) died from a strange illness.
8. That the houses are being put up for sale (is) (are) indicative of the economic
situation.
9. The rock singer, along with his bodyguard, (was) (were) rushed away from the
theatre.
10. Only one of the fifty states in the United States (is) (are) an island.
11. A horse’s teeth (reveals) (reveal) its age.
12. What the cooks prepared for dinner (was) (were) received with enthusiasm.
13. Fish (is) (are) dying because of the polluted water.
14. Where the Olympic Games will be held (is) (are) determined long in advance.

(CKH/TJD 2008)