Language Arts OverviewVerbs must agree with their subject in both number and person. This holds true even if an indefinite pronoun, like everyone or few, is the subject. Sometimes, locating the subject in a sentence can be problematic. Remember that the subject is never within a prepositional phrase. Also, predicate nominatives do not affect the number of a linking verbonly the subject affects the number of a linking verb. Here are some rules to remember when determining the number of a subject.
Compound subjects joined by and or both…and are plural unless their parts belong to one unit or the parts both refer to the same person or thing. Compound subjects joined by or, nor, either…or, or neither…nor always agree with the subject nearest to the verb. In simple sentences, subject-verb agreement is usually clear. However, achieving subject-verb agreement can be difficult when using inverted sentences (sentences in which the subject follows the verb) or compound or complex sentences. Rearrange inverted sentences so that the subject comes before the verb, or try diagraming the sentence by breaking it into its parts to determine the proper subject-verb agreement. In sentences with adjective clauses, the subject of an adjective clause is often a relative pronoun, like that or which. The number of the relative pronoun is determined by the number of its antecedent in the main clause. Log InThe resource you requested requires you to enter a username and password below: | ||