Subject Verb agreement ACT, Digital SAT, EST
Subject Verb agreement is a common question in Digital SAT, ACT, and Egyptian scholastic test EST. It is not a hard question, don’t lose it. Subject verb agreement is an easy lesson, you can guess how it works from the title. From the title, you can know that the subject should agree with the verb, if the subject is singular, the verb is singular, and if the subject is plural, the verb is plural. Subject verb agreement in Digital SAT is not a frequent question but you have to study it. When we talk about subject verb agreement in Egyptian scholastic test, it may be found once or twice in each trial.
Subject-verb agreement is a grammatical concept that deals with the correct matching of a subject and its corresponding verb in a sentence. In English, the verb must agree with the subject in terms of number and person. This means that a singular subject should take a singular verb, and a plural subject should take a plural verb.
Here are the basic rules for subject-verb agreement in ACT, Digital SAT, and EST:
Singular subjects: A singular subject, which refers to one person, thing, or idea, typically takes a singular verb.
Example: The cat jumps over the fence.
Plural subjects: A plural subject, which refers to multiple persons, things, or ideas, generally takes a plural verb.
Example: The cats jump over the fence.
Indefinite pronouns: Some indefinite pronouns, such as “everybody,” “everyone,” “nobody,” “someone,” and “each,” are always considered singular and require a singular verb.
Example: Everybody is invited to the party.
Subject Verb agreement
Compound subjects: When two or more singular subjects are joined by “and,” they form a plural subject and require a plural verb.
Example: John and Sarah are going to the movies.
But in case of or and nor , it is according to the subject after
Example: Adam or his friends are going to the party.
Collective nouns: Collective nouns, which refer to a group of individuals as a single entity, can take either a singular or plural verb, depending on the context. If the emphasis is on the group as a whole, a singular verb is used. If the emphasis is on the individuals within the group, a plural verb is used.
Example 1 (singular verb): The team is playing well.
Example 2 (plural verb): The team are discussing their strategies.
Agreement with intervening phrases: When there are phrases or clauses between the subject and verb, it’s essential to identify the true subject and ensure agreement.
Example: The book, along with the pen and notebook, belongs to me.
Agreement with indefinite subjects: When the subject is an indefinite pronoun like “some,” “none,” “any,” “all,” or “more,” the verb agrees with the object of the preposition that follows the pronoun.
Example: Some of the cake has been eaten.
Agreement with inverted word order: In questions and inverted sentences, the subject and verb are switched. The verb should still agree with the subject.
Example: Did you eat the cookies? (Not: Did you eats the cookies?)
Subject verb agreement with irregulars
It’s important to note that there are some irregular verbs in English that do not follow the typical subject-verb agreement rules. For instance, the verb “to be” has unique forms for different subjects (e.g., I am, he is, they are), and modal verbs like “can,” “may,” and “should” do not change based on the subject.
Overall, subject-verb agreement ensures clarity, coherence, and grammatical correctness in sentences by maintaining a consistent relationship between the subject and its corresponding verb.
The group of students (is/are) excited about the field trip.
Answer: The group of students is excited about the field trip.
Explanation: Although “students” is a plural noun, the subject of the sentence is “group,” which is a collective noun. Collective nouns are generally treated as singular entities, so the singular verb “is” should be used.
Neither of the books (was/were) interesting to me.
Answer: Neither of the books was interesting to me.
Explanation: “Neither” is a negative word that takes a singular verb. Even though “books” is plural, the subject “neither” requires the singular verb “was.”
The number of people attending the conference (has/have) increased.
Answer: The number of people attending the conference has increased.
Explanation: Similar to the previous example, “number” is a singular noun, and it determines the verb form. In this case, “number” requires the singular verb “has.”
Each of the employees (has/have) their own desk.
Answer: Each of the employees has their own desk.
Explanation: “Each” is an indefinite pronoun that always takes a singular verb. Therefore, “has” is the correct choice. However, the use of “their” is slightly controversial here, as it is often considered grammatically incorrect. A more precise formulation would be “Each of the employees has his or her own desk” or “Each employee has their own desk.”
The committee members (disagree/disagrees) on the new proposal.
Answer: The committee members disagree on the new proposal.
Explanation: “Committee members” is a plural subject, and it should take a plural verb, which is “disagree.”
The news from the Middle East (is/are) often unsettling.
Answer: The news from the Middle East is often unsettling.
Explanation: “News” is an uncountable noun that is always treated as a singular noun. Therefore, it requires the singular verb “is.”
These examples demonstrate how subject-verb agreement can be influenced by collective nouns, indefinite pronouns, negatives, singular nouns, plural nouns, and uncountable nouns. By understanding the specific rules and considering the grammatical context, you can determine the appropriate verb form for each sentence.
Subject verb agreement with parenthetical clause
Example with a parenthetical clause:
The cat, which was sitting on the mat, is black. (The subject “cat” agrees with the singular verb “is.”)
A prepositional phrase consists of a preposition followed by a noun phrase, which often functions as an adverb or an adjective. Prepositional phrases do not affect subject-verb agreement because they act as modifiers and do not contain the subject of the sentence.
Example with a prepositional phrase (subject prepositional phrase verb):
The book on the table belongs to me. (The subject “book” agrees with the singular verb “belongs.”)
In both cases, the subject-verb agreement is determined by the subject of the main clause, regardless of the presence of parenthetical clauses or prepositional phrases.
Prepositional phrase verb subject:
Along the Mississippi river exist many villages
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Subject verb agreement
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