{"id":4028,"date":"2020-09-12T23:59:04","date_gmt":"2020-09-13T06:59:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/learningcommons.twu.ca\/?page_id=4028"},"modified":"2024-08-28T09:57:49","modified_gmt":"2024-08-28T17:57:49","slug":"quick-start-guide-subject-verb-agreement","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/create.twu.ca\/learningcommons\/2020\/09\/12\/quick-start-guide-subject-verb-agreement\/","title":{"rendered":"Subject-Verb Agreement"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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Welcome!<\/h3>

Welcome to the Learning Commons Quick Start Guide on subject-verb agreement!<\/strong><\/p>

Although subject-verb agreement is a critical part of using proper grammar and writing correct English, it can be difficult to tell when it is missing, especially for those who did not learn English as their first language. In English, subject-verb agreement involves selecting the proper singular verb to use with certain kinds of singular subjects.<\/p>

This guide will explain:<\/p>

  • which verb form to use in an independent clause<\/li>
  • which verb form to use with certain pronouns<\/li>
  • which verb form to use when prepositional phrases are introduced<\/li><\/ul>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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    Agreement 101<\/span><\/h3><\/div><\/div>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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    \u00a0<\/h5>
    Course Information<\/strong><\/span><\/h5>

    Course Level:<\/strong>\u00a0Beginner<\/p>

    Time to Complete:\u00a0<\/strong><10 mins<\/p>

    Perfect for:<\/strong>\u00a0Students in WRTG100\/101, ENGL103, or anyone who needs a refresher.<\/p>

    Guide Creator:<\/strong>\u00a0Andrew Johnson<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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    <\/div>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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    This video introduces the main occurrences of subject-verb agreement:<\/p>

    • Singular noun subject with a present tense verb<\/li>
    • Pronoun subject with a present tense verb<\/li><\/ul>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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      \n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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      Independent Clauses<\/span><\/h1>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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      Agreement with Noun Subjects<\/span><\/h2><\/div><\/div>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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      Sentences With One Subject<\/h3>

      In a sentence in the Simple Present tense, a single noun\u00a0subject take<\/b>s<\/b>\u00a0a singular verb (almost always ending in \u201cs\u201d).<\/p>

      However, when they are plural,\u00a0subject<\/b>s<\/b>\u00a0take\u00a0<\/b>plural verbs (almost always the \u201cnormal\u201d present tense verb that you would use after \u201cto,\u201d often not ending in \u201cs\u201d).<\/p>

      One way to remember is that if you are using the\u00a0S<\/strong>imple Present<\/strong>\u00a0tense, your\u00a0S<\/strong>\u00a0<\/span>needs to go somewhere: either on the noun or on the verb. Another way is to remember that if your subject is\u00a0S<\/strong>ingular<\/strong>, then your verb needs an\u00a0S<\/strong><\/span>.<\/p>

      If your subject is a noun, this only occurs when using Simple Present tense\u00a0or<\/i>\u00a0when using \u201cwas\/were.\u201d<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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      Sentences with Multiple Subjects<\/h3>

      What happens when you join singular subjects? Does that count as singular or plural? Well, with multiple subjects, verb agreement depends on the whole\u00a0compound subject<\/strong>\u00a0together.<\/p>

      Conjunctions that \u201cadd\u201d the subject elements together, such as \u201cand<\/strong>,\u201d almost always mean the compound subject needs a\u00a0plural<\/strong>\u00a0verb. (1 cat and 1 cat together\u00a0make up a group of 2 cats.)<\/p>

      On the other hand, conjunctions that treat the subject elements as \u201cseparate\u201d such as \u201cor<\/strong>\u201d and \u201cnor<\/strong>\u201d almost always mean the compound subject needs a\u00a0singular<\/strong>\u00a0verb. (1 cat on its own kept separate from another cat on its own\u00a0does not<\/em>\u00a0make up a group of 2 cats.)<\/p>

      However, if one or more of the subjects is plural, the conjunction doesn\u2019t matter. Go ahead and use a plural verb. (2 cats are always plural\u00a0whether they are on their own or mixed with another group<\/em>\u00a0of 2 cats to make 4 cats.)<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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      Your Turn: Test Your Understanding<\/span><\/h5>

      Think you have a grasp of the information above? Test yourself!<\/p>