English Tuition for Australia and New Zealand
XQUISITE TUTORIALS
Subject-Verb Concord
Subject verb concord is when the subject of a sentence and the verb of a sentence agree. Simply, if the subject of the sentence is singular, the verb must be singular. If the subject of a sentence is plural, the verb must be plural. Look at these examples.
“My friend is Japanese.” (singular)
“My friends are Japanese.” (plural)
Everybody / Anybody / Somebody / Nobody
Everyone / Anyone / Someone / No One
These subjects are all singular!
“Everyone has problems.”
“I don’t know if anybody is in the office right now.”
“How do you react if someone gives you a compliment?”
“Nobody likes the new English teacher.”
Club / Team / Family / Army
These subjects are also singular, even though they are talking about a group of people.
“My family is visiting me for the holidays.”
“The basketball team has a new coach.”
People / Children / Men / Women / Mice / Feet
These words are irregular plural nouns (nouns that are not formed by adding -s) and they take the plural form of the verb:
“Our children are very well-behaved.”
“The people like the new president.”
“Men don’t usually enjoy shopping for clothes.”
“My feet are cold.”
Both Of / A Few Of / Many / Several
These words always take the plural form of the verb:
“Both of my brothers are older than me.”
“A few of these products have defects.”
“Many of the houses in this neighborhood don’t have garages.”
“Several of the students aren’t going to pass.”
Quiz: Advanced Subject-Verb Agreement
Choose the correct form of the verb that agrees with the subject.
Question 1.
_______ anyone ________ a pencil I could borrow?
A. Do / have
B. Does / have
Question 2.
No one _____ finished reading the book yet.
A. Has
B. Have
Question 3.
Hurry up! Everyone ____ waiting for you to get here.
A. Are
B. Is
Question 4.
No, my family ________ live nearby.
A. Doesn't
B. Don't
Question 5.
Our swimming club ______ going to compete on Saturday.
A. Are
B. Is
Question 6.
The police officer _____ talking to the parents of the missing child.
A. Is
B. Are
Question 7.
The police _______ released any information about the case.
A. Hasn't
B. Haven't
Question 8.
Most women _______ getting flowers.
A. Love
B. Loves
Question 9.
Some of the people waiting in line ______ getting impatient.
A. Are
B. Is
Question 10.
Both of you _______ the rules.
A. Know
B. Knows
Question 11.
Several of my teeth ______ cavities.
A. Has
B. Have
Question 12.
Most of this software _____ outdated.
A. Are
B. Is
Question 13.
Some of the children _______ have cell phones.
A. Don't
B. Doesn't
Question 14.
Almost all of the water _____ contaminated.
A. Is
B. Are
Exercise : Subject and Verb Agreement Exercise
Choose the correct form of the verb that agrees with the subject.
1. Annie and her brothers (is, are) at school.
2. Either my mother or my father (is, are) coming to the meeting.
3. The dog or the cats (is, are) outside.
4. Either my shoes or your coat (is, are) always on the floor.
5. George and Tamara (doesn't, don't) want to see that movie.
6. Benito (doesn't, don't) know the answer.
7. One of my sisters (is, are) going on a trip to France.
8. The man with all the birds (live, lives) on my street.
9. The movie, including all the previews, (take, takes) about two hours to watch.
10. The players, as well as the captain, (want, wants) to win.
11. Either answer (is, are) acceptable.
12. Every one of those books (is, are) fiction.
13. Nobody (know, knows) the trouble I've seen.
14. (Is, Are) the news on at five or six?
15. Mathematics (is, are) John's favorite subject, while Physics (is, are) Andrea's favorite subject.
16. Eight dollars (is, are) the price of a movie these days.
17. (Is, Are) the tweezers in this drawer?
18. Your pants (is, are) at the cleaner's.
19. There (was, were) fifteen candies in that bag. Now there (is, are) only one left!
20. The committee (debates, debate) these questions carefully.
21. The committee all (leads, lead) very different lives in private.
22. The Prime Minister, together with his wife, (greets, greet) the press cordially.
23. All of the CDs, even the scratched one, (is, are) in this case.
Exercise 3
Highlight the subject (or compound subject) and then the verb that agrees with it.
1. Your friendship over the years and your support (has/have) meant a great deal to us.
2. Hamilton Family Center, a shelter for teenage runaways in San Francisco, (offers/offer) a wide variety of services.
3. The main source of income for Trinidad (is/are) oil and pitch.
4. The chances of your being promoted (is/are) excellent.
5. There (was/were) a Pokémon card stuck to the refrigerator.
6. Neither the professor nor his assistants (was/were) able to solve the mystery of the eerie glow in the laboratory.
7. Many hours at the driving range (has/have) led us to design golf balls with GPS locators in them.
8. Discovered in the soil of our city garden (was/were) a button dating from the Civil War dating from the turn of the century.
9. Every year, during the midsummer festival, the smoke of village bonfires (fills/fill) the sky.
10. The story performers (was/were) surrounded by children and adults eager to see magical tales.
Exercise 4
Edit the following sentences to eliminate problems with subject-verb agreement and write the edited sentence. If a sentence is correct, write “correct.” Jack’s first days in the infantry was gruelling Jack’s first days in the infantry were gruelling.
1. One of the main reasons for elephant poaching are the profits received from selling the ivory tusks.
2. Not until my interview with Dr. Chang were other possibilities opened to me.
3. Batik cloth from Bali, blue and white ceramics from Cambodia, and a bocce ball from Turin has made Hannah’s room the talk of the dorm.
4. The board of directors, ignoring the wishes of the neighbourhood, has voted to allow further development.
5. Measles is a contagious childhood disease.
6. The presence of certain bacteria in our bodies are one of the factors that determines our overall health.
7. Leah is the only one of the many applicants who has the ability to step into this job.
8. Neither the explorer nor his companions was ever seen again.
Exercise 6
1. Everyone (has/have) done his or her homework.
2. Each of the students (is/are) responsible for doing his or her work.
3. Either my father or my brothers (is/are) going to sell the car.
4. Neither my sisters nor my mother (is/are) going to sell the house.
5. The samples on the tray in the lab (need/needs) testing.
6. Mary and John usually (plays/play) together.
7. Both of the dogs (has/have) collars.
8. Neither the dogs nor the cat (is/are) very hungry.
9. Either the girls or the boy (walk/walks) in the evening.
10. Either the boy or the girls (walk/walks) in the evening.
11. At the end of the fall (comes/come) the hard tests.
12. The slaughter of animals for their fur (has/have) caused controversy.
13. The student, as well as his teacher, (was/were) going on the field trip.
14. The hard tests (comes/come) at the end of the fall.
15. Both of my roommates (has/have) decided to live in the dorm.
Exercise 5
Fill in the blanks with the correct form of the verb.
-
Each of the girls ____ her own dress. (has/have)
-
Five miles____ long distance. (is/are)
-
Many a man ____ tried hard to climb the treacherous mountain range. (have/has)
-
The furniture of the house ____ quite impressive. (is/are)
-
Few students ______ coming to the party. (is, are)
-
Uma, my childhood friend ____ leaving for Delhi next month. (is/are)
-
Most of my friends _____ government employees. (is/are)
-
The level of pain tolerance ____ from person to person. (vary/varies)
-
Either Tina or Rohit ____ telling lies. (is/are)
-
A number of people _____reported to have fallen sick after drinking the water from the tubewell. (was/were)
-
The government ____ criticised by the Supreme Court for their actions. (was/were)
-
No one ____ a greater collection of books than my friend Reeshav. (has / have)
-
Somebody ____ waiting at the door for you. (is / are)
-
Two ____ ago, here is the place where the accident took place. (year/years)
-
Fast food, like burgers and street food, ____ harmful to our health. (is/are)
-
All the students ____ excited to visit the museum after school. (is/are)
-
Neither Joseph nor his family ____ French. (speaks/speak)
-
Either Ross or Joey ____ broken the glass. (has/have)
-
If anybody _____ for me, do let me know. (calls/call)
-
The plumber, along with his helper ____, expected to come soon. (is/are)
-
Several neighbours _____ complained about the loud sound coming from that house. (has/have)
-
Neither Penny nor Amy ____ went to work. (has/have)
-
The Olympics ____ held every four years. (is/are)
-
The people ___ lived without electricity for many years. (has/have)
-
The dog _____ chasing the cat. (is/are)
Exercise 7
1. Your friendship over the years and your support (has/have) meant a great deal to us.
2. Hamilton Family Center, a shelter for teenage runaways in San Francisco, (offers/offer) a wide variety of services.
3. The main source of income for Trinidad (is/are) oil and pitch.
4. The chances of your being promoted (is/are) excellent.
5. There (was/were) a Pokémon card stuck to the refrigerator.
6. Neither the professor nor his assistants (was/were) able to solve the mystery of the eerie glow in the laboratory.
7. Many hours at the driving range (has/have) led us to design golf balls with GPS locators in them.
8. Discovered in the soil of our city garden (was/were) a button dating from the Civil War dating from the turn of the century.
9. Every year, during the midsummer festival, the smoke of village bonfires (fills/fill) the sky.
10. The story performers (was/were) surrounded by children and adults eager to see magical tales
Exercise 8
1. One of the students ( is/are ) studying algebra.
2. The exhibit of the artist’s paintings ( was/were ) very interesting.
3. Mrs. Andrews, along with, Mr. Stone, ( do/does ) volunteer work.
4. All of the salesmen, including Mr. Stone, ( was/were ) at the meeting.
5. Every one of the girls ( do/does ) her shorthand homework.
6. Either Julia or her friends ( is/are ) planning to attend.
7. Both of the carpenters ( is/are ) planning to do the job.
8. Neither the students nor the instructor ( want/wants ) to miss class.
9. The women, as well as the men ( sing/sings ) beautifully.
10. Most of the nurses ( work/works ) every day.
