Personal and Social Responsibility
Interpretation, Bias & Evidence
Subject-Verb Agreement
When you are speaking or writing to convey a message or strong feeling, mistakes in your grammar can weaken your influence upon your audience.
Subject-verb agreement shows balance and clarity for your reader.
Verbs
- Verbs must agree with their subjects, even when they are separated by several other words or when their order is reversed.
- The entire cosmetic industry (subject) has (verb) been created to prevent aging.
- I have (verb) many activities (subject) planned for this afternoon.
- Collective nouns (birds) take on singular verbs (sing)
- Is (singular verb) anyone (collective noun) ready for lunch?
- The team (collective noun) likes (singular verb) the restaurant.
- When sentences include either...or or neither...nor, the verb agrees with the subject closest to it.
- Neither Megan nor her family (collective noun) are (collective verb) fond of broccoli.
- Either the team members or the captain (singular) is (singular) going to have to make the decision.
Pronouns
* Pronouns replace a noun
* Antecedents replace the pronoun
* Indefinite pronoun antecedents include broad or undetermined number
anyone each everyone no one someone one
anybody either everybody nothing somebody other
anything neither everything nobody something
- A pronoun must agree with its antecedent which is the word that the pronoun refers to or replaces.
- Front wheel drive cars (antecedent) are the best for their (pronoun) good handling.
- Indefinite pronouns are usually singular, even though some may seem plural.
- Anyone (indefinite pronoun antecedent) who is finished may hand in his or her (singular pronoun) essay.
- Be consistent in your pronoun use.
- I take pride in my car; it is great to have your (incorrect: should be "my") own transportation.
Now you try. Open the following worksheet and rewrite each sentence to correct the subject-verb or pronoun agreement error.
*DO NOT Submit this practice for marks