Skip to main content

Common Error in Subject-Verb Agreement

                  Errors in Subject-Verb Agreement

(1) Singular subject must have singular verb.
    
    Examples :- He writes.
                      I write.
(2) Plural subject must have plural verb.
    
    Examples :- They write.
                      We write.
(3) two subjects joined  by 'and' will always take a plural verb.

      Examples :- The doctor and nurse work together.
                       The doctor and nurses work together.
                        The doctors and nurse work together.
(4) Two singular subjects joined by 'or' and 'nor' will take a singular verb.
     Examples :- A doctor or a nurse is working in the hospital.
(5) A singular subject and a plural subject joined by 'or' or 'nor' will take a singular or plural verb
    depending on which subject is nearer the verb.

    Examples :-Neither Deepak nor his friends are joining the tour.
                     Neither his friends  nor Deepak  is joining the tour.
(6) If the subject is singular and the predicate is plural, the verb must agree with its subject and not
its predicate .

    Examples :- Physical conditioning  and mental attitute are winning combination.
                      The winning combination is physical conditioning and mental attitute.
(7) Indefinite pronouns such as someone, somebody, each, nobody, anyone, anybody, one, no one,
     everyone, everybody, either, neither etc. always take a singular verb.
 
     Examples :- Each of friends calls me once a month.
(8) Indefinite pronounswhich indicate more than one (several, few, both, many) always take a
     plural verbs.
      
     Examples :- Both of the books require careful reading.
                       Several of the fielders regularly run four or five kilometers a day.
(9) collective nouns (fleet, army, committee, crowd) are singular when the groups work together
     as a unit and hence take singular verbs.
  
     Examples :- The jury has reached its verdict.
                        The team runs in a smooth way.
(10) collective nouns are plural when the members of the group are acting individually and hence
       take plural verbs.
     
        Examples :- The jury have argued for five hours.
                           The team are putting on their uniforms.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Adjective Clauses

MORE ABOUT ADJECTIVE CLAUSES As we have seen, an Adjective Clause in a Complex sentence is a subordinate clause which does the work of an Adjective, and so qualifies some noun or pronoun in the main clause. An Adjective Clause is introduced by a Relative Pronoun or by a Relative Adverb; as, Uneasy lies the head that wears a crown. He is the man whom we all respect. The time when the boat leaves is not yet fixed. The house where the accident occurred is nearby. The reason why I did it is obvious. Sometimes, however, a Relative Pronoun introduces a Coordinate clause; as, I met Rama, who (= and he) gave me your message. Here we are using the Relative Pronoun who to introduce a coordinate clause. [It might appear, at first sight, that the clause, who gave me your message, is an Adjective clause and therefore Subordinate. It will be seen that this is not the case however, for it in no way identifies or describes Rama. In the sentence, He ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Comprehension

COMPREHENSION A comprehension exercise consists of a passage, upon which questions are set to test the student's ability to understand the content of the given text and to infer information and meanings from it. Here are a few hints:- Read the passage fairly quickly to get the general idea. Read again, a little slowly, so as to know the details. Study the questions thoroughly. Turn to the relevant portions of the passage, read them again, and then rewrite them in your own words, neatly and precisely Use complete sentences. If you are asked to give the meaning of any words or phrases, you should express the idea as clearly as possible in your own words. Certain words require the kind of definition that is given in a dictionary. Take care to frame the definition in conformity with the part of speech. SPECIMEN Read the passage below and then answer the questions which follow it.         1 It has been part of Nelson's prayer t...
17 comments
Read more

Analysis of Compound Sentences

ANALYSIS OF COMPOUND SENTENCES (Clause Analysis) A compound sentence is made up of two or more principal or main clauses joined together by a Co-ordinating conjunction and sometimes includes one or more subordinate clauses. The horse reared and the rider was thrown. [2 main clauses] They were fond of music, played on various kinds of instrument, and indulged in much singing. [3 main clauses] They asked him how he received the wound, but he refused to answer. [2 main clauses + 1 subordinate clause] He says what he means, and he means what he says. [2 main clauses +2 subordinate clauses] It has been already pointed out that the term Double is now used for a sentence which is made up of two main clauses, and the term Multiple for a sentence of more than two main clauses, In accordance with this new terminology, 1, 3, and 4 are Double sentences, and 2 is a Multiple sentence. The connection between two main clauses of a Compound sentence may be one o...
3 comments
Read more