SUBJECT - VERB AGREEMENT
BASIC RULES
V(singular)
S(singular)
S(plural)
V(plural)
Present simple
Past simple
Present perfect
Future simple
is Vs/es does | are V do |
was | were |
has | have |
QUANTITY PHRASES
EACH
- To refer to a group or list of three or more things
Everyone takes turns cooking dinner in the evenings.
Almost every car in the car park was new.
EVERY
Each child is receiving special attention at our school.
Each child gets a cookie today.
! Each and every are mostly interchangeable.
- To refer to a group or list of two or more things
SINGULAR
SINGULAR
QUANTITY PHRASES
means ‘not one’ or ‘not any’. When none is the subject, the verb is either singular or plural depending on what it is referring to.
I’m always looking for inspiration. None ever comes.
She’s always looking for ideas. None ever come.
None of his old friends know what happened to him.
There are many mistakes in this report. None of them were your fault.
NONE
SING or PLU
QUANTITY PHRASES
NEITHER / EITHER
goes before singular countable nouns to make a negative or positive statement about two people/things at the same time
Neither parent has taught them about cooking
Neither of my best friends was around.
Neither of the children who live there needs help.
Either restaurant is okay, as they both serve vegetarian food.
Either of the children comes with us
SINGULAR
Neither/ either of before pronouns and plural countable nouns which has the, his, her…. before them
QUANTITY PHRASES
BOTH
PLURAL
to refer to two things or people together
Both those chairs are occupied, I’m afraid.
Both her brothers are living in Canada.
QUANTITY PHRASES
not many, a large number of, more than two but not very many; goes with plural countable nouns
FEW/ MANY / SEVERAL
PLURAL
Several letters have arrived this morning.
Quite a few people are going to arrive early.
Many people feel that the law should be changed.
LITTLE/ MUCH
SINGULAR
Little is known about his upbringing and education.
Much money is invested in education than before
A small/ large amount of something, goes with uncountable noun
QUANTITY PHRASES
SING or PLU
MOST/ ALL
Most of the information was useful.
There hasn’t been much rain. Most rivers are below their normal levels.
All my friends are away at university.
All information about the new product is confidential.
The majority/ the whole of something; goes with plural countable or uncountable nouns
QUANTITY PHRASES
SOME
A LOT OF
SING or PLU
Some people never seem to put on weight while others are always on a diet.
Some modern music makes the atmosphere in the coffee house cozy
A lot of people are coming to the meeting.
A limited quantity
A large quantity; much, many
QUANTITY PHRASES
THE NUMBER OF / A NUMBER OF
FRACTION / PERCENT
SING or PLU
SING or PLU
The number of cars sold has increased from 1940 to 2040
A large number of cars have been sold recently
50% of people in this city commute to work by motorbike
A third of water in Vietnam is used for industry
SINGULAR VERB
Something needs to be done to address environmental pollution
RULE 1: INDEFINITE PRONOUN
everyone, everybody, everything
someone, somebody, something
anyone, anybody, anything
no one, nobody, nothing
Everyone is encouraged to lead a simpler life.
Nothing is impossible
Three miles is too far to walk
Ten dollars is a high price to pay / 2 dollars is all I have now
Five years is the maximum sentence for that offence
SINGULAR VERB
RULE 2: DISTANCES/ PERIOD OF TIME/ SUMS OF MONEY
13
Jogging in the morning everyday is a good physical exercise
To start a new habit is not easy
What he has done is amazing
What he has achieved makes me really admire him.
SINGULAR VERB
RULE 3: TO VERB/ VERB-ING/ CLAUSE
‘Who is millionaire’ was my favourite TV program when I was at secondary school
Physics is a tough but useful subject
Diabetes is a common health problem in people aged about 40
The United States is a dream land
Mathematics, Economics, Politics,
Measles
The Philippines, The United States
SINGULAR VERB
RULE 4: TITLE / SUBJECT/ DISEASE/ SOME NATIONS
PLURAL VERB
My brother and I both like English
RULE 1: TWO OR MORE SUBJECTS ARE CONNECTED BY “AND”
Governments and individuals have to take actions to address the serious air pollution in big cities
PLURAL VERB
RULE 2: THE + ADJ
the rich, the poor, the young, the old, the blind, the Vietnamese
The poor account for over a half of the population in this nation.
The young are often chosen for some vacancies that require creativeness and physical strength
17
SINGULAR OR PLURAL
RULE 1: NOUN 1 + PREP + NOUN 2
! Prep: of, for, with, in, …
The colours of the rainbow are beautiful.
The percentage of children who play computer games in their free time is highest
18
SINGULAR OR PLURAL
RULE 2: HERE/ THERE + BE + NOUN
There are many solutions to deal with this problem.
Here is the key
SINGULAR OR PLURAL
RULE 3: SUBJECT IS SEPARATED FROM VERB BY FOLLOWING WORDS
As well as, along with, together with, accompanied by ….
The student, as well as the committee members, is excited
Each individual, together with their government, needs to cycle more
EXAMPLE IN IELTS
THE MOTOR CAR
There be now over 700 million motor vehicles in the world - and the number of vehicles rise by more than 40 million recently. The average distance driven by car users grow too - from 8 km a day per person in western Europe in 1965 to 25 km a day until now. This dependence on motor vehicles give rise to major problems, including environmental pollution, depletion of oil resources, traffic congestion and safety.
While emissions from new cars be far less harmful than they used to be, city streets and motorways become more crowded than ever, often with older trucks, buses and taxis, which emit excessive levels of smoke and fumes. This concentration of vehicles make air quality in urban areas unpleasant and sometimes dangerous to breathe. Even the United States join the list of capitals afflicted by congestion and traffic fumes. In Mexico City, vehicle pollution be a major health hazard.