Subject-Verb Agreement

Glenda · Aug 14, 2007

I had a problem with this until I came across this in a college book. Now I get it. A plural-noun subject will end in -s, but its verb will not. Between them, subject and verb use only one -s ending.

I couldn't get past if the noun was plural, the verb needed a -s, making it plural. :e2smack:

Now, "making it plural," would that be a nonrestrictive clause?

TheIT · Aug 14, 2007

Not sure of the terminology, i.e. nonrestrictive clause, but here are some examples which I need to think about whenever I have to choose the correct verb.

My rule of thumb is to chop off all clauses which modify the subject, then choose the verb. For example:

One of the teachers wants to talk with me. => ("One" wants, because "one" is singular)

Some of the teachers want to talk with me. => ("Some" want, because "some" is plural)

More than one of the teachers want to talk with me. => ("More than one" want, again plural because this is a group, and at this point I'm wondering what I've done so wrong that the teachers are beginning to gang up on me.

)

Does this help?

maestrowork · Aug 14, 2007

To confuse matters further, what if you use a gerund?

Talking back to your parents makes you a bad child.

It's clear that the "noun" is the whole "talking back to your parents" thing which is singular, but sometimes people forget or they slip.

Subject-Verb Agreement

Glenda

TheIT

Infuriatingly Theoretical

maestrowork

Fear the Death Ray