I Agree With You!

When subjects and verbs cannot and do not agree, the resulting battle creates an incorrect sentence. More and more this problem appears not only in speech but also in writing. However, learning how to make subjects and verbs agree isn't very hard. First one needs to recognize the problem areas and then correct the error (Art of Writing News, 2006).

There are rules to follow in agreement to have order and organization. Start off with recognizing the grammatical units in a sentence. They are not very hard to recognize. Just as you want to get to know your object of affection, you should know a sentence. For a humble beginning, you must know what comprise a correct sentence.

Subject – Verb – Complement

Mr. Ricks knows no bounds in business innovation.
Subject Verb Complement

These are the important elements in a sentence. Now, Subject and Verb must get along well, so they must agree in tense and number.

General Rule: Singular nouns entail singular verbs (Ns = Vs)
Plural nouns entail plural verbs (Np = Vo)

Rule 1: Indefinite Pronouns

When you’re referring to no specific person/s you use indefinite pronouns so that - everyone, nobody, everybody, no one, somebody, someone, each, neither – become the person/s addressed to. Indefinite pronouns no matter how many persons are involved always get a singular verb.

No one has to believe what he says.
Each one of us is obliged to report on our turn of duty.

Rule 2: Pronouns must agree with their antecedent.

If we take it from the prefix Pro- a pro-noun means in favor of the noun. So a pronoun must look back to the noun or another pronoun preceding it, called the antecedent.

The outcasts are placed in one geographical area. They are a nuisance to the government.

Rule 3: Neither nor and Either or must refer to two subjects. The verb should agree with the subject closer to them.

Neither nor and either or occur together in a sentence or in a phrase. However, sometimes neither becomes a subject in a sentence (as well as neither).

Either the teacher or the students are planning for the field trip.
Neither the audience nor the members of the panel of judges are pleased with the performance.
Either I or she faces the distressed client.

Neither is expected to provide the "smoking gun" that proves the economy is in recession, economists said.
(This is in relation to the previous statement: Two of the most important monthly indicators of the economy's health to be released Friday are expected to show the economy is weak).

Rule 4. In case of collective nouns, the verb used is either singular or plural, depending on how the nouns are treated – whether they are treated as a whole or the individual members are considered.

The team as a whole is accountable for the outcome of its decisions and actions.
The team members are accountable for the outcome of their decisions and actions.

Rule 5. Phrases such as together with, as well as, and along with are not synonymous with and. These phrases only modify the previous noun and have no bearing with its number.

The team together with the coach is going for the golden cup.
The members of the committee along with health professionals lead the information dissemination on public health and safety.

Rule 6. Numerical units treated as datum or data such as one, two, three, one hundred, etc., always entail a singular verb.

Fifty is reflected on the number of students column.

However if they follow a noun, they must agree with the number of that particular noun.

Fifty students are expected to enroll.
One member is unbearable.

Further, percentage, fraction, and arithmetic or algebraic expressions require a singular verb. Except if they follow a prepositional phrase. Hence, the verb must agree with the noun in the prepositional phrase.

Ninety percent of votes are rendered in favor of overthrowing the old policy.
Two thirds of the earth is water.
Fifty percent is expected to pass the subject.
Two-fifths of the troops were lost in the battle.
Two-fifths of the vineyard was destroyed by fire
To satisfy the inequality, 7 - 2x needs to be less than 3.
Two and two is four.

Rule 7. Determiners such as the number of, a series of, etc., require singular verbs. It doesn't matter whether the noun in the prepositional phrase is singular or plural.

The number of population increases to 50%.
The number of believers goes down from 100 to 50.
A couple of
A series of lights products on DHgate gets worldwide delivery.


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