subject-verb agreement rules Archives - PH Civil Service Exam Reviewer

The Subject-Verb Agreement Rules Part 2

September 13, 2014 Civil Service Reviewer English, Grammar, Tutorials

In the previous post, we have learned seven rules of the subject-verb agreement. We now continue with the 8th rule.

Rule 8: Modifiers between the subject and the verb does not affect the number of the subject.

Jason, who is a father of four, is currently suffering liver cancer.

In this sentence, the phrase “who is a father of four” is a modifier of Jason. It does not affect Jason as a subject and therefore takes a singular verb ‘is.’

Rule 9: Some nouns (collective nouns) can be used as singular or plural depending on the context and usage. » Read more

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The Subject-Verb Agreement Rules Part 1

September 11, 2014 Civil Service Reviewer English, Tutorials

Subject-verb agreement means that the subject and verb endings agree in number.　Determining singular or plural endings can be confusing because an -s ending on a noun indicates plural, whereas an -s ending on a verb indicates singular form. The subject of every sentence is either singular or plural, and that determines the ending of the verb.

In the examples below, the subjects in the sentences are underlined the verbs are italicized.

Rule 1: Singular nouns (usually without s) take singular verbs (usually with s). Plural nouns (usually with s) take plural verbs (usually without s).

Examples:

The bee buzzes every night. (One bee = singular verb)

The bees buzz every night. (More than one bee = plural verb)

The stamps stick. » Read more

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Subject-Verb Agreement Practice Test 1 Answers

September 1, 2013 Civil Service Reviewer English, Practice Tests, Tutorials

Below are the answers to the Subject-Verb Agreement Practice Test 1. The incorrect verb in each sentence is highlighted red and the correct verb in the corrected sentence is highlighted green. An explanation follows every correction.

Subject-Verb Agreement Practice Test 1 Answers

1. My brother or my sister are arriving tomorrow.

Correct sentence: My brother or my sister is arriving tomorrow

Explanation: Two singular subjects connected by or require a singular verb. In this sentence, there brother and sister are both singular, so the sentence should use the singular verb is.

2. Neither Ella nor her friends is available to assist you. » Read more

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Subject-Verb Agreement Practice Test 1

September 1, 2013 Civil Service Reviewer English, Practice Tests

The subject-verb agreement is one of the basic rules in grammar and correct usage. It is important that you master this rule if you want to pass the Civil Service Examination.

The basic rule in the subject-verb agreement is that a singular subject requires a singular verb and a plural subject requires a plural verb. Of course, to be able to answer correctly, you must be able to identify the subject of the sentence and the verb. As a review, a subject is the noun or pronoun that performs the verb. A verb on the other hand, is a word that shows action. We will have a separate discussion on these topics. For now, just answer the practice test below and see how much do you remember of the subject-verb agreement.

Subject-Verb Agreement Practice Test 1

1. My brother or my sister are arriving tomorrow.

2. Neither Ella nor her friends is available to assist you.

3. Armand, together with his friends, are going on a camping trip tomorrow. » Read more

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