Subject – Verb Agreement

1.The indefinite pronouns anyone, everyone, someone, no one, nobody are always singular and, therefore, require singular verbs.

• Everyone has done his or her homework.

• Somebody has left her purse.

Some indefinite pronouns — such as all, some — are singular or plural depending on what they're referring to. (Is the thing referred to countable or not?) Be careful choosing a verb to accompany such pronouns.

• Some of the beads are missing.

• Some of the water is gone.

On the other hand, there is one indefinite pronoun, none, that can be either singular or plural; it often doesn't matter whether you use a singular or a plural verb — unless something else in the sentence determines its number. (Writers generally think of none as meaning not any and will choose a plural verb, as in "None of the engines are working," but when something else makes us regard none as meaning not one, we want a singular verb, as in "None of the food is fresh.")

• None of you claims responsibility for this incident?

• None of you claim responsibility for this incident?

• None of the students have done their homework. (In this last example, the word their precludes the use of the singular verb.

2.Some indefinite pronouns are particularly troublesome Everyone and everybody (listed above, also) certainly feel like more than one person and, therefore, students are sometimes tempted to use a plural verb with them. They are always singular, though. Each is often followed by a prepositional phrase ending in a plural word (Each of the cars), thus confusing the verb choice. Each, too, is always singular and requires a singular verb.

Everyone has finished his or her homework.

You would always say, "Everybody is here." This means that the word is singular and nothing will change that.

Each of the students is responsible for doing his or her work in the library.

Don't let the word "students" confuse you; the subject is each and each is always singular — Each is responsible.

3.Phrases such as together with, as well as, and along with are not the same as and. The phrase introduced by as well as or along with will modify the earlier word (mayor in this case), but it does not compound the subjects (as the word and would do).

• The mayor as well as his brothers is going to prison.

• The mayor and his brothers are going to jail.

4.The pronouns neither and either are singular and require singular verbs even though they seem to be referring, in a sense, to two things. 

• Neither of the two traffic lights is working.

• Which shirt do you want for Christmas?

Either is fine with me.

In informal writing, neither and either sometimes take a plural verb when these pronouns are followed by a prepositional phrase beginning with of. This is particularly true of interrogative constructions: "Have either of you two clowns read the assignment?" "Are either of you taking this seriously?" Burchfield calls this "a clash between notional and actual agreement."

 

5.The conjunction or does not conjoin (as and does): when nor or or is used the subject closer to the verb determines the number of the verb. Whether the subject comes before or after the verb doesn't matter; the proximity determines the number. 

• Either my father or my brothers are going to sell the house.

• Neither my brothers nor my father is going to sell the house.

• Are either my brothers or my father responsible?

• Is either my father or my brothers responsible?

Because a sentence like "Neither my brothers nor my father is going to sell the house" sounds peculiar, it is probably a good idea to put the plural subject closer to the verb whenever that is possible.

6.The words there and here are never subjects. 

• There are two reasons [plural subject] for this.

• There is no reason for this.

• Here are two apples.

With these constructions (called expletive constructions), the subject follows the verb but still determines the number of the verb.

7.Verbs in the present tense for third-person, singular subjects (he, she, it and anything those words can stand for) have s-endings. Other verbs do not add s-endings. 

He loves and she loves and they love_ and . . . .

Sometimes modifiers will get betwen a subject and its verb, but these modifiers must not confuse the agreement between the subject and its verb.

 8.The mayor, who has been convicted along with his four brothers on four counts of various crimes but who also seems, like a cat, to have several political lives, is finally going to jail.

9.Sometimes nouns take weird forms and can fool us into thinking they're plural when they're really singular and vice-versa. Consult the section on the Plural Forms of Nouns and the section on Collective Nouns for additional help. Words such as glasses, pants, pliers, and scissors are regarded as plural (and require plural verbs) unless they're preceded the phrase pair of (in which case the word pair becomes the subject).

• My glasses were on the bed.

• My pants were torn.

• A pair of plaid trousers is in the closet.

10.Some words end in -s and appear to be plural but are really singular and require singular verbs.

• The news from the front is bad.

• Measles is a dangerous disease for pregnant women.

On the other hand, some words ending in -s refer to a single thing but are nonetheless plural and require a plural verb.

• My assets were wiped out in the depression.

• The average worker's earnings have gone up dramatically.

Our thanks go to the workers who supported the union.

The names of sports teams that do not end in "s" will take a plural verb: the Miami Heat have been looking … , The Connecticut Sun are hoping that new talent … . See the section on plurals for help with this problem.

11.Fractional expressions such as half of, a part of, a percentage of, a majority of are sometimes singular and sometimes plural, depending on the meaning. (The same is true, of course, when all, any, more, most and some act as subjects.) Sums and products of mathematical processes are expressed as singular and require singular verbs. The expression "more than one" (oddly enough) takes a singular verb: "More than one student has tried this." 

• Some of the voters are still angry.

• A large percentage of the older population is voting against her.

• Two-fifths of the troops were lost in the battle.

• Two-fifths of the vineyard was destroyed by fire.

• Forty percent of the students are in favor of changing the policy.

• Forty percent of the student body is in favor of changing the policy.

• Two and two is four.

• Four times four divided by two is eight.

 12.If your sentence compounds a positive and a negative subject and one is plural, the other singular, the verb should agree with the positive subject. 

• The department members but not the chair have decided not to teach on Valentine's Day.

• It is not the faculty members but the president who decides this issue.

• It was the speaker, not his ideas, that has provoked the students to riot.

Verb Phrases & Tenses

Verb phrases
A verb phrase contains verbs which can be lexical, auxiliary, or modal. The head is the first verb in the verb phrase.
Example:
"I didn't notice Rowen around tonight," remarked Don, as they began to prepare for bed. "Might have been sulking in his tent," grinned Terry." Here, the verb phrase "might have been sulking" has the form "modal-auxiliary-auxiliary-lexical."

A verb phrase contains the following optional features:
A modal verb (e.g., will)
The verb have to express perfect aspect
The verb be to express progressive aspect
The verb be to express passive voice

The modal comes first, then the auxiliary or several auxiliaries, and finally the lexical (main) verb.When a verb phrase has a combination of modal and auxiliaries, it is constituted usually in the following order: modal verb >> perfect have >> progressive be >> passive be >> Lexical verb.Whichever verbs are used in the verb phrase, the first verb is conjugated for tense, person and number.

The following table shows the different collections of these features being used.

Tense

Verb phrases can vary with tense, in which case they are called "tensed verb phrases."

Example:
"They have accomplished a lot this year, but they accomplished even more last year."

There are several non-finite constructions as well:
The infinitive phrase with "to".
Examples:
"Did you see her, chief—did you get a glimpse of her pleasant countenance, or come close enough to her ear, to sing in it the song she loves to hear?"
"She got so she could tell big stories herself from listening to the rest. Because she loved to hear it, and the men loved to hear themselves, they would 'woof' and 'boogerboo' around the games to the limit."
Constructions with the "-ing" form, called the gerund or present participle.
Examples:
"From the very beginning, Coltrane was an indefatigable worker at his saxophone spending hours upon hours practicing every day."
"By assuming a good position and by practicing every day he will in time acquire a feeling and an appearance of ease before people."

The time frame of a non-tensed verb phrase is determined by examining that of the main clause verb.
For example
in the first example above the time frame (past) of "practicing" is determined by "was" in the main clause; in the second, the time frame (present and future) of "practicing" is determined by "will in time," also in the main clause.

Subject, Verb, Complement & Modifier.

Subject

The subject is the agent of the sentence in the active voice, subject is the person or thing that does the action of the sentence and subject normally precedes the verb.
Note : Every sentece in English must have a Subject
Example : Coffee is delicious
Milk contains calcium
The subject may be a noun phrase. A noun phrase is a group of words ending with a noun. (it can't begin with a preposition).
Example : The book is on the table
That new red car is John's
In some sentence there is not true subject. However it and there can often act as pseudo-subjects and should be considered as subjects.
Example : It is a nice day today
There was a fire in that bilding last month

Verb
The verb follows the subject, it generally shows the action of the sentence.
Note : Every sentence must have a verb
Example : John drives too fast
They hate spinach
The verb maybe a verb phrase. A verb phrase consists of one or more auxiliaries and one main verb. The auxiliaries always precede the main verb.
Example : John is going to Miami tomorrow
(auxiliary is; main verb going)
Jane has been reading that book
(auxiliary has, been; main verb reading)



Complement
A complement completes the verb. It is similar to the subject because it's usually a noun or noun phrase, However, it generally follows the verb when the sentence in the active voice.
Note : Every sentence doesn't require a complement
The complement can't begin with a preposition
Example : He was smoking a cigarette
John bought a cake yesterday

Modifier
tells the time, place or manner of the action. Very often it's a prepositional phrase. Prepotional phrase is a group of words that begins with a preposition and ends with a noun.
Note : A modifier of time usually comes last if more than one modifier is present.
Example of prepositional phrases :
In the morning, at university, on the table
A modifier can also be an adverb or an adverbial phrase :
Last night, hurriedly, next year, outdoors, yesterday
Example : John bought a book at the bookstore
(modifier place)
Jill was swimming in the pool yesterday
(modifier of place)(modifier of time)
Note :
The modifier normally follows the complement, but not always. However, the modifier, especially when it's a prepositional phrase, usually can't separate the verb and the complement.
Example : She drove the car on the street
(verb) (complement)

Exercise
Identify the subject, verb, complement, and modifier in each of the following sentence.

1. George is cooking dinner tonight
2. Henry and Marcia have visited the president
3. We eat lunch in this restaurant today
4. Pat should have bought gasoline yesterday
5. Trees grows
6. It was raining at seven o'clock this morning
7. She opened her book
8. Harry is washing dishes right now
9. She buy pineaple in the market
10. They were watching tv a few minutes ago

*Answer*
1. George/ is cooking/ dinner /tonight
(subject) (verb phrase) (complement) (modifier of time)
2. Henry and Marcia/ have visited/ the president
(subject) (verb phrase) (complement)
3. We /eat/ lunch /in this restaurant /today
(subject) (verb phrase) (complement) (modifier of place)(modifier of time)
4. Pat /should have bought /gasoline /yesterday
(subject) (verb phrase) (complement) (modifier of time)
5. Trees /grows
(subject) (verb phrase)
6. It/ was raining /at seven o'clock this morning
(subject) (verb phrase) (modifier of time)
7. She /opened /her book
(subject) (verb phrase) (complement)
8. Harry /is washing /dishes /right now
(subject) (verb phrase) (complement) (modifier of time)
9. She /buy /pineaple /in the market
(subject) (verb phrase) (complement) (modifier of place)
10. They /were watching /tv /a few minutes ago
(subject) (verb phrase) (complement) (modifier of time)