When the normal subject verb order is inverted in a sentence, the verb still agrees with the subject. The gregg reference manual provides excellent explanations of subject verb agreement section 10. When the conjunction or, nor, eitheror, or neithernor connect the parts of a compound subject, the verb will agree with the subject closer to it. Neither the twins nor their older brother have, has ever. Grammar subjectverb agreement with correlative conjunctions. Many students have troubles with collective nouns and subjectverb agreement. We show you the rules, the exceptions, and example sentences to. To pass the quiz, you should know about different examples of subject. Subject verb agreement practice circle the correct form of the verb tense and indicate the rule that determines the correct answer.
Subjectverb agreement a subject is a noun or pronoun. If you know that list is the subject, then you will choose is for the verb. Or they can be part of a twopart conjunction either or, neither nor joining two or more subjects. The subjects and verbs that follow are in agreement. Now try answering these exercises to measure how much you learned. Subject verb agreement quiz home city university of. Two singular nouns connected by or or nor take a singular verb neither charles nor benjamin was present there neither he nor his dad is good at driving when one of the nouns connected by or or nor is plural, the verb must be plural, and the plural subject must be placed next to the verb.
If the subjects are both singular and are connected by the words or, nor, neither nor, eitheror, and not onlybut also the verb is singular. Neither the students nor the instructor wantwants to miss class. I am certain that both catherine and lucy is, are coming to visit this weekend. Neithernor when two subjects are joined by neithernor or eitheror, choosing the right number. Subject verb agreement with correlative conjunction. Neither carol nor ted is are excluded from the meeting. Underline the verb in the parentheses that agrees with its subject. If a sentence has two subjects connected by ornor, eitheror, or neither nor, the verb must agree with. This bundle contains 5 readytouse subjectverb agreement worksheets which are a perfect collection to help students to practice their knowledge and. Packet 6 subject verb agreement all nouns and pronouns have number. I created this handout for my adult esl students to help them remember the proper subject verb agreement when using either or and neither nor if one subject is singular and one subject is plural. In that case, the verb must agree with the nearer subject.
In each of the following sentences, two verbs are written in parentheses. If it is singular, as in the sentence above, choose the singular verb. Expressions such as with, together with, including, accompanied by, in addition to, or as well do not change the number of the subject. Two singular nouns connected by or or nor take a singular verb. She, my friends, and i are not going to the festival. Subjectverb agreement is one of the areas you have surely studied in your. When the normal subjectverb order is inverted in a sentence, the verb still agrees with the subject. A subject will come before a phrase beginning with of. Neither the plates nor the serving bowl goes on that shelf. Expressions such as with, together with, including, accompanied by, in addition. Look for the eitheror and neither nor constructions.
Learn english with lets talk free english lessons 463,749. The gregg reference manual provides excellent explanations of subjectverb agreement section 10. They are singular in number if they refer to one thing. When two subjects are joined by neithernor or eitheror, choosing the right number for the verb can be tricky for writers. This bundle contains 5 readytouse subject verb agreement worksheets which are a perfect collection to help students to practice their knowledge and understanding of subjects and verbs in both singular and plural tense. A singular subject she, bill, car takes a singular verb is, goes, shines, whereas a plural subject takes a plural verb. Either or, neither nor, common core aligned, small group or independent work station center activity for use. Either my father or my brothers are going to sell the car.
If a sentence has two subjects connected by or nor, eitheror, or neither nor, the verb must agree with the second subject the subject closer to the verb. Grammar rules can seem quirky, but there are 20 simple rules of subjectverb agreement that will help this topic make sense. Subjects connected by or or nor, either or, neither nor, not only but also, not but that differ in person or in number will have the verb. Learn english with lets talk free english lessons 463,749 views 12. Grammar subjectverb agreement with correlative conjunctions if this is your first visit, be sure to check out the faq by clicking the link above. Subjects and verbs must agree in person and number. Subject verb agreement nova southeastern university. Enter email address to subscribe and receive notifications of new posts by email. Almost everybody has have some difficulty with writing. Each of the exercises take, takes about twenty minutes to complete. If it is singular, as in the sentence above, choose the singular. The rules below will help you avoid subjectverb agreement errors.
The indefinite pronouns or adjectives either, neither, and each, as well as. C if two subjects are joined by or or by nor, the verb usually agrees with the nearer subject. When one of the words is used to modify the single subject of a sentence, it takes. The rules below will help you avoid subjectverb agreement. In most sentences, the subject comes first and is followed by the verb. Verb agreement with either and neither quizzes on grammar. Or they can be part of a twopart conjunction either or, neither nor joining two or.
Subjects connected by or or nor, either or, neither nor, not only but also, not but that differ in person or in number will have the verb agreeing with the nearer subject. To pass the quiz, you should know about different examples of. Subjectverb agreement most native english speakers know the standard verbsubject combinations by ear. According to the rule the verb in an or, eitheror, or neither nor sentence agrees with the noun or pronoun closest to it, is the sentence below correctly phrased. Neithernor when two subjects are joined by neithernor or eitheror, choosing the right. Since neither there nor here is ever the subject of a sentence, the verb agrees with the noun that follows the verb. Subjectverb agreement is a grammar rule that states that the number present in a noun must agree with the number shown in the verb that is being used. These interesting, interactive tools will test your knowledge of subjectverb agreement rules. Either jane, maria, anne, cassandra, or ann has the tickets. Feb 20, 2017 if one subject is singular and one plural and the words are connected by the words or, nor, neither nor, eitheror, and not onlybut also, you use the verb form of the subject that is nearest the. Rules for subjectverb agreement wayne community college.
Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. Neither my sisters nor my mother is going to sell the house. Feb 19, 2014 in subjectverb agreement if a sentence has two subjects connected by ornor, eitheror, or neithernor, the verb must agree with the second subject the subject closer to the verb. Neither she nor i am going neither jack nor mary is going joe or his brothers are on call. Subject verb agreement printable free pdf file sharing. How to use bothb both b is used for two people or two things used in affirmative sentences. Connecting subjects with or or nor can require either a singular verb or plural verb. Either, neither, and subjectverb agreement editor\s blog. The 20 rules of subject verb agreement in standard english. When two or more subject are joined by or or nor, the verb should agree with the subject.
Her friend and mentor were, was one of her college professors. With subjects joined with or, nor, eitheror, or neither nor, make the verb. Each of the students is responsible for doing his or her work. In the present tense, third person, use verbs ending in s with singular subjects. In subjectverb agreement if a sentence has two subjects connected by ornor, eitheror, or neithernor, the verb must agree with the second subject the subject closer to the. With subjects joined with or, nor, eitheror, or neither nor, make the verb agree with the part of the subject nearer to the verb a drivers license or credit card is required see, the term drivers license was not used in making the verb agree the sentence. Apr 23, 2020 neither the apples nor the basket is expensive. According to the rule the verb in an or, eitheror, or neithernor sentence agrees with the noun or pronoun closest to it, is the sentence below correctly phrased. For example, in sentences beginning with there or here, the subject follows the verb. Be careful with sentences that have eitheror and neithernor. If the subjects are both singular and are connected by the words or, nor, neithernor, eitheror, and not onlybut also the verb is singular. Subjectverb agreement worksheet quiz best ged classes. Jul 26, 2014 grammar subject verb agreement with correlative conjunctions if this is your first visit, be sure to check out the faq by clicking the link above.
We will combine all these rules about subjectverb agreement in the next exercise. Browse neither nor resources on teachers pay teachers, a marketplace trusted by millions of teachers for original educational resources. Subject and verb agreement a verb should agree in number with its subject. Subject verb agreement worksheet 2 underline the correct verb in the parentheses. Grammar rules can seem quirky, but there are 20 simple rules of subject verb agreement that will help this topic make sense. Sometimes, however, the subject and verb are reversed, or inverted. Subject verb agreement exercises with rules for advanced. Neither nor when two subjects are joined by neither nor or eitheror, choosing the right number for the verb can be tricky for writers. Indefinite pronouns such as none and some can be either singular or plural, depending on meaning.
But they can also be conjunctions correlative, adjectives, determiners, and even adverbs. Neither a dog nor a cat offer, offers the same companionship as another. The verb in an or, eitheror, or neithernor sentence agrees with the noun or pronoun closest to it examples. From the american copy editors society a tricky agreement problem. Inverted sentences can cause confusion in subject verb agreement. Two singular nouns connected by or or nor take a singular verb neither charles nor benjamin was present there neither he nor his dad is good at driving. When two or more singular subjects are joined by or or nor, use a singular verb. She has neither eaten anything nor slept in two days. Neither the chipmunk nor the squirrels is are bothering us. With subjects joined with or, nor, eitheror, or neither nor, make the verb agree with the part of the subject nearer to the verb a drivers license or credit card is required see, the term.
We show you the rules, the exceptions, and example sentences to clarify the concept. Neither prince nor malloy were wearing seatbelts, according to the accident report. Sometimes, however, the subject and verb are reversed, or inverted inverted sentences can. Subjectverb agreement agreement is a basic rule of grammar. Subjectverb agreement worksheet 4 inverted word order. The only time when the object of the preposition factors into the decision of plural or singular verb forms is when noun and pronoun subjects like. After learning the basic fundamentals of subjectverb agreement, read and understand. Focus your attention on the noun closest to the verb. Neither marissa nor her parents were notified of the loss.
1613 1451 978 1272 593 1392 158 868 1544 985 303 1062 1435 792 1124 1653 1024 707 1264 935 81 670 195 1409 773 1217 568 653 787 1250 95 813 892 534