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Agreement
Need a brief
review of parts of speech? It might help you to understand agreement issues
better.
Subjects and verbs are like a plug and an outlet. They have to go together.
So do nouns and pronouns.
Subjects and verbs must match in number. A singular subject takes a singular
verb; a plural subject takes a plural verb.
For example:
Singular: My friend always goes to Miami at spring break.
Subject: friend; verb: goes
Plural: My friends always go to Miami at spring break.
Subject: friends; verb: go
She, along, with all her friends, claims to have nothing to wear.
Subject: she; verb: claims
My dog's teeth were rotten.
Subject: teeth; verb: were
You can have a compound subject, which is more than one subject.
Health and respect are important for a good life.
Subject: health, respect; verb: are
The average score of all the students is 83.
Subject: score; verb: is
One out of every ten children lacks complete immunization.
Subject: one; verb: lacks
Each of the lakes was tested for bacteria levels.
Subject: each; verb: was
Note: if these last three examples are confusing to you, see the Prepositional
Phrases lesson.
This is true even if subject and verb are in reverse order.
For example:
Alas! how high flies the skylark.
Subject: skylark; verb: flies
Sweet is the song of the blackbirds.
Subject: song; verb: is
What are the reasons for your decision?
Subject: reasons; verb: are
There is a high pollution level in modern countries.
Subject: level; verb: is
Note: The following pronouns are always singular.
everyone everybody
no one nobody
someone somebody
anyone anybody
one
each
For example:
Each of the wolves was transported separately.
Subject: each; verb: was
Please note that pronouns must agree in number and person with their antecedent
(the noun they refer to).
For example:
The students all brought their books.
Each of the students brought his or her book.
Note: While "they" is rapidly replacing "he" as the generic
third-person singular (as in "One has his own integrity to think of."),
it isn't yet universally acceptable in formal English prose.
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