Courtesy of Joanne Anderson, A.H.S.

Subject-Verb, Pronoun-Antecedent

Singular and Plural Number

n      If the subject refers to one thing, then the verb and pronoun are singular.

n       One of the soldiers was not wearing his helmet.

n      If the subject refers to more than one thing, then the verb and pronoun are plural.

n       Several of the soldiers were wearing their helmets.

A Verb Agrees With its Subject

n      Singular subjects take singular verbs:

n       Marcia attends college, but Lara goes to work.

n      Plural subjects take plural verbs:

n       Marcia and Brian attend college, but Lara and Wesley go to work.

Some key hints and clues:

n      Nouns ending in s are plural:  dogs, cats

n      Verbs ending in s are singular: he gives, they give.

n      The subject is not in the prepositional phrase:

n       One of the women was singing.

n       Women from the senate were in the room.

More key hints and clues:

n      Ignore the words between the commas when trying to figure out whether the subject is singular or plural:

n       Tammy, along with her mother, is going to the mall to go Holiday shopping.

n       Jack’s imagination, as well as his sense of humor, was delightful.

Singular Pronouns take Single Verbs

n       Each, either, neither, one, everyone, everybody, no one, nobody, anyone, anybody, someone, and somebody are singular pronouns.

n        Neither was sure of the answer, so he guessed.

n        Everyone is going to the beach in his or her car.

n        Nobody drives after drinking her beverage.

n        Each of the groups had its designated driver.

Plural Pronouns take plural verbs

n       Several, Few, Both, Many.

n        Several of the players were girls.

n        Many of the boys think they are better.

n        Both of the teams are co-ed.

n        A few of the players have complained.

n       Every or many a before a word or series of words is followed by a singular verb.

n        Every mother, father, and grandparent is looking proudly.  Many a hopeful performer has gone to Broadway in search of fame and fortune.

Singular or Plural Pronouns

n      Some, all, any, most, none.

n      Look at the word in the prepositional phrase:

n       Most of the day was already gone. [day is singular]

n       Most of the steers were grazing. [steers is plural]

n       None of the students have finished.

Singular or Plural Pronouns

n      Or re-word the sentence:

n       Has any of the shipment arrived?

n       The shipment has arrived.

n       Have any of the coins been spent?

n       The coins have been spent.

The Compound Subject

n      Subjects joined by and take a plural verb and pronoun.

n       Paul and Suzi like hiking to their tree.

n       The dog and cat sleep in their pet beds.

n      Subjects joined by or or nor take a singular verb and pronoun.

n       Neither Mark nor Dan knows his number.

n       Does either mother or Sally have her key?

Singular and Plural Subjects

n      When a singular and plural subject are joined by or or nor, the verb agrees with the nearer subject.

n       Either Jeff or his brothers were going surfing.

n       Either his brothers or Jeff was going surfing.

n       Neither the turkey nor the pies seem done.

n       Neither the pies nor the turkey seems done.

Collective Nouns 

n      Collective Nouns are groups of things.

n      Singular: if thought of as a unit.

n      Plural: if thought of as individuals acting separately.

n       The class has a substitute teacher.

n       The class were arguing among themselves.

n      Army, audience, choir, class, faculty, team

Here and there

n      Here and there are not the subject of your sentence.

n      Place the here and there at the end and rewrite the sentence to find the subject.

n       Here are the brushes you need.

n       The brushes you need are here.

n      Don’t be fooled by here’s and there’s.

Amounts

n      Words stating amount are usually singular.

n       Two years is a long time.

n       Fifty cents was the price of the candy.

n      Unless the sentence indicates the amount is a collection of individual parts.

n       Sixty short minutes fly by.

n       Three quarters were in my pocket.

Titles and Don’t / Doesn’t

n      Titles are singular and take a singular verb:

n       Majors and Minors is a collection of poetry.

n      I, you, they:  use don’t

n       I don’t need any paper.

n       They don’t feel nervous.

n      He, she, singular subjects: use doesn’t

n       He doesn’t like brussel sprouts.

Pronoun and Antecedent

n      A pronoun agrees with its antecedent in gender (masculine, feminine, neutral) and number.

n       The stallion reared up and shook his head.

n       The mare kicked up her hooves.

n       The car engine whirred, but it did not start.

n       The riders brushed their horses.

Relative Pronouns

n      The number of the relative pronoun (who, which, that) is determined by the number of its antecedent.

n       Anyone who wants to volunteer should raise his hand.

n       Patty is one of those girls who are always gossiping behind their friends’ backs.