Today we’re going to finish up our series in Subject/Verb agreement. Aren’t you glad? Did anyone remember how many rules there were between subject and verb agreement or had you forgotten like me?
Many of our words in the English language are singular nouns but they have a plural form. Words like civics, gymnastics, mathematics, mumps, and social studies are singular because they refer to a single thing even though the spelling suggests they are plural by having an -s on the end.
When we have words like this we should use a singular verb for subjects that seem plural in form but are actually singular in meaning.
Measles is a very contagious disease.
The evening news is on every night at 10:00.
There are also other groups of words that are plural as their form suggests and another group of words that can be singular or plural.
Plural: data, eyeglasses, media, scissors, slacks, barracks, pants.
Singular/Plural: acoustics, headquarters, ethics, politics.
My eyeglasses were found in the office.
The headquarters for the CIA is located in Washington. (This is singular because it represents an administrative office or center.)
The headquarters were located outside of town. (This is plural because it represents a group of buildings.)
If you’re referring to a pair of something and use the word “pair” in the sentence, the verb is singular and has to agree with the singular noun pair.
The scissors are missing. (Plural)
That pair of scissors is missing. (Singular)
Doesn’t it make sense to use don’t? These words are contractions and to check them for agreement with the subject, you should read or say them as the two original words used to make the contraction. (Does not, do not)
Some contractions are singular and some are plural.
Singular: Doesn’t, hasn’t, isn’t, wasn’t.
Plural: Don’t, haven’t, aren’t, weren’t.
The verb part of the contraction has to agree in number with the subject.
This cold room doesn’t bother me. (Does not)
These rules don’t make sense. (Do not)
That boy doesn’t want to play. (Does not)
Those boys don’t play fair. (Do not)
Sometimes a subject has a linking verb. Linking verbs are commonly the forms of be: be, is, am, are, was, can be, could be, has been, had been, etc.
A predicate nominative is a noun or pronoun that follows a linking verb and identifies, renames or explains the subject. It is considered a subject complement which completes the meaning of the linking verb. If a subject and its predicate nominative don’t have the same number, the verb still has to agree in number with the subject.
An important crop in Florida is oranges. (The singular verb is agrees with the singular subject crop even though the predicate nominative is the plural oranges. 1
If we turn that sentence around to read: Oranges are an important crop in Florida. The subject is then the plural oranges and the verb should match it and not the singular predicate nominative of crop. 2
Titles are singular and take singular verbs.
“The Langoliers” is a novel by Stephen King.
Glover’s Cloth Goods is having a fabric sale.
“The Grapes of Wrath” is a John Steinbeck novel.
Who is it which does that? Who, which and that are generally relative pronouns and become the subject of a clause. An antecedent is the word the pronoun replaces or refers to. In this case the number of the verb will agree with the pronouns antecedent.
George caught a fish that was 12 inches long. (The antecedent of the word ‘that’ is ‘fish’. Since fish is singular in this sentence the verb was is also singular.)
Find three books that deal with economics. (‘Books’ are plural so ‘deal’ must also be plural.)
This concludes the series of subject and verb agreement. If all of this has left you confused, don’t feel too bad, it can be a bit complicated. Just refresh yourself with all these rules on a regular basis and it will eventually seem like second nature.
Resource: 1, 2 Heath English
