Brain Teaser

Riddles
 It could be a
person, place,
concept or thing
the sentence is
about.
Answer

Subject
 It is a word that
represent actions,
state of being and
occurrence.
 Without it, you can’t do
anything, feel anything—
or even be anything.
Answer

Verb
In grammar, it is
when a word
changes form to
“agree” in value
with a word to
 Answer
Agreement
 It represents a
single person,
place, thing or idea.
It refers to one
entity or object.
Answer

Singular
 It represents more
than one person,
place, thing or idea.
It refers to many
entities or objects.
Answer

Plural
Singular
or
Plural?
 Direction: The
subjects and verbs
that follow are in
agreement.
Direction: Raise you
hand and answer S if
it is singular and P if
it is plural.
people think
owls hoot
actor rehearses
leaf falls
monkeys chatter
boy giggles
we practice
it seems
lion lurks
wind howls
 Subjects and verbs
must agree with one
another in number
(singular or plural).
 Basic Rule:
Singular subjects must have
singular verbs. Plural subjects
take plural verbs.
 In present tenses,
nouns and verbs form
plurals in opposite
ways:
 While noun adds an s
to its plural form,

verbs remove it.

Subject-Verb
Agreement
Rules
You (is, are) asked to clean
the room.
You are asked to clean
the room.
 Rule 1:
The pronoun “YOU”
always takes a plural verb.
 Examples:
You were invited to come.
You sing so well.
 The exhibit of the artist’s
paintings ( was, were ) very
interesting.
 Rule 2:
A verb must agree with its subject,
not with any additive phrase in the
sentence such as a prepositional or
verbal phrase. Ignore such phrases.
 Example:
The citizens of this town demand
police protection.
Under the house (is, are) some old
Mason jars.
 Rule 3:
In an inverted sentence beginning
with a prepositional phrase, the
verb still agrees with its subject.
 Example:
At the end of the Christmas
holidays come the best sales.
The heart, along with the 100,000 miles
of arteries and veins (supply, supplies)
the oxygen needed by
all parts of the body.
 Rule 4:
Prepositional phrases beginning
with the compound prepositions
such as along with, together with,
in addition to, and as well as should
be ignored, for they do not affect
subject-verb agreement.
 Example:
Mrs. Andrews, along with, Mr.
Stone, does volunteer work.
Here (is, are) the ways on how
to
preserve meat.
 Rule 5:

If a sentence begins with the

expletives here, there or it
the verb agrees with the
subject which follows it.
 Examples:
Here on your desk are the reports
for your consideration.
Everybody on the team (show,
shows) outstanding ability.
 Rule 6:
Indefinite pronouns such as each,
every, either, one, everyone,
everybody, and everything are
singular.
 Example:
Everyone in the auditorium was
startled by the announcement.
Many colleges (has, have)
computers.
 Rule 7:
Indefinite pronouns such as
several, few, both, and many are
plural.
 Example:
Both of my sorority sisters have
decided to live off campus.

Few seek the enlightenment of

higher education.
 Example:
Several names of places in our
country come from Spanish words.
 Some Polynesian divers (descends,
descend) almost forty-five feet without
special equipment.
 Rule 8:

Indefinite pronouns such as all,

some, most, and none may be
singular or plural depending on
their referents.
 Example:
All of the cake was eaten by the
children.

All of the cakes were eaten by the

children.
 Note:

None is singular when it means "no

one of" or "not a single one."

Example: None of the girls is

married.

Example: None of the children is as

sweet as Mary Ann.
One half of the cake (was, were)
consumed.

One fourth of the employees

(was, were)
attending the seminar.
 Two-thirds of the lemonade
(has, have) been finished off.

Two-thirds of the students

(is, are) on the field trip
today.
 Rule 9:

Fractions such as one-half

and one-third may be
singular or plural depending
on the referent.
 Example:
Half of the mail has been opened.

Half of the letters have been read.

 Guns and Roses (is, are) my
favorite rock group.

The secretary and the treasurer

(was, were) asked to submit
reports.
 Rule 10:

Subjects joined by and take a plural

verb unless the subjects are
thought to be one item or unit.
 Example:
Chicken and dumplings is my favorite
holiday dish.

A typewriter and a sheet of paper (was,

were) the only things on the desk.
Neither the players nor the coach
(is, are) joining.
 Rule 11:

In cases where the subjects are

joined by or, nor, either . . . or, or
neither . . . nor, the verb must
agree with the subject closer to it.
 Example:
Either the conductor or the
singers are attending the concert.
Mary is one of the students who
(has, have) done honor to the
college.
 Rule 12:

Relative pronouns, such as who,

which, or that, which refer to plural
antecedents require plural verbs.
However, when the relative
pronoun refers to a single subject,
the pronoun takes a singular verb.
 Example:
It is the schools which must
assume the responsibility.

It is us who must take care of the

environment.
 Example:
A vegetable that contains DDT can
be harmful.

Vegetables that contain DDT can be

harmful.
 Example:
She is one of the girls who cheer on
Friday nights.

She is the only one of the

cheerleaders who has a broken leg.
The cast (is, are) celebrating the
success of the play with a party
after the performance.

The cast ( has, have been)

practising their lines.
 Rule 13:

A collective noun, such as audience,

company, group, committee,
crowd, jury, flock, team, faculty, or jury,
requires a singular verb when the group
is regarded as a whole and a plural verb
when the members of the group are
regarded as individuals.
The committee is against the
plan.(acting collectively-singular)

The committee are of

different opinion.(acting individually
plural)
 Example:
A number of students (is, are)
waiting
outside.
The number of students outside
(is, are)
not recorded yet.
 Rule 13:

Subjects preceded by the number

of or the percentage of are
singular, while subjects preceded
by a number of or a percentage of
are plural.
 Example:
The number of vacationers in
Florida is increasing.

A number of vacationers are young

people. However, a large
percentage of the vacationers are
senior citizens.
The Hunger Games (is, are)
my favorite book.
 Rule 14:

Titles of books, companies, name

brands, and groups are singular or
plural depending on their meaning.
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
was the first full-length animated
movie.
 Example:
Snickers satisfies you.

Great Expectations is my favorite

novel.
 Example:
Trix is my favorite chocolate.

Trix are on the table.

The data (is, are)available for
inspection.
 Rule 15:

Certain nouns of Latin and Greek

origin have unusual singular and
plural forms.
The only criterion for membership
is a high GPA.
 Rule 16:

Some nouns such as deer, shrimp,

and sheep have the same spelling
for both their singular and plural
forms. In these cases, the meaning
of the sentence will determine
whether they are singular or plural.
 Example:

Deer are beautiful animals.

The spotted deer is licking the

sugar cube.
The scissors (is, are) on the table.
 Rule 17:

Some nouns like scissors, jeans,

and wages have plural forms but no
singular counterparts. These nouns
almost always take plural verbs.
 Example:

My Lee jeans fit me like a glove.

Cats (is, are) the plural form of cat.
 Rule 18:

Words used as words, not as

grammatical parts of the sentence,
require singular verbs.
 Example:

Can't is the contraction for cannot.

 Rule 19:

Nouns expressing time, distance,

weight, and measurement are
singular when they refer to a unit
and plural when they refer to
separate items.
 Example:

Fifty yards is a short distance.

Ten years have passed since I

finished college.
 Rule 20:

Expressions of quantity are usually

plural.
 Example:

Nine out of ten dentists

recommend Crest.
 Rule 20:

Some nouns ending in -ics, such as

economics and ethics, take singular
verbs when they refer to principles,
a system or a field of study;
however, when they refer to
individual practices or applications,
they usually take plural verbs.
 Rule 20:

These nouns may be singular or plural in meaning:

athletics, genetics, politics, gymnastics and
statistics. When the noun refers to an organized
activity, it is singular; when the noun refers to the
activities of individuals within a group, or to varied
activities, it is plural.
 Example:

Ethics is being taught in the spring.

His unusual business ethics get him

into trouble.
 Example:

Gymnastics is very popular among

girls.
The gymnastics shown in the field
today were outstanding.
 Rule 21:

Some nouns like measles, news,

and calculus, which appear plural in
form, are actually singular in
number. These words take singular
verbs.
 Example:

Measles is a dreadful disease.

Calculus requires great skill in

algebra.
 Rule 22:

A verbal noun (infinitive or gerund)

serving as a subject is treated as
singular, even if the object of the
verbal phrase is plural.
 Example:

Hiding your mistakes does not

make them go away.

To run five miles is my goal.

 Rule 23:

A noun phrase or clause acting as

the subject of a sentence requires a
singular verb.
 Example:

What I need is to be loved.

Whether there is any connection

between the two events is
unknown.
 Rule 24:

Plural subjects followed by a

singular appositive require a plural
verb; similarly, a singular subject
followed by a plural appositive
requires a singular verb.
 Example:

The board, all ten members, is

meeting today.
 Rule 25:

If a singular subject is followed by

a phrase containing a plural noun,
the
verb is singular.
 Example:

One of the boys is yelling so loud.

One of the members is against the
rule.
 Rule 26:

Expressions of time, money,

weight,
and distance are singular even if
the form
is plural.
 Examples:

Two years is a long time to wait.

One million dollars was given back
to the owner.
 Rule 26:

When the amount of money refers

to
separate units, the verb is plural.
 Examples:

Five 25-centavo coins were found.

Sixty 100-peso bills were added to
the budget.
 Rule 26:

The following words are always

plural: pants, trousers, pliers,
, shears and tongs. However, if
the word PAIR is used, the verb is
singular.
 Examples:

The pants are torn into two.

The pair of scissors was placed on
the table.
 Rule 27:

Mathematical expressions of
subtraction and division require
singular verbs, while expressions of
addition or multiplication take
either singular or plural verbs.
 Examples:
Ten divided by two equals five.

Five times seven equals (or equal)

thirty-five.
 Rule 28:

Subjects preceded by every, each,

and many a are singular.
 Examples:
Each graduate and undergraduate
is required to pass a proficiency
exam.
 Examples:
Every man, woman, and child was
given a life preserver.

Many a tear has to fall, but it's all in

the game.