Subject verb agreement
Subject verb agreement exercise
Combine the following sentences using an appropriate form of the verb given in the brackets.
1. Man and woman ………………… complementary to each other.
2. Plenty of mangoes and bananas ………………… available in this season.
3. A dictionary and an atlas …………………… missing from the library.
4. The leader as well as his brothers ………………… to the same tribe.
5. Cats and dogs ……………….…….. not get along.
6. The brothers as well as their sister …………………… .. good at their studies.
7. The students accompanied by their teacher …………………. gone on a picnic.
8. A lot of houses ………………… collapsed in the storm.
9. The children as well as their mother …………………. missing.
10. A large sum of money ………………… stolen.
Answers
1. Man and woman are complementary to each other.
2. Plenty of mangoes and bananas are available in this season.
3. A dictionary and an atlas are missing from the library.
4. The leader as well as his brothers belongs to the same tribe.
5. Cats and dogs do not get along.
6. The brothers as well as their sister are good at their studies.
7. The students accompanied by their teacher have gone on a picnic.
8. A lot of houses have collapsed in the storm.
9. The children as well as their mother are missing.
10. A large sum of money was stolen.
Everybody / Anybody / Somebody / Nobody
Everyone / Anyone / Someone / No One
These subjects are all singular!
“Everyone have problems.”
“Everyone has problems.”
“I don’t know if anybody is in the office right now.”
“How do you react if someone gives you a compliment?”
“Nobody likes a liar.”
Club / Team / Family / Army
These subjects are also singular, even though they are talking about a group of people.
“My family is visiting me for the holidays.”
“The basketball team has a new coach.”
Note: In British English “family” and “team” are often plural.
Police
Usually, “police” is plural:
“The police are investigating the murder.”
“Police have arrested three suspects.”
To talk about an individual member of the police, we can say policeman or policewoman – or the gender-neutral term police officer.
People / Children / Men / Women / Mice / Feet
These words are irregular plural nouns (nouns that are not formed by adding -s) and they take the plural form of the verb:
“Our children are very well-behaved.”
“The people like the new president.”
“Men don’t usually enjoy shopping for clothes.”
“My feet are cold.”
Both Of / A Few Of / Many / Several
These words always take the plural form of the verb:
“Both of my brothers are older than me.”
“A few of these products have defects.”
“Many of the houses in this neighborhood don’t have garages.”
“Several of the students aren’t going to pass.”
Half Of / A Third Of / 40% Of / Some / Most
These words can be singular OR plural depending on what follows them!
“Half of the students are from another country.”
“Half of the class is from another country.”
“Some of these facts are incorrect.”
“Some of this information is incorrect.”
“40% of the people don’t support the new law.”
“40% of the country doesn’t support the new law.”
Is “Data” Singular Or Plural?
There is a debate about the word “data”! Technically, data is plural (the singular form is “datum”). However, in common usage, people often treat “data” like “information” – as an uncountable noun, which takes the singular form. So both forms are correct: “The data is accurate” and “The data are accurate.” You can read more about the “data debate” here and here.
Quiz: Advanced Subject-Verb Agreement
Question 1 CORRECT |
Do / have | |
Does / have |
Question 2 CORRECT |
has | |
have |
Question 3 CORRECT |
are | |
is |
Question 4 CORRECT |
doesn't | |
don't |
Question 5 CORRECT |
are | |
is |
Question 6 CORRECT |
is | |
are |
Question 7 CORRECT |
hasn't | |
haven't |
Question 8 CORRECT |
love | |
loves |
Question 9 CORRECT |
are | |
is |
Question 10 CORRECT |
know | |
knows |
Question 11 CORRECT |
has | |
have |
Question 12 CORRECT |
are | |
is |
Question 13 CORRECT |
don't | |
doesn't |
Question 14 CORRECT |
is | |
are |
Your score is 100
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