Subject/Verb Agreement
Rule 1
Two singular subjects connected by or or nor require a singular verb.
Example:
My aunt or my uncle is arriving by train today.
Rule 2
Two singular subjects connected by either/or or neither/nor require a singular verb as in Rule 1.
Examples:
Neither Juan nor Carmen is available.
Either Kiana or Casey is helping today with stage decorations.
Rule 3
When I is one of the two subjects connected by either/or or neither/nor, put it second and follow it with the singular verb am.
Example:
Neither she nor I am going to the festival.
Rule 4
When a singular subject is connected by or or nor to a plural subject, put the plural subject last and use a plural verb.
Example:
The serving bowl or the plates go on that shelf.
Rule 5
When a singular and plural subject are connected by either/or or neither/nor, put the plural subject last and use a plural verb.
Example:
Neither Jenny nor the others are available.
Rule 6
As a general rule, use a plural verb with two or more subjects when they are connected by and.
Example:
A car and a bike are my means of transportation.
Rule 7
Sometimes the subject is separated from the verb by words such as along with, as well as, besides, or not. Ignore these expressions when determining whether to use a singular or plural verb.
Examples:
The politician, along with the newsmen, is expected shortly.
Excitement, as well as nervousness, is the cause of her shaking.
Rule 8
The pronouns each, everyone, every one, everybody, anyone, anybody, someone, and somebody are singular and require singular verbs. Do not be misled by what follows of.
Examples:
Each of the girls sings well.
Every one of the cakes is gone.
NOTE: Everyone is one word when it means everybody. Every one is two words when the meaning is each one.
Rule 9
With words that indicate portions—percent, fraction, part, majority, some, all, none, remainder, and so forth —look at the noun in your of phrase (object of the preposition) to determine whether to use a singular or plural verb. If the object of the preposition is singular, use a singular verb. If the object of the preposition is plural, use a plural verb.
Examples:
Fifty percent of the pie has disappeared.
Pie is the object of the preposition of.
Fifty percent of the pies have disappeared.
Pies is the object of the preposition.
One-third of the city is unemployed.
One-third of the people are unemployed.
NOTE: Hyphenate all spelled-out fractions.
All of the pie is gone.
All of the pies are gone.
Some of the pie is missing.
Some of the pies are missing.
None of the garbage was picked up.
None of the sentences were punctuated correctly.
Of all her books, none have sold as well as the first one.
NOTE: Apparently, the SAT testing service considers none as a singular word only. However, according to Merriam Webster’s Dictionary of English Usage, “Clearly none has been both singular and plural since Old English and still is. The notion that it is singular only is a myth of unknown origin that appears to have arisen in the 19th century. If in context it seems like a singular to you, use a singular verb; if it seems like a plural, use a plural verb. Both are acceptable beyond serious criticism” (p. 664).
Rule 10
The expression the number is followed by a singular verb while the expression a number is followed by a plural verb.
Examples:
The number of people we need to hire is thirteen.
A number of people have written in about this subject.
Rule 11
When either and neither are subjects, they always take singular verbs.
Examples:
Neither of them is available to speak right now.
Either of us is capable of doing the job.
Rule 12
The words here and there have generally been labeled as adverbs even though they indicate place. In sentences beginning with here or there, the subject follows the verb.
Examples:
There are four hurdles to jump.
There is a high hurdle to jump.
Rule 13
Use a singular verb with sums of money or periods of time.
Examples:
Ten dollars is a high price to pay.
Five years is the maximum sentence for that offense.
Rule 14
Sometimes the pronoun who, that, or which is the subject of a verb in the middle of the sentence. The pronouns who, that, and which become singular or plural according to the noun directly in front of them. So, if that noun is singular, use a singular verb. If it is plural, use a plural verb.
Examples:
Salma is the scientist who writes/write the reports.
The word in front of who is scientist, which is singular. Therefore, use the singular verb writes.
He is one of the men who does/do the work.
The word in front of who is men, which is plural. Therefore, use the plural verb do.
Rule 15
Collective nouns such as team and staff may be either singular or plural depending on their use in the sentence.
Examples:
The staff is in a meeting.
Staff is acting as a unit here.
The staff are in disagreement about the findings.
The staff are acting as separate individuals in this example.
The sentence would read even better as:
The staff members are in disagreement about the findings.
Clause and Phrase Notes
INDEPENDENT CLAUSE– a clause that can stand on its own as a sentence
Example: The class studied for the exam.
SUBORDINATE CLAUSE- a clause that cannot stand alone as a separate sentence since its meaning depends on the meaning of the main clause and simply gives additional information.
Example: when the class studied for the exam
There are five types of phrases that you will be responsible for:
Infinitive– a phrase that begins with the word to. Example: The girl went to the store.
Prepositional- a phrase that begins with a preposition (remember that a preposition is a word that generally fits the statement if a plane can do it to a cloud.
Example: The girl went under the ladder.
Gerund– a phrase that begins with a word ending in ing that is used as a subject of a sentence. Example: Waiting in the rain is annoying.
Participle– a phrase that begins with a word ending in ing that is used to describe the subject or a phrase that begins with a word ending in ed that is used to describe the subject. Example: The boy waiting in the rain was annoyed. or The boy dressed in black was angry.
Appositive– a phrase that has a noun or pronoun in it that describes a previous stated noun or pronoun. Example: The boy, who rode the bus, arrived to school on time.
Sentence Types
The four sentence types are defined along with an example for each.
SIMPLE SENTENCE– has one independent clause and no subordinate clauses. It has one subject and one verb, although both may be compound.
EXAMPLE: Julia was exploring the island.
COMPOUND SENTENCE– has two or more independent clauses but no subordinate clauses.
EXAMPLE: Victor thinks that you’re all nuts; and he is right.
COMPLEX SENTENCE– has one independent clause and at least one subordinate clause.
EXAMPLE: Doug thought that the shirt was cool. (Here the subordinate clause is the direct object of the independent clause.)
COMPOUND-COMPLEX- contains two or more independent clauses and at least one subordinate clause.
EXAMPLE: Since she was not home, Kevin had been deceived, and Loser became his nickname.
If a clause begins with a coordinating conjunction (FANBOYS) the clause is usually independent.
If a clause begins with a subordinating conjunction the clause is always subordinate.
Subordinating Conjunctions:
| after although as as soon as because before by the time even if even though every time if in case in the event that just in case now that |
once only if since since the first time though unless until when whenever whereas whether or not while while |
Parallelism
Parallelism is maintaining appropriate and consistent wording throughout a sentence.
Words and Phrases
With the -ing form (gerund) of words:
Parallel:
Mary likes hiking, swimming, and bicycling.
With infinitive phrases:
Parallel:
Mary likes to hike, to swim, and to ride a bicycle.
OR
Mary likes to hike, swim, and ride a bicycle.
(Note: You can use “to” before all the verbs in a sentence or only before the first one.)
Do not mix forms.
Example 1
Not Parallel:
Mary likes hiking, swimming, and to ride a bicycle.
Parallel:
Mary likes hiking, swimming, and riding a bicycle.
Example 2
Not Parallel:
The production manager was asked to write his report quickly, accurately, and in a detailed manner.
Parallel:
The production manager was asked to write his report quickly, accurately, and thoroughly.
Example 3
Not Parallel:
The teacher said that he was a poor student because he waited until the last minute to study for the exam, completed his lab problems in a careless manner, and his motivation was low.
Parallel:
The teacher said that he was a poor student because he waited until the last minute to study for the exam, completed his lab problems in a careless manner, and lacked motivation.
Clauses
A parallel structure that begins with clauses must keep on with clauses. Changing to another pattern or changing the voice of the verb (from active to passive or vice versa) will break the parallelism.
Example 1
Not Parallel:
The coach told the players that they should get a lot of sleep, that they should not eat too much, and to do some warm-up exercises before the game.
Parallel:
The coach told the players that they should get a lot of sleep, that they should not eat too much, and that they should do some warm-up exercises before the game.
— or —
Parallel:
The coach told the players that they should get a lot of sleep, not eat too much, and do some warm-up exercises before the game.
Example 2
Not Parallel:
The salesman expected that he would present his product at the meeting, that there would be time for him to show his slide presentation, and that questions would be asked by prospective buyers. (passive)
Parallel:
The salesman expected that he would present his product at the meeting, that there would be time for him to show his slide presentation, and that prospective buyers would ask him questions.
Lists After a Colon
Be sure to keep all the elements in a list in the same form.
Example 1
Not Parallel:
The dictionary can be used to find these: word meanings, pronunciations, correct spellings, and looking up irregular verbs.
Parallel:
The dictionary can be used to find these: word meanings, pronunciations, correct spellings, and irregular verbs.