In this lesson,
you'll learn how to make the predicate (verb) of a sentence agree
with the subject (noun).
Subject-Predicate
Agreement in a Sentence
A predicate must
agree with the subject of the sentence in number and person.
That is, in any particular sentence, a singular predicate must express
the action or being of a singular subject, while a plural predicate
must express the action or being of a plural subject. Similarly, a
first-person predicate must express the action or being of a first-person
subject (and the same holds true for the other two persons):
The ducks
swim expertly in the pond.
(The subject "ducks," which is plural and third person, needs a plural,
third-person form of the verb "to swim"; so, the predicate is "swim.")
I feel
important at the "adult" table.
(The subject "I," which is singular and first person, needs a singular,
first-person form of the verb "to feel"; so, the predicate is "feel.")
Lack of Agreement
between Subjects and Predicates
A difficulty
many writers experience is a lack of agreement between the
subject and the predicate in a sentence. Most often, the subject and
predicate don't agree in number because a singular subject is paired
with a plural verb, or a plural subject is paired with a singular
verb.
A lack of agreement
can occur when other words are placed in between the subject and
predicate:
Each of the
students are (?) responsible for paying tuition costs on time.
(The predicate "are" agrees with "students," the closest noun, rather
than "each," the subject. The predicate should be "is." Therefore,
the sentence should read: Each of the students is responsible
for paying tuition costs on time. )
Many on the
board believes (?) that a "no" vote should be cast.
(The predicate "believes" agrees with "board," the closest noun, rather
than "many," the subject. The predicate should be "believe." Therefore,
the sentence should read: Many on the board believe that
a "no" vote should be cast.)
In the above
sentences, each of the predicates incorrectly agrees with the closest
noun, rather than with the subject of the sentence. This lack of agreement
can be avoided if words in between the subject and predicate are mentally
crossed out, so the true subject and predicate can be more easily
identified and checked for agreement.
Also, a lack
of agreement can occur when subjects with multiple parts are connected
by and, either/or, or neither/nor. In the case of
subjects with two or more parts connected by and, the subject should
be considered plural, and the predicate should also be plural in form:
Rob and Cindy
plans (?) a two-week vacation from their jobs.
(Since "Rob and Cindy" is connected with "and, " it is a plural subject;
therefore, the predicate should be the plural "plan." Therefore, the
sentence should read: Rob and Cindy plan a two-week vacation from
their jobs.)
However, when
subjects with two or more parts are connected by either/or or neither/nor,
the predicate should agree with the part of the subject that is nearest
to the predicate itself:
Either Rob
or Cindy plan (?) to till the garden next week.
(Since "Rob or Cindy" is connected by "either/or," the predicate needs
to agree with "Cindy," the part of the subject that's nearest to the
predicate; therefore, the predicate should be the singular "plans."
Therefore, the sentence should read: Either Rob or Cindy plans
to till the garden next week.)
Neither Rob
nor his siblings plans (?) to till the garden next week.
(Since "Rob or his siblings" is connected by "neither/nor," the predicate
needs to agree with "his siblings," the part of the subject that's
nearest to the predicate; therefore, the predicate should be the plural
"plan." Therefore, the sentence should read: Neither Rob nor his
siblings plan to till the garden next week.)
Moreover, a lack
of agreement can occur when indefinite pronouns or collective nouns
are the subject of a sentence. Indefinite pronouns like any,
everyone, and nothing, which have singular meanings, should
have singular predicates:
Any of us
is qualified to do the job.
(The word "any" refers to "any one person," which is singular; the
predicate should be the singular "is.")
Everyone in
our group loves to ride roller coasters.
(The word "everyone," although referring to many people, has a singular
meaning; the predicate should be the singular "loves.")
Nothing is
worse than feeling sick all day long. (The word "nothing" refers to "no one thing," which is singular;
the predicate should be the singular "is.")
Similarly, collective
nouns like class, family, and team refer to a group
that acts as a single unit. These nouns, too, should have singular
predicates:
The sophomore
class votes today on the new student senate president.
(The word "class" refers to a group acting as one; the predicate should
be the singular "votes.")
The family
watches the construction workers pave the new street.
(The word "family" refers to the members behaving as a unit; the predicate
should be the singular "watches.")
The baseball
team screams wildly after hearing it won the pennant race. (The word "team" refers to a group acting as one; the predicate
should be the singular "screams.")
Finally, a lack
of agreement can occur when a sentence begins with the words there
is, it is, or there are. When a sentence begins with
there or it, the predicate should agree with the noun that
follows that word, which is called a "subject complement":
There is
a great old movie showing at the cinemaplex tonight.
(Since "movie" follows "there" and "movie" is singular, the predicate
should be "is." Note: This sentence could be rewritten as: A great
old movie is showing at the cinemaplex tonight.)
There are
three frightening horror films showing at the cinemaplex tonight.
(Since "films" follow "there" and "films" is plural, the predicate
should be "are." Note: This sentence could be rewritten as: Three
frightening horror films are showing at the cinemaplex tonight.)
Exercise:
In the paragraph below, identify the subject and predicate for each
sentence. Then, determine if the subject and predicate agree in
number and person. Type your answers in the text box provided, then
click Compare to check your answers against ours.
(1) My sister
and I, on a hot summer day, wants to go to the community pool to
swim. (2) However, the city bus only comes once an hour. (3) So,
we decide to walk to the pool, which is only one-half mile away.
(4) Along the way, my sister, who has very good ears, hear a sound
coming from a group of shrubs. (5) She carefully parts the shrubs
to see what is making the sound. (6) A tiny, grey kitten, covered
in leaves and twigs, are moving its paws frantically against the
dirt.
Summary
In a grammatically
correct sentence, predicates (verbs) must agree with subjects (nouns)
in number and person. As writers, it's important to be able to identify
the predicate of a sentence to see whether it agrees with the subject;
if it doesn't, this lack of subject-predicate agreement may confuse
your readers.
