Bill Situ
English and ESL Instructor
The concept of subject-verb agreement seems to be very self-explanatory once you have learnt how to properly conjugate verbs:
I write.
You write.
He/she/it writes.
We write.
They write.
Still, it is not uncommon for people to incorrectly use subject-verb agreements, especially when the subject is a more complicated one:
Kevin and Jack goes to the same school.
The number of students increase every year.
It is always important to look carefully at the subject before selecting the correct verb conjugation. "I", "you", "he/she/it", "we", and "they" are all subject pronouns, so which subject pronoun can replace the subject you are using?
Kevin and Jack go to the same school. (For "Kevin and Jack", the subject pronoun would be "they".)
The number of students increases every year. (For "number of students", the subject pronoun would be "it".)
Now take a look at these sentences. Which one of these are correct and which ones are not? For the ones that are not correct, how would you correct them?
1) The fundraiser that the grade 12 students ran was successful.
2) An iPhone or Android are both suitable for me.
3) Addiction to video games are becoming a problem.
4) A team of firefighters were trying to rescue the trapped persons.
5) Bench pressing 315 pounds is not difficult for Brian.
The answers will be in the next blog post.
I write.
You write.
He/she/it writes.
We write.
They write.
Still, it is not uncommon for people to incorrectly use subject-verb agreements, especially when the subject is a more complicated one:
Kevin and Jack goes to the same school.
The number of students increase every year.
It is always important to look carefully at the subject before selecting the correct verb conjugation. "I", "you", "he/she/it", "we", and "they" are all subject pronouns, so which subject pronoun can replace the subject you are using?
Kevin and Jack go to the same school. (For "Kevin and Jack", the subject pronoun would be "they".)
The number of students increases every year. (For "number of students", the subject pronoun would be "it".)
Now take a look at these sentences. Which one of these are correct and which ones are not? For the ones that are not correct, how would you correct them?
1) The fundraiser that the grade 12 students ran was successful.
2) An iPhone or Android are both suitable for me.
3) Addiction to video games are becoming a problem.
4) A team of firefighters were trying to rescue the trapped persons.
5) Bench pressing 315 pounds is not difficult for Brian.
The answers will be in the next blog post.
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