E [Type text] [Type text]

Transcription

1 Rules 1-5 SV Agreement 1) Verbs after the Introductory Adverbs Here and There agree with the subjects that follow them. There is a book on the table. There are three books on the table. Here comes the bus. There go the farmers. There have been two accidents so far. Note. If the subject is a pronoun, the verb follows the subject; as, There he goes. / Here he comes. / Here you are. 2) Two singular subjects connected by and take a plural verb. Tom and Mary are friends. She and I go to school together. The manager and the owner of the company are leaving for Rome tomorrow. (Two men are leaving for Rome.) 3) Two singular nouns connected by and with no article before the second noun refer to the same person or thing. And thus the verb is singular. The manager and owner of the company is leaving for Rome. ( One person is both the manager and owner of the company.) A white and black cat is playing under the table. ( There is one cat. Its colours are black and white.) Compare. The dancer and singer is coming into the room. (One person) The dancer and the singer are coming into the room.(two persons) 4) Two singular nouns connected by and may suggest ONE idea to the mind. Time and tide waits for no man. Rice and curry is my favourite meal. Bread and butter is his only food. Note. The speaker, however, may think of the two nouns as two different items, and thus they are plural; as, The speaker thinks of the two nouns as ONE item. Time and tide waits for no man. Rice and curry is my favourite food. Whisky and soda is what he ordered. The speaker thinks of the two nouns as TWO items. Time and tide wait for no man. Rice and curry are what 1 need. Whisky and soda are expensive here.

2 5) The phrase and clause does not affect the subject it modifies. The verb agrees with the subject, not the phrase or clause. The boy who is carrying those books is my brother. Mr.Smith, the barber and butcher, comes here every day. The supervisors from the Ministry of Education are interviewing the boy. The boy playing with those dogs is her first child. One of the students is awarded first prize. Exercise 1: Underline the correct verbs in the following sentences. 1. Here (is, are) another piece of his furniture. 2. The father and his son (is, are) planning to go to Rome. 3. Mary and Jane (comes, come) to visit us every weekend. 4. You and I (am, are) responsible for what we have done. 5. There (is, are) five boys playing in the playground now. 6. Here (come, comes) the men from Mr. John's company. 7. There (go, goes) the yellow bus you are waiting for. 8. There (is, are) only one out of ten boys who can do that. 9. Longfellow's choice of words (make, makes) his poems easy to understand. 10. There (is, are) sixty-five cows on Uncle Tim's farm. 11. One of the most interesting places you should go (is, are) the floating market at Wat Sai. 12. The course of social studies (is, are) difficult for some students. 13. One of the boxes of books (is, are) missing. 14. Tom, the farmer and gardener, (work, works) very hard 15. Gold and silver (is, are) precious metals. Rules 6-8 6) The words with, together with, as well as, including, in addition to, together with the words following them DO NOT affect the preceding subjects. The house, with its contents, was insured. The boy, together with his friends, is reading in the room. Mr. Smith, as well as his wife, likes the film very much The explanation in addition to the rules is very clear. 7) The following words when used as pronouns are always singular: everyone someone anyone no one each many a everybody somebody anybody nobody another either everything something anything nothing the other neither Each of the boys plays very well. Many a man does not know his own good deeds. (Many men do not know their own good deeds.) Either of the topics is a good choice to report. Neither of the two girls is recommended. Everyone is coming. Nobody knows where he is.

3 Note. The words each, every, another when used as adjectives modify singular nouns; as, each student, every student, another student. The other can modify a singular or plural noun, as, the other student, the other students or other students. Another can modify a plural noun, as, another two students 8) Each of the following words when used as a pronoun is always plural. all both (a) few many several some others Both are working in the same office. Few (A few) want to go with you. All were arrested last night. Some want to stay home but others want to go to the movies. Note. When they modify nouns, the nouns are plural; as, both boys, (a) few books, all thieves, some children Exercise 2: Choose the correct form. 1. Neither (is, are) going to attend the meeting. 2. Everyone in this class (tell, tells) stories very well. 3. Every one of the soldiers (was, were) ready to defend the fort'. 4. Each one of the students (hand, hands) in the paper. 5. Everybody in the room (know, knows) the reason, for this test. 6. The students in that school including the principal (is, are) joyful people. 7. Many a man (think, thinks) that beauty is the most important thing. 8. Both of us (has, have) been friends for Years.. 9. Some people (eat, eats) bread instead of rice. 10. Few (go, goes) to the play nowadays. 11. Several (was, were) seen lying on the grass yesterday afternoon. 12. Some newspapers (is, are) worth reading but some (is, are) not 13. The mother, as well as the baby, (is, are) healthy. 14. Some pedestrians (look, looks) before crossing a street, but few (don't, doesn't). 15. Henry told me that someone (was, were) on the telephone. Rules ) The following nouns are singular. physics economics mathematics politics news mumps measles ashes alms means Economics is a required subject in this field.. Mumps does not kill anybody. Roads are a means of communication.

4 10) The following nouns remain the same. Each can be singular or plural. fish salmon herring cod trout sheep deer Tom bought a big fish from the market. Many fish in the pool were dead. 11) The following are collective nouns. Each can he used as a singular or plural noun according to the sense meant by the speaker. class jury family cabinet group government team fleet committee crew If the word refers to the whole group, it is singular; if it refers to all the individuals that compose the group, it is plural. The jury consists of five men. The jury were unanimous in their verdict. The government is trying a new measure. The government have discussed the matter seriously. 12) The word people is always plural. The people were glad to hear that the King was coming. The plural peoples means nations: The peoples of the world want peace. Note. Words like parent, spouse are singular. A parent means either the father or the mother, but not both. The plural parents should be used when both are meant. 13) The title of a book or an article or a song, or likewise, is singular. Gulliver's Travels was written by Swift. Your "Farmers and Their Rice Fields" is a well written essay. 14) An amount of money and other forms of measurement are singular. Twenty-five dollars is too expensive for this camera. Two hundred miles is a long way. Compare: Four bahts are on the table. Four baht is not enough. Exercise 3: Put the correct form of the verb given in parentheses in each blank space of the following. 1. The crew discussing what arrangement should be made for the party. (to be) 2. "Captain Courageous" written by Rudyard Kipling. (to be) 3. The fish in this pool not for sale. (to be) 4. The people excited about the news yesterday. (to be)

5 5. Our government spent a lot of money to develop the country. (to hare) 6. In a tropical country, mumps usually to the children under the age of twenty. (to come) 7. Physics not her favourite subject. (to be) 8. The jury not decided to free him yet. (to have) 9. Politics not interest me as much as economics. (to do) 10. When the committee to his proposal', they raise their hands up. (to agree) 11. The people of the. United States called Americans. (to be) 12. When the meeting is over, the cabinet home immediately. (to go) 13. The news announced on the radio last night. (to be) 14. Alms collected by the priests every morning. (to be) 15. There no ash in the ash-tray. (to be) 16. No people to have any trouble. (to want) 17. The football team for victory. (to fight) 18. Measles sometimes serious. (to be). 19. Ten baht a day enough for you. (to be) 20. The class discussing the plain of the trip to Pataya now. (to be) 21. Two thousand baht a large sum of money. (to be) 22. His family talking about him when he entered the room. (to be) 23. His family of six members. (to consist) 24. Five weeks not enough for him to prepare himself for the examination. (to be) 25. "The Highwayman" the poem 1 like best. (to be) Rules ) The verb agrees with the near subject when two subjects are connected by the following conjunctions: or, either... or neither... nor not only... but (also). Neither you nor I am to go. Either she or you are going to finish the work. Not only the manager but also his daughters go to Paris every year. 16) The verb of who or which or what agrees with its antecedent (= the word it refers to). It is I who am wrong. The boys who are playing there are my students. This is the boy who comes here every day. It is our children who make our family perfect. 17) Fractions of plural nouns are plural, and those of singular nouns are singular. Two thirds of the boys are here. Two thirds of the wall is painted. Two thirds of the money has been spent 18) A number of + (plural nouns) is plural. The number of + (plural nouns) is singular. None is singular; but none of + (plural nouns) is plural.

6 A number of students are playing football. The number of students in this school is quite small. None is here. None of them are here. 19) An infinitive or a gerund together with its modifiers is singular. To read is a good habit. To mend cars is the work of a mechanic. Climbing mountains is a good sport. Drinking a lot of water when you are hot is said to be unwise. 20) The construction the + adjective refers to a group of people having such a quality. The poor (= poor people) are many, but the rich (= rich people) are few. The foolish need advice, but only the wise profit by it. Exercise 4: Underline the correct verbs. 1. Three fourths of the frame work of the barn (is, are) in place. 2. Neither France nor England (have, has) as many telephones as the United States. 3. The number of volunteers (is, are) quite large. 4. They are strangers who (want, wants) to know something about your business. 5. Either Gilbert's jacket or Jane's sweater (is, are) being used as a bed by the cat 6. Neither Tom nor Alexander (was, were) born in Thailand. 7. Two thirds of the marmalade (is, are) on Peter's hands and face; the rest (is, are) on his bib'. 8. A number of Thai students (is, are) touring the United States. 9. Either he or they (tells, tell) lies. 10. Neither the janitor nor his wife (is, are) going to scrub' the floor. 11. Anyone who (wants, want) to go must let me know before noon. 12. Neither he nor you (have, has) any right to use the pen. 13. None of the inhabitants of the planet Earth (was, were) prepared for the Martians invasion. 14. The news which (was, were) sent from him (make makes) us happy. 15. He is one of the students who (is, are) going to compete for the prize. 16. None of the fourteen students (is, are) selected captain of the team. 17. The houses that (is, are) on the other bark of the river belong to the workers. 18. All of the sugar (has, have) been used up'. 19. A number of workers (was, were) called to help the victims of the earthquake'. 20. The father, not the children, (was, were) sent to the hospital. 21. Some students in his class (is, are) badly in need of money. 22. Two fifths of the sum (was, were) paid by the government. 23. Neither Ronald Ross nor Battista (was, were) willing to admit that the other had helped to discover the cause of malaria. 24. To spill the salt at table (bring, brings) bad luck. 25. To smoke a lot of cigarettes (is, are) bad for health. 26. Living in crowded cities (is, are) not good for health. 27. Meeting you and your friends here (has, have) been a great pleasure. 28. Two thirds of her salary (is, are) given to her son. 29. Those are the boys who (is, are) willing to help us. 30. Your sisters, not your brother, (was, were) invited to the party. Source: Expression 6