Class 4-2: Subject / Verb Agreement Continued
His time and money were wasted.
Rules: When you have two or more nouns connected by and, you must use a plural auxiliary verb. | Examples: 1. Mike and Tom are at the movies. 2. Emma and Sophia are best friends. |
Use a singular auxiliary verb when you have two or more singular nouns or pronouns connected by or or nor. | 1. Mike nor Tom is going camping this week. 2. Is the dog or cat visiting the veterinarian? |
When a compound subject has both a singular and a plural noun or pronoun connected by or or nor, the verb should agree with the part of the subject that is closest to the verb. | 1. Mike or his friends are responsible for the accident. 2. Mike or Tom is going to the store. 3. Mike and Tom are going to the store. |
Continued
Rules: Doesn’t is a contraction of does not and should be used only with a singular subject. When you have the auxiliary verb does:
| Examples: 1. He doesn’t want to go to the store. 2. She doesn’t like traveling. 3. It doesn’t snow in July. 4. Mary doesn’t like cold weather.
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Don’t is a contraction of do not and should be used with I, they, you, we, as well as proper and When you have the auxiliary verb do:
| 1. They don’t want to go to the store. 2. I don’t want to go to the store. 3. You don’t want to go to the store. 4. We don’t like hot weather. 5. Peter and I don’t go running at night. | |||||||||||||||
Words like each, each one, either, neither, everyone, everybody, anybody, anyone, nobody, somebody, someone, and no one are singular and require a singular verb. | 1. Someone is going to the party. 2. Everybody is looking for the boy. 3. Nobody is running the race. |
Exercise
Exercise 1: Underline the correct verb for each sentence.
1. Josh and Tim (is / are) friends.
2. Mike and six other people (is / are) at school today.
3. John and four other people (don’t / doesn’t) want to take the bus.
4. The cat or dog (were / was) in the trash.
5. Mom and dad (were / was) yelling at the man.
6. She (don’t / doesn’t) want to go to the party.
7. He (don’t / doesn’t) want to go shopping.
8. It (don’t / doesn’t) look like it will rain.
9. Everyone (is / are) going to the park.
10. Somebody (is / are) in trouble.
11. Mike and I (don’t / doesn’t) want to go to Texas; we want to go to New York.
12. Jim and Sandy (is / are) getting married.
13. Nobody (is / are) going to the party at 8:00 p.m.
14. Each one (is / are) a different size.
15. My friends (is / are) traveling to Washington, D.C. for the July 4th parade.
Exercise 2: Determine whether the bold-printed verb in each sentence uses the correct verb form. If correct, write correct. If incorrect, rewrite the sentence with the correct form of the verb.
1. Carla drove to your house.
Correct
2. Jason and Elizabeth rides their bikes every day.
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3. Michelle teach kindergarten.
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4. Greg live in California.
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5. Kari or Allison has the spare key.
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6. The only way to pass tests are to study.
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7. I wants to play football this season.
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8. Ohio and Pennsylvania are next to each other.
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9. The flowers you bought me is lovely.
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10. Every Thanksgiving, David and Maria makes pumpkin pie.
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11. Karen needs to borrow your car.
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12. She make coffee.
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