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Jose Genaro R. Yap-Aizon, PhD.

Dena, Graduate School
Adamson University
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MODULE 1
Subject-Verb Agreement

Greetings! In this module, you are going to learn seven grammar rules of the
English Language. These are about making the subject of your sentence correctly agree
with their corresponding verbs.

The general rule of this module on Subject-Verb agreement is that singular

subjects require singular verbs. Plural subjects require plural verbs.

The specific rules that we are going to learn are the following:

1. Nouns, which are plural in form but singular in meaning, take singular verbs.

2. Nouns, which are always plural in form and meaning, take plural verbs.

3. Mass and abstract nouns have no plural form and take singular verbs.

4. Compound subjects connected by AND take plural verbs when the subject

5. denotes more than two persons / things, however take singular verbs when the
subject denotes only one person / thing.

6. When compound subjects are connected by OR or NOR, the verbs agree with the
nearest subject.

7. Collective nouns take singular verbs when denoting a group acting as one unit,
but take plural verbs when denoting a group acting as individuals.

8. NONE and ALL take a plural verbs when indicating how many but take
singular verbs when indicating how much.

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 Introduction to the Module
On
Subject-Verb Agreement

This module will refresh, you, the learners, with some grammar rules of the
English language, specifically on Subject-Verb agreement. The general principle of this
module is that singular subjects take singular verbs, while plural subjects take plural
verbs.

The first concepts, then, we have to understand are the terms singular and
plural.

Singular means one or single.

Plural means more than one. More than one means two or more.

In the English language, as you might remember, normally, the singular forms of
the noun are those without the S, while the plural forms are those with the S or ES.

There are, definitely, exceptions to the rules, which we are going to discuss in
detail later in this module, like the irregular forms where the noun forms are totally
changed.

Let us consider the following examples of nouns in the singular and plural
forms:
The boy = one / single
The boys = two / more

The table = one / single

The tables = two / more

The pencil = one / single

The pencils = one / more

The lily = one / single

The lilies = two / more

The tomato = one / single

The tomatoes = two/ more

The mouse = one / single

The mice = two / more

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 The foot = one / single
The feet =two / single

The child = one/ single

The children = two/ more

You now see that nouns form their plural form by adding S, ES, and the others
have irregular forms. By irregular forms, it means that the plural form is completely
changed.

Exercise: Let us now think of other nouns forming the plural by adding S, by adding ES,
and then those with irregular forms. Please write them down in the blanks.

Adding S Adding ES Irregular Forms

___________________ ______________________ __________________

___________________ ______________________ __________________
___________________ ______________________ __________________
___________________ ______________________ __________________
___________________ ______________________ __________________
___________________ ______________________ __________________
___________________ ______________________ __________________
___________________ ______________________ __________________
___________________ ______________________ __________________

Good. Now let us proceed. The next thing to consider is the corresponding verb
for the singular and plural subjects. First we must learn the forms of the singular and
plural verbs.

The singular present form of the verb usually ends in S’ while the plural present
form of the verb is the base form of the verb, which is without the S.

It is quite confusing because in forming the plural of nouns, the S is added to the
word; while in forming the plural form of verbs, the S is removed from the base word.

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 Here are some examples of singular and plural verbs:

SINGULAR VERBS PLURAL VERBS

1. Is are
2. Was (past) were (past)
3. Has ( past particle ) have ( past particle )
4. Bakes bake
5. Cooks cook
6. Sings sing
7. Plays play
8. Goes for
9. Eats eat
10. Jumps jump

Exercise: Now let us think of other examples of singular and plural forms of the verb.
Please write them down on the blanks.

Singular Form Plural Form

______________ ______________________
______________ ______________________
______________ ______________________
______________ ______________________
______________ ______________________
______________ ______________________
______________ ______________________
______________ ______________________
______________ ______________________

Let us proceed. We are going to see some models of a singular noun with the
corresponding singular verb, and the plural noun with the corresponding plural verb:

SINGULAR NOUN SINGULAR VERB

1. That boy is my brother.

2. Maria was her yesterday.

3. He has given his word to us.

4. My mother bakes a delicious cake.

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 5. She cooks spaghetti.

6. Joseph sings the song.

7. My brother plays with his friend.

8. She goes home to the province every weekend.

9. Pedro eats guavas everyday.

10. The dog jumps over the fence.

Now let us use the same sentences using plural nouns and the corresponding plural
verbs.

PLURAL NOUN PLURAL VERB

1. Those boys are my brothers.

2. My cousins were here yesterday.

3. They have given their word to us.

4. Our mothers bake delicious cakes.

5. They cook spaghetti.

6. My friends sing the song.

7. My brothers play with their friends.

8. They go home to the province every weekend.

9. My parents eat guavas everyday.

10. The dogs jump over the fence.

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Exercise: Let us have some exercises. Write the correct form of the verb in the
following sentences:

1. The teacher always _____________________ ( come / comes ) to class late.

2. They _____________ ( is / are ) cousins

3. My friends ______________ ( is / are ) leaving for the States this month.

4. Her classmates _______________ ( visit / visits ) her everyday.

5. Michael _______________ ( eat / eats ) his breakfast at nine in the morning.

6. My brothers ______________ ( study / studies ) their lessons nightly.

7. The students ______________ ( buy / buys ) their school supplies at National

Bookstore.

8. He _______________ ( compose / composes ) his own songs.

9. The presidents of State Universities __________ ( meet / meets ) every month.

10. The visitor ______________ ( arrive / arrives ) early.

Write the correct form of the Subject in the following sentences:

1. The ______________ ( lady / ladies ) calls me everyday.

2. ______________ ( He / They ) are PNU students.

3. The ______________ ( child / children ) play basketball.

4. The ______________ ( mother / mothers ) cook the meal deliciously.

5. The ___________ ( director / directors ) signs the papers today.

6. My ______________ ( friend /friends ) look for me when I am absent.

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 7. The _______________ ( table / tables ) are brought to the social hall.

8. These ______________ ( pencil / pencils ) are Maria’s.

9. The _____________ ( toy / toys ) belongs to Joseph.

10. His ______________ ( bag / bags ) is made of leather.

Write your own sentences using the following Subjects and Verbs:

A. Subjects:

1. My friends _____________________________________________

2. My family _____________________________________________

3. His neighbors __________________________________________

4. The inspectors __________________________________________

5. The victim _____________________________________________

6. A woman ______________________________________________

7. The employee __________________________________________

8. The writers _____________________________________________

9. The performer __________________________________________

10. The judge ______________________________________________

B. Verbs:

1. Visit __________________________________________________

2. Comes ________________________________________________

3. Build _________________________________________________

4. Checks ________________________________________________

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 5. Suffer _________________________________________________

6. Sleeps _________________________________________________

7. Work __________________________________________________

8. Thinks _________________________________________________

9. Execute ________________________________________________

10. Read __________________________________________________

This time you are going to write a paragraph of five sentences. You are going to
describe the person you value most in your life.

Let us now begin:

________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________.

Congratulations! You have made it!

Now let us go back to your paragraph. Please list down the subjects of the
sentences in your paragraph:

Subjects:

________________________
________________________
________________________
________________________
________________________

Good! Now, let us identify them. Are they singular or plural? Please write your
answer in a parenthesis opposite the subjects.

Example:

Boys (plural)
Boy (singular)

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 Next, write down the verbs that you have used for each of the subject in your
paragraph.

Verbs:

________________________
________________________
________________________
________________________
________________________

Good! Now, please identify if they are singular or plural by doing the same
process as you did for the Subjects.

Example:

Go (plural)
Goes (singular)

Perfect! Now, we are ready to check whether our subjects and verbs in the
paragraph agree in terms of number, whether they are plural or singular.

Now let us transfer the subjects and the verbs in the template below:

Sentence Subject Singular / Verb Singular / Correct /

number plural plural Wrong
Example: Boy Singular Goes Singular Correct
Sentence 1
Sentece 1 Boy Singular Go Plural Wrong
Sentence 1
Sentence 2
Sentence 3
Sentence 4
Sentence 5

Congratulations! Now for your mistakes, make the necessary corrections!

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For you to have mastery of this specific rule, you will now rewrite your paragraph, with
all the corrections and revisions.

________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________.

Congratulations! You have made it again. This time you will write a longer
paragraph about one of your wonderful experiences in life. Write about 10 sentences or
more for this paragraph.

________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________.

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 Good! Let us now go over the paragraph. You might have oticed that the spaces
between the lines are wider. This is for you to have enough room to write your
corrections on the subjects and the verbs.

Now, underline all your subjects in the sentences. Identify whether these are
singular or plural.

Good!! Next, encircle the verbs in the sentences. Identify whether these are
singular or plural.

Congratulations! Now you know the rule. Apply it now in making the
corrections and revisions in your paragraph.

Perfect! I knew you could do it! Now let us rewrite the paragraph with all the
corrections and revisions.

________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________.

Summary of the Introduction

Congratulations! You have just learned the general concept of the module, which is
about the general rle of Subject-Verb agreement. The rule says that singular nouns take
singular verbs, while plural nouns take plural verbs.

Now you are ready to learn some specific grammar rules in the English
Language.

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 Lesson 1
Nouns, which are plural in form but singular in meaning,
take singular verbs.

Objective of the Lesson:

At the end of this lesson, it is expected that you shall be able to apply an English
grammar rule in this module, which is about nouns, being in the plural form but
singular in meaning, thus taking singular verbs.

Presentation of the Lesson:

The grammar rule we are going to learn in this portion of the module is:

Nouns, which are plural in form but singular in meaning, take singular verbs.

What do we mean by plural in form and singular in meaning?

Plural in form simply means that these nouns end with an S, but they refer to only one
concept, person, or thing.

Let us see some examples:

1. News

2. Politics

3. Economics

4. Measles

5. Mathematics

Let us now use these nouns in sentences:

1. The news brightens my day.

2. Philippine politics is very complicated.

3. Economics is my favorite subject.

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 4. Measles is contagious

5. Mathematics is difficult subject.

Let us study the sentences:

If you might have noticed, all the nouns as subjects in the sentences are in plural
form, which means that they end in S. However, these nouns also refer to only one
concept, consequently, are singular in meaning. Therefore, the verbs to follow should be
singular.

In the sentence, The news brightens my day, the verb brightens is in the singular
form. It is therefore wrong to say:

The news brighten my day. –( WRONG )

The same is true with the other sentences. It is WRONG to say:

Philippine politics are very complicated. -( WRONG )

Economics are my favorite subject. - ( WRONG )

Measles are contagious. - ( WRONG )

Mathematics are my favorite subject. - ( WRONG )

Now can you write your own examples of nouns in the plural form but
singular in meaning?

Nouns, plural in form but singular in meaning:

____________________________________
____________________________________
____________________________________
____________________________________
____________________________________
____________________________________
____________________________________
____________________________________
____________________________________
____________________________________

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 Very Good! Now please write a sentence for each of the nouns as subjects
in the sentence using the appropriate singular verbs.

________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________

Congratulations! Now can you review your answers? Please encircle the
nouns as subjects of your sentence, which are plural in form but singular in
meaning, and the corresponding verb?

Please check if the verbs are in the singular form. Remember the singular
form of the verb is the bvase form and the S. Make the appropriate corrections.

Very Good! Now it is time to write a paragrapgh about School Life.

Describe your school life; the subjects and school activities you like and dislike,
and the reasons why, etc.

In the paragraph, please try to use as many nouns which are plural in
form but have singular meanings.

__________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________.

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 Congratulations!

Now, let us make sure that your sentences are correct. Let us go over the
sentences. Please encircle all the nouns which are plural in form but have
singular meanings.

Check the forms of the verbs used in the encircled subjects. Are they in the
singular form?

Very Good! Now make the necessary corrections and rewrite the
paragraph in the lines that follow:

__________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________

Summary of Lesson 1

Congratulations! You have just learned to use and apply an English

grammar rule in the construction of your sentences and writing of paragraphs.
You just learned that in writing sentences, the nouns as subjects in the sentence,
which are plural in form but have singular meanings, take singular verbs.

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