subjectverbagreement

Group Work...

Get in groups! Two sentences using is and are. One sentence using a singular noun in the third person. One sentence using a plural noun. One sentence with a modifying phrase between a subject and verb.

Quiz!

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1eo3KYL9B6WPtzoeHxJbaa7MfYZLYHHqkPdr3UksTRAo/viewform

Subject-Verb Agreement?

Remember back to our previous discussions of paragraph and sentence unity in your writing.

Singular subjects use singular verbs.

Plural subjects take plural verbs.

See wiki for a nifty subject-verb agreement chart.

Two sentences using is and are.

Is Versus Are!

Is v Are

Hydrogen peroxide is an unstable compound. Characters are not well developed in O Henry's short stories.

Pause. Take a breath!!! Questions?

One sentence using a singular noun in the third person.

Subject-Verb Agreement!

When you are dealing with the present tense, add an "s" to the verb. The President has the power to veto congressional legislation. Singular nouns in the third person also include an "s" on the verb. She frequently cites statistics to support her assertions.

One sentence using a plural noun.

Even More Subject-Verb Agreement!

When dealing with a plural noun, do not add an "s" Experts recommend that dieters avoid salty processed meat.

Compound nouns will be determined by the closet noun to the verb.

One sentence with a modifying phrase between a subject and verb.

Modifying Phrase!

When some kind of modifying phrase comes between the subject and verb, the verb will still agree with the subject.

The sound of the drumbeats builds in intensity in Eugene O'Neill's play The Emperor Jones (“of the drumbeats” is a prepositional phrase. Sound is the subject, builds is the verb).

Subject-Verb Agreement!!!

Here are some tips for revising subject verb agreement:

Person Find the subject of the sentence. Determine if the subject is in the first, second, or third person. Determine the same for the sentence's verb. If the subject and verb have the same person, your sentence is grammatically correct.

Subject-Verb Agreement!

Here are some tips for revising subject verb agreement:

NumberFind the sentence's subject.Is the subject's number singular or plural?Find the sentence's verb: is the number singular

or plural?If the subject and verb of the sentence are the

same number, your sentence is grammatically correct.

Look For Clues...

Avoid stuff around subject and verb. No matter what is between them they still need to agree.

Read aloud

Supplemental Material