Subject-verb agreement

• Subject-verb agreement

Subject-verb agreement is an equation between verb (Kata Kerja) with sentence subject in terms of number, namely singular (singular) or plural (Jamak). 

The subject can be noun (kata benda), pronoun (kata ganti), or another construction acting as noun, such as gerund and infinitive. Basically, the singular subject uses singular verb, while the plural subject uses plural verb (plural verbs).

• Subject-Verb Agreement (General)

Generally in the form of simple present tense, singular verb is in the form of base form / bare infinitive (basic form of verb) with added endings -s / -es. As for plural verbs without ending -s / -es added (on the contrary, plural subjects are added ending -s / -es). Even though it is a single subject, I and you are paired with plural verbs.

If the verb in the verb "to be", am is paired with I, is with a singular subject except I and you, and are with plural subject and you.

Whereas in past tense, there is no difference in the form of verbs in terms of numbers (singular or plural) the subject of sentences, all in verb-2, except if the verb used is a verb "to be" was-were. Was for singular subjects except you, and were for you and plural subject.

Example of sentences Subject-Verb Agreement

information: 

subject= bold; verb= italic

No	Example Of Sentences Subject-Verb Agreement
1	The sun rises. (Matahari terbit.) singular subject, singular verb
2	The stars shine. (Bintang bersinar.) plural subject, plural verb
3	Leo rarely eats white bread. (Leo jarang makan roti putih.) singular subject, plural subject
4	You go straight ahead then turn left. (Kamu jalan lurus ke depan lalu belok kiri.) singular/plural subject, plural verb
5	My boss always comes on time. (Bos saya selalu datang tepat waktu.) singular subject, singular verb
6	They like eating out. (Mereka suka makan diluar.) plural subject, plural verb
7	Ricky is smart. (Ricky pintar.) verb to be
8	The children are naughty. (Anak-anak itu nakal.) verb to be
9	I am hungry. (Saya lapar.) verb to be
10	You are gorgeous. (Kamu sangat menarik.) verb to be
11	She drove fast. (Dia mengebut.) NOT APPLICABLE
12	I was there yesterday. (Saya di sana kemarin.) verb to be
13	You were always busy. (Kamu dulu selalu sibuk.) verb to b

If there is a helping verb / auxiliary verb, then the helping verb changes while main verb in the basic form, present participle (-ing), or past participle (verb-3). The singular plural multiple choice of helping verb is is-are, were-do, does-do, and has-have. Especially for has-haves, the agreement does not apply if the word is the second helping verb or used behind the other helping verb. In that situation, have used.

NO	Example Sentence Subject-Verb Agreement
1	He is working. (Dia sedang bekerja.)
2	I do submit the task. (Saya harus mengirimkan tugas tersebut.)
3	The manager has checked the documents. (Manager telah mengecek dokumen-dokumen tersebut.)
4	I will have been sleeping for an hour when you arrive. (Saya akan sudah tidur selama satu jam ketika kamu tiba.) has-have TIDAK BERLAKU
5	The cat was sleeping. (Kucing itu sedang tidur.)
6	We were roasting corn. (Kita sedang membakar jagung.)
7	My books were stolen. (Buku-buku saya dicuri.)

Problems with the Subject-Verb Agreement

Subject-verb agreement becomes confusing when faced with problems such as: subject in the form of collective noun, compound subject, plural form with singular meaning, and indefinite pronoun. In addition, there is also a phrase or clause that interrupts the subject and verb so that it can be quite confusing in determining the agreement.

SUBJECT VERB AGREEMENT RULES

1.       Singular – Plural

If the subject is singular, then use singular verb.

·         Novita goes / go to school.

·         The cat eat / eats fish.

·         She read / reads a book.

If the subject is plural, then use plural verb.

·         The students goes / go to school.

·         The cats eat / eats fish.

·         They read / reads book.

2.       Prepositional phrases

If there is a prepositional phrase, the subject is before the preposition.

·         False: The door (at the houses) are broken.

·         true: The door (at the houses) is broken.

Explanation:  At the houses' is a prepositional phrase. Then the subject in the sentence above is the door, and the verb used is is.

If there are more than one prepositional phrases, the subject is before the first preposition.

·         false: The meeting (of the teachers) (in the school) begin at 10 a.m.

·         true: The meeting (of the teachers) (in the school) begins at 10 a.m.

Explanation:  ‘Of the teachers, in the school" are prepositional phrases. Then the subject in the sentence above is the meeting, and the verb used is begins.

3.       Conjunction ‘and’

When two subjects are connected with "and", then use plural verb.

·         The cars and motorcycles park in front of the building.

·         Rina and Rini are playing guitar together.

4.       Expressions of Quantity

If there are expressions of quantity (all, most, or some) followed by the preposition 'of', then the subject can be singular or plural, depending on the noun after the preposition.

·         All (of the flower) grows beautifully.

·         All (of the flowers) grow beautifully.

·         Most (of the student) arrives at school.

·         Most (of the students) arrive at school.

·         Some (of the cake) has been eaten.

·         Some (of the cakes) have been eaten.

1.       Agreement after Certain Words

Certain words in English are words that are always single (singular) grammatically, but may have plural meanings.          

·         false: Everybody in library are reading the book.

·         true: Everybody in library is reading the book.

Explanation: Although we understand that there are many people who read books in the library, the word everybody is singular and requires a singular verb which is reading.

Some of the certain words below have a singular form, so you must use a singular verb:

·         Everyone eat / eats meatball.

·         Someone has / have to work hard.

·         Anything are / is possible.

·         Each flower in the pot grow / grows beautifully.

·         Every boy and girl plays / play at playground everyday. *

In that sentence, we don't care how many singular noun (boy, girl) are connected by ‘and‘. Subject (every) remains singular, it requires a singular verb (plays).

2.        Interrupting Phrase

An interrupting phrase is a phrase that interferes in determining the subject. Some interrupting phrases include:

·         false: Nina, together with her friends, are cleaning the room.

·         true: Nina, together with her friends, is cleaning the room.

Explanation: The subject in the sentence is Nina, so the verb used is is, while together with her friends is an interrupting phrase.

·         false: The dogs, as well as the paint, are a mammal.

·         True: The dogs, as well as the paint, are mammals.

Explanation: The subject in the sentence is the dogs, so the verb used is are, while as well as the cat is an interrupting phrase.

• exercise 10 : Subject-verb agreement

choose the correct form of the verb in parentheses in the following sentences

Answer :

1.      John along with twenty friends,(are) planning a party.
2.      The picture of the soldiers (brings) back many memories.
3.      The quality of these recordings (are) not very good.
4.      If the duties of these officers (aren't) reduced,there will not be enough time to finish the project
5.      The effects of cigarette smoking (have) been proven to be extremely harmful.
6.      The use of credit cards in place of cash (has) increased rapidly in recent years.
7.      Adverstisements on television (are) becoming more competitive than ever before.
8.      Living expenses in this country,as well as in many others,(are) at an all-time high.
9.      Mr.Jones,accompanied by several members of the committee,(has) proposed some changes of rules.
10. The levels of intoxication (varies) from subject to subject








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