Subject and verb agreement I) General rules: Singular subject + singular verb Ex He is a student Plural subject + plural verb Ex They are students II) Irregular verb: Each/Every + singular noun = singular verb Each of/ Every of + plural noun/pronoun = singular verb a Neither/Either + singular noun = singular verb b Neither of/ Either of/ None of + plural noun/pronoun = V singular(should use)/plural c Neither S1 nor S2 Either S1 or S2 S1 or S2 + V – depends on S2 or depends on the nearest S S1 nor S2 Anyone, anybody Someone, somebody Everyone, everybody + Singular verb Noone, nobody But: Plural pronoun/possessive = plural verb More than one + singular noun = singular verb Ex More than one person is going to lose their job Words referring to groups of people Family, class, union, club, government, orchestra, team, school, chair, staff, committe, the BBC, fury, firm, the bank of England, the Bristish Public, liverpool (team), the ministry of defence, the labor party… + V – plural (B.E)/singular (an impersonal unit) Ex My family have decided to move to Nottingham Ex The average family now consists of four members at most today a Words not ending in S but talking plural verb: Cattle, people, police, youth, children, women, men, teeth, feet, geese, mice, lice,… b Words looking plural but used with singular verb Physics, mathematics, economics, politics, linguistics, statistics, measles, mumps, news, draughts, the U.N, the U.S, the Philippines,… a Expressions of qualities, amounts + singular verb b Percentage: *) Singular verb: Ex 1,5 % of the humanbody is hair *) Plural verb: Ex 55% American families break S1 and S2 Both S1 and S2 + Plural verb But in example is not: War and peace is a masterpiece 10 S1 with S2 S1 together with S2 S1 as well as S2 + V – depends on S1