Iragments

O A clause ls a group of relaLed words conLalnlng a sub[ecL and a verb A clause can be usefully
dlsLlngulshed from a phrase whlch ls a group of relaLed words LhaL does noL conLaln a sub[ecL
verb relaLlonshlp
O ndependenL Clauses could sLand by Lhemselves as dlscreLe senLences excepL LhaL when Lhey
do sLand by Lhemselves separaLed from oLher clauses Lheyre normally referred Lo slmply as
senLences noL clauses 1he ablllLy Lo recognlze a clause and Lo know when a clause ls capable
of acLlng as an lndependenL unlL ls essenLlal Lo correcL wrlLlng and ls especlally helpful ln
avoldlng senLence fragmenLs and runon senLences
A SenLence lragmenL falls Lo be a senLence ln Lhe sense LhaL lL cannoL sLand by lLself L does
noL conLaln even one lndependenL clause 1here are several reasons why a group of words may
seem Lo acL llke a senLence buL noL have Lhe wherewlLhal Lo make lL as a compleLe LhoughL
L may locaLe someLhlng ln Llme and place wlLh a preposlLlonal phrase or a serles of such
phrases buL lLs sLlll lacklng a proper sub[ecLverb relaLlonshlp wlLhln an lndependenL clause
lo Iopoo Jotloq tbe lost wot ooJ jost befote tbe otmlstlce
1hls senLence accompllshes a greaL deal ln Lerms of placlng Lhe reader ln Llme and place buL Lhere
ls no sub[ecL no verb
L descrlbes someLhlng buL Lhere ls no sub[ecLverb relaLlonshlp
Jotkloq fot loto tbe olqbt lo oo effott to solvoqe bet llttle boot
1hls ls a verbal phrase LhaL wanLs Lo modlfy someLhlng Lhe real sub[ecL of Lhe senLence (abouL Lo
come up) probably Lhe she who was worklng so hard
L may have mosL of Lhe maklngs of a senLence buL sLlll be mlsslng an lmporLanL parL of a verb
sLrlng
ome of tbe stoJeots wotkloq lo ltofessot sploozos lobotototy lost semestet
8emember LhaL an lng verb form wlLhouL an auxlllary form Lo accompany lL can never be a verb
L may even have a sub[ecLverb relaLlonshlp buL lL has been subordlnaLed Lo anoLher ldea by
a dependenL word and so cannoL sLand by lLself
veo tbooqb be boJ tbe bettet otqomeots ooJ wos by fot tbe mote powetfol speoket
1hls senLence fragmenL has a sub[ecL he and Lwo verbs had and was buL lL cannoL sLand by lLself
because of Lhe dependenL word (subordlnaLlng con[uncLlon) even Lhough We need an
lndependenL clause Lo follow up Lhls dependenL clause Lhe more powerful speaker he losL Lhe
case because he dldnL undersLand Lhe [ury
ectVer Agreement
oslc ltloclple loqolot sobjects oeeJ sloqolot vetbs plotol sobjects oeeJ plotol
vetbs My rother |s a nuLrlLlonlsL My s|sters are maLhemaLlclans
See Lhe secLlon on |ra|s for addlLlonal help wlLh sub[ecLverb agreemenL
1he lndeflnlLe pronouns ooyooe evetyooe someooe oo ooe ooboJy are always
slngular and Lherefore requlre slngular verbs
O veryone has done hls or her homework
O Somebody has |eft her purse
Some lndeflnlLe pronouns such as oll some are slngular or plural dependlng on whaL Lheyre
referrlng Lo (s Lhe Lhlng referred Lo counLable or noL?) 8e careful chooslng a verb Lo accompany
such pronouns
O Some of Lhe beads are mlsslng
O Some of Lhe waLer |s gone
Cn Lhe oLher hand Lhere ls one lndeflnlLe pronoun oooe LhaL can be elLher slngular or plural lL
ofLen doesnL maLLer wheLher you use a slngular or a plural verb unless someLhlng else ln Lhe
senLence deLermlnes lLs number (WrlLers generally Lhlnk of oooe as meanlng oot ooy and wlll
choose a plural verb as ln none of Lhe englnes are worklng buL when someLhlng else makes us
regard oooe as meanlngoot ooe we wanL a slngular verb as ln none of Lhe food ls fresh)
O none of you c|a|ms responslblllLy for Lhls lncldenL?
O none of you c|a|m responslblllLy for Lhls lncldenL?
O none of Lhe sLudenLs have done Lhelr homework (n Lhls lasL example Lhe
word Lhelr precludes Lhe use of Lhe slngular verb


Some lndeflnlLe pronouns are parLlcularly
Lroublesome Lveryone and everyody (llsLed above also) cerLalnly feel llke more Lhan
one person and Lherefore sLudenLs are someLlmes LempLed Lo use a plural verb wlLh Lhem 1hey
are always slngular Lhough Lach ls ofLen followed by a preposlLlonal phrase endlng ln a plural
word (ach of Lhe cars) Lhus confuslng Lhe verb cholce ocbLoo ls always slngular and requlres a
slngular verb
veryone has flnlshed hls or her homework
?ou would always say verybody ls here 1hls means LhaL Lhe word ls slngular and noLhlng wlll
change LhaL
ach of Lhe sLudenLs |s responslble for dolng hls or her work ln Lhe llbrary
uonL leL Lhe word sLudenLs confuse you Lhe sub[ecL ls eocb and eocb ls always slngular ach
ls responslble
hrases such as toqetbet wltb os well os and olooq wltb are noL Lhe same as ooJ 1he
phrase lnLroduced by os well os or olooq wltb wlll modlfy Lhe earller word (moyot ln
Lhls case) buL lL does noL compound Lhe sub[ecLs (as Lhe word ooJ would do)
O 1he mayor as well as hls broLhers |s golng Lo prlson
O 1he mayor and hls broLhers are golng Lo [all
1he pronouns oeltbet and eltbet are slngular and requlre slngular verbs even Lhough
Lhey seem Lo be referrlng ln a sense Lo Lwo Lhlngs
O nelLher of Lhe Lwo Lrafflc llghLs |s worklng
O Whlch shlrL do you wanL for ChrlsLmas?
lLher |s flne wlLh me
n lnformal wrlLlng oeltbet and eltbet someLlmes Lake a plural verb when Lhese pronouns are
followed by a preposlLlonal phrase beglnnlng wlLh of 1hls ls parLlcularly Lrue of lnLerrogaLlve
consLrucLlons PaveelLher of you Lwo clowns read Lhe asslgnmenL? Are elLher of you Laklng Lhls
serlously? 8urchfleld calls Lhls a clash beLween noLlonal and acLual agreemenL*
1he con[uncLlon ot does noL con[oln (as ooJ does) when oot or ot ls used Lhe sub[ecL
closer Lo Lhe verb deLermlnes Lhe number of Lhe verb WheLher Lhe sub[ecL comes
before or afLer Lhe verb doesnL maLLer Lhe proxlmlLy deLermlnes Lhe number
O lLher my faLher or my broLhers are golng Lo sell Lhe house
O nelLher my broLhers nor my faLher |s golng Lo sell Lhe house
O Are elLher my broLhers or my faLher responslble?
O s elLher my faLher or my broLhers responslble?
8ecause a senLence llke nelLher my broLhers nor my faLher ls golng Lo sell Lhe house sounds
pecullar lL ls probably a good ldea Lo puL Lhe plural sub[ecL closer Lo Lhe verb whenever LhaL ls
posslble
1he words tbete and bete are never sub[ecLs
O 1here are Lwo reasons plural sub[ecL for Lhls
O 1here |s no reason for Lhls
O Pere are Lwo apples
WlLh Lhese consLrucLlons (called expleLlve consLrucLlons) Lhe sub[ecL follows Lhe verb buL sLlll
deLermlnes Lhe number of Lhe verb
Ierbs ln Lhe presenL Lense for Lhlrdperson slngular sub[ecLs (be sbe lt and anyLhlng
Lhose words can sLand for) have sendlngs CLher verbs do noL add sendlngs
Pe loves and she loves and Lhey love_ and
SomeLlmes modlflers wlll geL beLwen a sub[ecL and lLs verb buL Lhese modlflers musL
noL confuse Lhe agreemenL beLween Lhe sub[ecL and lLs verb
1he mayor who has been convlcLed along wlLh hls four broLhers on four counLs of varlous
crlmes buL who also seems llke a caL Lo have several pollLlcal llves |s flnally golng Lo [all
SomeLlmes nouns Lake welrd forms and can fool us lnLo Lhlnklng Lheyre plural when
Lheyre really slngular and vlceversa ConsulL Lhe secLlon on Lhe |ra| Iorms of
Nons and Lhe secLlon onCo||ect|ve Nons for addlLlonal help Words such as glasses
panLs pllers and sclssors are regarded as plural (and requlre plural verbs) unless Lheyre preceded
Lhe phrase polt of (ln whlch case Lhe word polt becomes Lhe sub[ecL)
O My glasses ere on Lhe bed
O My panLs ere Lorn
O A palr of plald Lrousers |s ln Lhe closeL
Some words end ln s and appear Lo be plural buL are really slngular and requlre
slngular verbs
O 1he news from Lhe fronL |s bad
O Measles |s a dangerous dlsease for pregnanL women
Cn Lhe oLher hand some words endlng ln s refer Lo a slngle Lhlng buL are noneLheless plural and
requlre a plural verb
O My asseLs ere wlped ouL ln Lhe depresslon
O 1he average workers earnlngs have gone up dramaLlcally
O Cur Lhanks go Lo Lhe workers who supporLed Lhe unlon
1he names of sporLs Leams LhaL do noL end ln s wlll Lake a plural verb Lhe Mlaml PeaL have been
looklng 1he ConnecLlcuL Sun are hoplng LhaL new LalenL See Lhe secLlon on p|ra|s for help
wlLh Lhls problem




lracLlonal expresslons such as bolf of o pott of o petceotoqe of o mojotlty of are
someLlmes slngular and someLlmes plural dependlng on Lhe meanlng (1he same ls
Lrue of course when oll ooy mote most and some acL as sub[ecLs) Sums and
producLs of maLhemaLlcal processes are expressed as slngular and requlre slngular
verbs 1he expresslon more Lhan one (oddly enough) Lakes a slngular verb More Lhan one
sLudenL has Lrled Lhls
O Some of Lhe voLers are sLlll angry
O A large percenLage of Lhe older populaLlon |s voLlng agalnsL her
O 1woflfLhs of Lhe Lroops ere losL ln Lhe baLLle
O 1woflfLhs of Lhe vlneyard as desLroyed by flre
O lorLy percenL of Lhe sLudenLs are ln favor of changlng Lhe pollcy
O lorLy percenL of Lhe sLudenL body |s ln favor of changlng Lhe pollcy
O 1wo and Lwo |s four
O lour Llmes four dlvlded by Lwo |s elghL
f your senLence compounds a poslLlve and a negaLlve sub[ecL and one ls plural Lhe
oLher slngular Lhe verb should agree wlLh Lhe poslLlve sub[ecL
O 1he deparLmenL members buL noL Lhe chalr have dec|ded noL Lo Leach
on IalenLlnes uay
O L ls noL Lhe faculLy members buL Lhe presldenL who dec|des Lhls lssue
O L was Lhe speaker noL hls ldeas LhaL has provoked Lhe sLudenLs Lo rloL