CORRECT GRAMMAR As an additional guide in brushing up on your grammar, keep in mind the following rules: 1.

A verb agrees with its subject in person and in number. a. She has finished typing. b. These books are for you. 2. Nouns plural in form but singular in meaning require a singular verb. a. Fifty million pesos was lost. b. The news yesterday was maddening. 3. The pronoun you, whether singular or plural requires a plural verb. a. Joe, were you not ashamed of yourself? b. Boys, you are all exempted. 4. Singular subjects connected by and usually requires a plural verb. a. Food and exercises are essential. b. Stars and planets are heavenly bodies. 5. Singular subjects connected by and which denote the same person or thing require a singular verb. a. The man and his wife are amiable. b. My secretary and typist (one person) is efficient. Important: When the word my or anyone of the other limiting words our, your, their, a, an or the is repeated before each part of a compound subject, this indicates that each part of the subject represents a different person or thing; therefore, the verb required is plural. 6. Words ending in ics may either be singular or plural. 6.1 When a word ending in ics refers to one thing as a subject of study it is singular. a. Athletics is required in our high schools. Also usually singular: civics, dramatics, economics, ethics, physics, mathematics, mechanics, politics 6.2 When a word ending in ics refers to the separate qualities or activities that compose the unit as a whole, it is plural. a. Athletics were given too much prominence. (different activities) b. Athletics are important to most people. (different sports) 7. When the parts of a compound subject are modified by the words each, every or many, the verb is singular. a. Each officer and member is expected to help. b. Many a boy and girl has volunteered to help, too. 8. Words joined to the subject by such expressions as with, together, as well as, accompanied by, not or including are considered parenthetical, therefore, they do not affect the number of the verb.

a. Ms. Diaz, as well as her friend, is working at the station. b. The class, accompanied by the teacher, is on a field trip. 9. When the words both-and join the parts of a compound subject, the verb required is plural. a. Both the book and the magazines have been torn. b. Both the pen and ink are on my desk. 10. When the words or, nor, either-or, neither-nor, not only-but also join the parts of a compound subject, the verb should be singular if the parts are singular but should be plural if both parts of the subject are plural. Otherwise, if the parts connected differ in number, the verb agrees with the nearer subject part. a. Neither the hammer nor the nail was found. b. Either the writer or the editor is to blame. c. Not only the horses but also the cow was driven away. 11. When the parts of the compound subject differ in person, it is better to rewrite the sentence. a. Either he or I am the first. (correct but awkward) b. Either he is the first or I am. (improved) 12. The expression the number requires a singular verb. A number requires a plural verb. a. The number of the new students is forty-three. b. A number of students were members of the club. 13. A collective noun is a word that even in the singular number denotes a collection of persons or things; army, flock, herd, swarm, navy, class, band, crowd, audience, school (of fish), etc. A collective noun requires a singular verb when the group is thought of as a unit but it require a plural verb when the individuals composing the group are thought as acting separately. a. The audience was silent. b. The crowd were discussing the accident. 14. The verb agrees with the subject, not with the predicate noun. a. My objection is there are too many errors. 15. Fractions take a singular verb if the object of the of-phrase that follows is singular, and a plural verb if the object of the of-phrase is plural. a. One-sixth of the cake was eaten. b. One-fourth of the girls were out. 16. When a compound subject is composed of an affirmative and a negative part, the vebr agrees with the affirmative of the subject. a. The black horses, not the white one, were at fault. b. Not Jim, but Sam and Jack, were penalized. 17. There is/there was precedes a singular noun. There are/there were is followed by a plural noun. a. There was singing all night. b. There were dancing, singing, and laughing.

18. Many (plural) and much (singular) are also used as nouns. a. Many say that Physics is difficult. b. Much is left undone. 19. The verb ties with a relative pronoun used as a subject, the relative pronoun ties with the number of the person of its antecedent. a. He is one of the students who were arrested during the rally. b. She is one of the most vocal girls who are protesting. 20. Singular pronouns tie with singular verbs. These pronouns include: each, everybody, everyone, anyone, anybody, someone, somebody, none, nobody, one, another, anything, either, neither. This rule holds true even with a compound subject. a. Every soldier is bound to obey his superiors orders. b. Every boy and girl in the class was astounded.