Questions tagged [verb-agreement]
Agreement between a verb and its subject for number and person.
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questions
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0answers
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Objective vs subjective case
They came for her and me
They came for her and i
Which one is correct according to grammar?
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1answer
40 views
Is the following usage of the verb “be” correct? Why do people keep telling me it's wrong? [duplicate]
There is a plethora of other examples of blatant mistreatment which
I'll gladly share with anyone who cares enough to listen.
Should I use the plural instead?
There are a plethora of other examples ...
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2answers
70 views
Possessive apostrophe in this case (company listing designs in a particular range)
If a company called Peter Jones (made up name!) has a range called Peter's Pals on their site and then wants to list the designs like this:
Peter's Pals Designs
Is this correct?
Should it be Peter's ...
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1answer
66 views
Syntactical ambiguity in introductory phrase reference: reference to main verb vs. object
Motivated by A, we outline our proposal for B.
Does "Motivated" refer to outline or proposal? It seems to me that a reader could infer one of two statements:
A motivated us to create this outline, ...
1
vote
1answer
49 views
Should I use 'is' or 'are' in ambiguous sentences like this one? [duplicate]
I understand that you should use 'is' for singular and 'are' for plural, but in this sentence I am not sure which applies.
Take the sentence
Bees are an important part of our ecosystem.
Let's say I ...
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1answer
230 views
Three is/are enough?
Should I use a singular or plural verb?
I got another dog because apparently three IS not enough.
Or
I got another dog because apparently three ARE not enough.
1
vote
1answer
34 views
There as grammatical subject
Shouldn’t grammatical subject ‘there’ always have a singular verb because a grammatical subject agrees to verb?
For example, ‘there is two pens in the desk’
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0answers
23 views
No more than 3 is allowed or are allowed?
I am wondering which is correct, is or are? Also 2 is allowed or are allowed?
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1answer
44 views
A large percentage is or are
I found this sentence in a book:
A large percentage of the population smokes too much.
The author treated the phrase 'a large percentage of' as singular. I am so confused with the use of verbs after ...
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0answers
65 views
“Series” – a noun of multitude similar to “lot”, “majority”, “percentage”, “proportion”– verb agreement
According to Garner's fourth edition
Though serving as a plural when the need arises, series is ordinarily
a singular noun. But it is also a noun of
multitude, so that phrases such as a series of ...
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0answers
19 views
How to choose between singular/plural verb in multiple sentences
From my personal standpoint; following trends, trying to understand even little bits of what’s happening around you and the world, reaching out to people, putting yourself in their shoes is crucial in ...
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0answers
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Subject verb agreement when a plural becomes a singular [migrated]
I always get a little confused when it comes to a plural that becomes a singular, as the example below. Which is correct?
The health risks associated with smoking as an intake method, however, are ...
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0answers
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Plural use of Necklace
Why does the last line in the short story The Necklace treat necklace as plural?
Mine were false. They were not worth over five hundred francs!
But the translation by Jonathan Sturges reads:
...my ...
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1answer
55 views
“[Singular noun], and in particular [plural noun], is/are”
I have a sentence following the template above, and I am not sure what is the right verbal form to follow. A specific example could be:
Academia, and in particular professors, [is/are] more concerned ...
1
vote
2answers
45 views
On verb/subject agreement in an inverted sentence
I would like to know general grammatical rules on verb-subject agreement in inverted sentences like the following one:
At stake is much more than just the fortunes of the president.
Although much ...
1
vote
1answer
72 views
Using a verb twice to describe a chain of action
Is the following sentence grammatically correct:
Cats bother dogs bother ducks.
I want to say that cats bother dogs and, also, that dogs bother ducks. Is this a correct way to do so?
If it is, ...
2
votes
1answer
60 views
Are there English toponyms that are pluralia tantum? [closed]
There are toponyms that are pluralia tantum in a few languages. What come off top of my mind are Mediterranean cities in classical languages, such as Athenae and Pompeii. A modern example I can come ...
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1answer
527 views
Does putting an “and” between two verbs alter qualifying clauses?
In the following .. does the 'date clause' apply to one, the other, or both imperatives.
"To confirm your miles balance, just purchase and fly with "airline" or the Partner Airlines to any ...
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2answers
19k views
Shouldn’t we use “lots of” with plural nouns and “a lot of” with singular ones?
Is it correct to say "there are a lot of aspects" like here (see the first comment) or here?
Shouldn't be "lots of" used instead? I was sure that the correct form is "lots of" for the plural form.
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0answers
15 views
Verb agreement with relative pronoun “what” as subject [duplicate]
The following construction can be found in one of the post in the ELU.
remembering that the heart fibrils are what vibrate abnormally to cause a heart attack
The verb "to vibrate" is in ...
1
vote
1answer
43 views
Matching nouns to verbs
In this sentence:
We seek to provide a platform through social media and gallery showings that enhances the visibility of our members and the collective.
Shouldn’t it be “enhance” without the s?
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4answers
2k views
“He would have done anything you [would ask/would have asked/had asked] him to”
I want to say "He'll do anything you ask him to" but in the past tense, as that was the case 10 years ago, but he's not like that anymore. Which of the following should I use?
He would have done ...
0
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1answer
51 views
Is there a linguistic reason why we sometimes use a singular pronoun and verb even when it refers to a plural subject? [duplicate]
Here is the exact quote from Why is a Red Herring Red? by Mitchell Symons (2020):
Consequently, when the herd is hunted, it is the slowest and weakest ones at the back that are killed first.
43
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6answers
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Which is correct: “special thanks go to” or “special thanks goes to”?
what is grammatically correct:
Special thanks go to Tom...
Special thanks goes to Tom...
IMHO I'd say thanks is one of those plural nouns which implies it requires go but I'm not sure.
It's for the ...
17
votes
3answers
6k views
“The back of his pants is/are…”
I understand that some nouns can only take the plural form (glasses, shorts, jeans, etc.) and so they take a plural verb. But in a sentence like "the back of his pants..." or "the side of his glasses.....
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1answer
23 views
What are the subject and verb pairs in the sentence given
"New York once had two competing political parties, which provided checks on extreme populist ideas."
Per my conclusion i happened to identify the following pairs: S1:New York, V1:had ; S2: ...
0
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1answer
37 views
Subject verb agreement in case of sentences having “along with” [duplicate]
In my text, for the question, The dog along with his master ___ for a walk.,
the answer is marked as "are going"
And for another question, The dog, along with his master, ______ for a walk.,
...
0
votes
2answers
52 views
Answer should be 'her' or 'their'? [duplicate]
Neither Nancy nor Loma remembered to bring _______ camera ]
Her
Their
Them
Neither
In this questions option C "their" was given correct answer but I need an explanation to it as I read the ...
0
votes
1answer
58 views
Verbal agreement of “more of + plural noun”
Here Are More Of The Most Amazing Images Of Cars
Is the sentence grammatical?
Shouldn't it concoord is with the uncountable more (of), instead of its current plural are?
According to Microsoft® ...
1
vote
1answer
29 views
Comparison (using Ellipsis)
I am trying to figure out when do we need to use an action verb explicitly and when can we omit it using the (ellipsis concept). For Example:
John is taller than Jim [is] (I understood that here is ...
0
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2answers
10k views
“This paper, combined with some glue” — singular or plural?
If I have an item, combined with another item, is it still a singular subject in the sentence? For example:
This paper, combined with some glue, makes for an afternoon of art projects.
This ...
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votes
2answers
48 views
Should the pronoun “you” always take a plural verb? [duplicate]
I'm writing a song, and I'd like to know if the pronoun "you" should always take a plural form.
I wrote these two lines:
It's You who never lies
It's You who purifies
I think it sounds wrong ...
2
votes
2answers
39 views
Subject-Verb Agreement - Has or have?
Dear users of StackExchange
I came across this sentence which can be seen below:
"Finding quiet places have become very difficult in today’s noisy society."
I found the sentence on a website ...
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0answers
20 views
Is this identified as plural or singular? [duplicate]
"The set of mental processes"
is/are ?
Thanks.
0
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1answer
35 views
Singular/Plural forms for is/are [duplicate]
All that is needed are angle brackets.
All that are needed is angle brackets.
For some reason the first sounds better to my ears. Any help on why (or how I am wrong) is appreciated.
0
votes
2answers
561 views
Is this a subject verb agreement error?
My English teacher says that the following is an "agreement" (which I assume means subject-verb agreement) error. He underlined the bolded parts of the sentence.
According to Political Research ...
0
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1answer
35 views
Why we don't add “s” to the verb in this sentence? [duplicate]
I came across this question in one of the English standardize tests in my country:
It is required that the new student _____ in an extra English conversation course.
enroll
enrolled
will enroll
would ...
0
votes
1answer
103 views
Two gerunds and singular or plural verb?
What are the rules regarding two gerunds that are related to the same noun such as:
Taking and filming hikes make me tick
or
Taking and filming hikes makes me tick
Which one is correct?
-1
votes
1answer
27 views
Is it correct to paraphrase “the most” as “one of the most”
I just want to know if I have paraphrased the following accurately or is there another way to paraphrase it?
The original sentence is:
Our previous study also demonstrated that PCP was the most ...
1
vote
2answers
31 views
Is the possessive “its” or “their” after “all of the country's states and territories”?
Which statement is correct?
All of the country's states and territories imposed travel restrictions on its residents.
All of the country's states and territories imposed travel restrictions on their ...
2
votes
3answers
3k views
Is it grammatically correct - “Her and her looney boyfriend nicked my truck of cigarettes and drove it in the river.”
Is it grammatically correct - "Her and her looney boyfriend nicked my truck of cigarettes and drove it into the river. Just for a laugh."
Is that first word 'Her' as a subject grammatically correct? ...
0
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1answer
18 views
Use of is/are in a sentence with list
Her compassion and devotion is/are second to none.
I'm guessing "is" since "Her" is singular?
"Are" just sounds better.
1
vote
2answers
116 views
Can the word “fruit” be used as an invariant plural as in “the fruit are” and “two fruit”? [duplicate]
Background:
Over here on this forum for English speakers learning Chinese, there is debate on which ones among the following are correct English:
the fruit is
the fruits are
the fruit are *?
Other ...
0
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1answer
204 views
Singular entity, plural name/nickname — verb form?
In writing about the National Archives, I got to wondering about subject-verb agreement. The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA, often called simply The National Archives) is one ...
4
votes
3answers
1k views
“One of the most crucial problems that…”—“exists” or “exist”?
Which one of the following sentences is correct?
One of the most crucial problems that exist in industrial countries such as ...
One of the most crucial problems that exists in industrial countries ...
1
vote
1answer
61 views
LESS (noun): “Hundreds of soldiers arrive, but less [of them] remain(s)”
LESS (noun) "a smaller amount or quantity":
Hundreds of soldiers arrived, but less of them remained.
https://www.wordreference.com/definition/least
What would be the correct agreement for ...
1
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1answer
54 views
Why the phrase “That this House do now adjourn” contains “do” and not “does”?
In the UK parliament and also many other parliaments, there is an adjournment debate. It is a debate on the motion, "That this House do now adjourn."
I assume that this is an example of ...
0
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1answer
40 views
many a: distributive idiom
According to Garner's fourth edition, there is many a person is the correct verbal agreement because many a is a distributive rather than aggregate idiom.
What does the author refer to by the ...
0
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1answer
17 views
Is the sentence “for feedbacks given by ourself, there need to be measurable goals” grammatically correct?
I would like the convey the message that feedbacks given by ourselves as individuals (ourself) need to have measurable goals.
Is the usage of 'ourself' correct?
Is the verb 'need' agreeing with the ...
-1
votes
1answer
36 views
“Is” or “are” when linking two subjects with different plurality [duplicate]
How should this sentence be written?
The crux of the problem is the two trees in the way.
The crux of the problem are the two trees in the way.
The cruxes of the problem are the two trees in the way.
...
