Indefinite Pronouns and Compound Subjects

Name Date:

English 7Per:

Subject Verb Agreement

Indefinite Pronouns

Certain pronouns do not refer to a definite person, place, thing, or idea and, therefore, are called indefinite pronouns.

You should learn the number of all the indefinite pronouns so that you will not make an error in agreement when an indefinite pronoun is the subject of the sentence.

The following common pronouns are singular and take singular verbs:

each, either, neither, one, everyone, everybody, no one, nobody, anyone, anybody, someone, somebody.

As the examples below indicate, pronouns like each and one are frequently followed by prepositional phrases. Remember that the verb agrees with the subject of the sentence, not a word in prepositional phrase

One of the chairs looks comfortable

Either of the answers is correct

Everyone with passports was accepted.

Neither of these satisfies me.

Someone in the stands has been waving at us.

The following common pronouns are plural and take plural verbs:

both, few, several, many.

The words some, any, none, all, and most may be either singular or plural.

This rule is a an exception to the prepositional phrase rule because the number of the subjects some, any, none, all, and most is determined by a word in the prepositional phrase that follows the subject. If the word the subject refers to is singular, the subject is singular; if the word is plural, the subject is plural.

Examples:

All of my fans rush home.

All of my work is finished.

Some of the birds have gone south.

Some of the glare has disappeared.

Practice examples

–All of the flags (is, are) on display

–Each of the flags (has, have) a special design.

–Someone in this group (is, are) a jogger.

–Some of our artists (uses, use) strange materials.

–One of our modern painters (places, place) real buttons on the canvas where the buttons on clothes would be.

–Many of them (works, work) with sawdust, nails, and sand.

–One of Georgia O’Keeffe’s paintings (shows, show) an animal’s skull.

Compound Subjects

Most compound subjects which are joined by and name more than one person or thing; therefore, they are plural and require a plural verb.

Subjects joined by and are plural and take a plural verb.

Antonia Brico and Sarah Cladwell are famous conductors.

Last year a library and a museum were built in our town.

If the items in a compound subject actually refer to only one person or are thought of as one thing, the verb is singular.

The captain and quarterback of the team is the speaker.

Chicken and dumplingsis a favorite Southern dish.

Practice

March and April (is, are) windy months.

My mother and the mechanic (is, are) discussing the bill.

Virginia Wade and Tracy Austin (plays, play) today.

Cake and ice cream (is, are) my favorite dessert.

(Does, Do) Carla and Jean take dancing lessons?

When a singular subject and a plural subject are joined by or or nor, the verb agrees with the nearer subject.

Either Joan or her friends are mistaken.

Neither the players nor the directorwas on time to rehearsal.

Practice

Either the mayor or the city treasurer (is, are) scheduled to speak at the ceremony.

Teresa and her sister (has, have) a valuable record collection.

The Weinbergs or their cousin (owns, own) the new house on Elm Street.

Neither John nor Herbert (has, have) the slightest interest in table manners.

Name ______Date:

English 7Per:

Subject Verb Agreement

Sheet #2

If the verb agrees with the subject, write C after the proper number your paper. If the verb does not agree with the subject, write the correct form of the verb on the paper. Some sentences have more than one verb for you to consider.

1)Each of the math problems take twenty minutes to solve.

2)Some of the spectators are already leaving.

3)Neither of your arguments are very convincing.

4)All of the time-outs have been used.

5)No one on the highways are exempt from traffic rules.

6)Several of the group has taken the trip before.

7)No one without a dictionary is prepared for this assignment.

8)Most of the storm damage was reported to be along the coast.

9)Only one of the contestants are qualified.

10)Plants in good soil often live many years.

Choose the correct answer from the parentheses the verb that agrees with the subject and write it on your paper.

1)Everyone in the class (wants, want) to learn more about astronomy.

2)The stars and the planets (has, have) always fascinated people.

3)A story from ancient times (says, say) that two Chinese astronomers were put to death in 2137 B.C.E. for failing to predict an eclipse correctly.

4)The astronomer in many cases (was, were) also skilled in astrology.

(over)

5)The court astronomer or astrologer (was, were) highly honored in Babylonia, China, Greece, and Rome.

6)Of course, one of the astronomer’s main duties (was, were) to predict future events.

7)Many of their records (presents, present) interesting information about the astronomy of the time.

8)Today, almost everyone in the world (is, are) interested in space projects.

9)Yet few of us (knows, know) that in 1609 Johannes Kepler published plans for a voyage to the moon.

10)His ideas on space travel (is, are) suggested in Kepler’s work.