Agreement

The Singular Verb

compound subjects taken as single unit
o Time and tide waits for no man.
o The Stars and Stripes is being raised.
subjects referring to amount, quantity, distance, and number
o Two thousand dollars is what she has been able to save after having worked for a
year. (amount)
o Twenty is enough. (number)
o Two km is not too far to walk. (distance)
titles and names of countries
o Manwatching is an interesting book. (title)
o The Netherlands grows a lot of tulips. (name of a country)
these words ending in s: athletics, billiards, corps, draughts, ethics, economics,
mathematics, politics, news
o Politics is intriguing.
o Mathematics helps him make his fortune.
many a
o Many a kind man has led fruitful lives.
the number
o The number of dengue fever cases has dropped drastically during the hot, dry
month.
with, together with, like, as well as
o The newly-wed bride with her best friend was trapped in a stalled lift.
o The Member of Parliament, together with three of his assistants, was shaking hands
with everybody.
o Jane, like her sister, is extremely attractive.
o Peter as well as his cousin, Jack, loves keeping pets.
each, every, everybody, anybody, nobody, one of
o Each litter bug is fined $100.
o Every customer receives a free gift.
o Everybody is expected to contribute a months pay to the project.
o Anybody above twelve is allowed to participate in the programme.
o Nobody knows the extent of damage to the computer system after the fire.
o One of the officers knows the combination code to the office safe.
the only
o She is the only one who supports the suggestion of the young executive.
o She is the only one who understands Tom.

The Plural Verb

a compound subject (two or more subjects linked by and)
o The new tractor and the harvester have proved a great help to the old farmer.
o Good vases and urns are sold in this shop.
 subject referring to a multiple number
o Fifty thousand litres of crude oil were spilled into the ocean.
o Five containers of apple were shipped from China. (c.f. Five apples were given to
each family.)
o Six more days were needed before that vital bridge spanning across the River Kwai
could be completed.
police, cattle, people
o The police have arrived.
o Those sturdy cattle are raised from good pasture land.
o A lot of people enjoy reading.
a number
o A number of stray dogs have made their home in the vacant land near the reservoir/
one of those
o She is one of those who love sea sports.

Singular/Plural Verbs
collective nouns
o as a single unit, use singular verbs
The average family has four members.
The ballet class is small.
o as several units, use plural verbs
Since their last concert, the band have not decided on where to play. (c.f. The
band has three members.)
The audience were moved by his rendition of the tragic song, many could
barely control their tears.
either or and neither nor
o linked to a singular subject, use singular verbs
Either the managing director or CEO keeps the blueprint of the new machine.
(all singular)
Neither the officer nor the sergeant knows anything about the recruits
disappearance.
o linked to plural subjects, use plural verbs
Either the coach or the players have the right to forgo the game.
Neither the officers nor the workers know about the dismal financial situation
of their country.
none
o in formal use, use singular verbs
I wanted to buy a painting by an Indonesian artist but none was available at
the exhibition.
o in informal, colloquial, literary use, use plural verbs
There are none so cruel as those who kill animals for sport.
all, half, means, a lot of
o All
All is well.
All are welcome.
o Half
 Half a loaf is given to each refugee.
As a result of the massive jam, half the fruits transported in the stalled lorries
have rotted away.
o Means
Every means was tried to save the dying patient.
All means have been thought of to fight the forest fires.
o A lot of
A lot of work has to be done to restore this old building to its former glory.
A lot of trees were cut down with careless abandon by the logging
companies.
Articles
Articles are words such as a, an, and the. They perform the work of adjectives because they
modify nouns.
Please wait at the corner.
There is an elephant there.
There are two types of articles: indefinite and definite.
A and an are known as indefinite articles because they are used with nouns that have an
indefinite or a general sense.
o There is a cake in the box.
o We will buy a cake tomorrow.
The is the definite article because it is used with nouns which have a definite or particular
sense.
o The cake in the box costs $50.
o Is this the cake you wanted?
We can combine the use of a and the.
o There is a cake in the box. Is that the cake you wanted? The cake costs $50.
o We will buy another cake tomorrow. Having a cake is fun.

Functions of the
The is used when we wish to refer forward to the specification of a noun.
o the majority of people
o the harsh condition of the prison
o the mystery of the Loch Ness Monster
o the unexpected discovery of the will
The is used as a backward reference device to something.
o Bruno has hurt himself. The silly dog hurt himself while trying to climb a tree.
o Some new writings were discovered. The writings give us information on a lost
civilization.
The is used before the names of mountains, races, unique nouns, business and
government departments and superlatives.
Names of Mountains the Himalayas, the Alps, the Andes, the Urals
Races the Eskimos, the English, the Chinese, the Malays
Unique nouns the sun, the moon, the sky, the world
Business and The Automobile Association is at River Valley Road.
government The Ministry of Culture is in charge of all entertainment venues.
departments The Hong Kong and Shanghai Bank does most of its business in
Hong Kong.
The University of New Mexico is accepting students now.
Superlatives the fastest runner in the world, the greatest magic show of all
time, the most humorous comedian, the longest movie ever
made

Exceptions: when the Article is unnecessary

 We do not use the if we use uncountable nouns that refer to certain ideas or things in
general.
o Health is precious. (Health in general)
The health of this child is important. (Here the is particularized)
o Education is an important priority. (Education in general)
The education of children is important. (Here the is particularized)
We do not use articles before plural nouns that refer to all members of a class of things
or people.
o Frogs can live in land or water. (i.e. all frogs)
o Mammals are warm-blooded (i.e. all mammals)
We do not use articles when we refer to an indefinite number of things or people of a
particular category (i.e. some representatives of a particular category).
o We saw dolphins and sharks in the aquarium. (i.e. an indefinite number of dolphins
and sharks)
o There are gatecrashers at the party, (i.e. the exact number of gatecrashers is not
known)
In addition, we do not use the before the majority of place names, languages, games,
proper nouns, fields of study and certain illnesses/complaints.
Do not use the before Examples
Place names which are personal Metro, MacDonalds, Orchard Road
e.g. cinemas, department stores,
restaurants
Languages He is Learning English.
Games Will you be playing tennis?
Proper Nouns When I was in Kuala Lumpur, we went for a cruise
at Port Klang.
Fields of Study physics, mathematics, sociolinguistics
Illnesses/Complaints influenza, acne, appendicitis, cancer, cholera,
malaria, tuberculosis, pneumonia
e.g. He contracted liver cancer.
Use a before the following illnesses: a headache, a
fever, a cold, a stroke, a ulcer, a bruise, a broken
[something], a sore throat, a fractured [something],
an attack of [something]
e.g. The teacher has a splitting headache.