Subject-Verb Agreement with Expressions of Quantity
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| 1) |
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Each, every, and one take a singular verb. |
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Each student has an ID card. |
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Every person needs love. |
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One source of energy is wind. |
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| 2) |
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| Each one of |
+ plural noun + singular verb |
| Every |
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| One of |
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Each (one) of the classes is interesting. |
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Each of the girls is good-looking. |
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Every one of his colleagues is here. |
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Only one of them is tall. |
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| 3) |
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None + of the + non-count nouns + singular verb |
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None of the cream is good. |
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| 4) |
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None + of the + count nouns + plural verb (informal) |
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None + of the + count nouns + singular verb (formal) |
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None of the players are ready. |
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None of the players is ready. |
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| 5) |
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A number of + plural noun + plural verb |
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A number of magazines are laid on the table. |
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The number of + plural noun + singular verb |
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The number of the graduate students is
high this semester. |
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Note: Most quantifiers followed by of
take either a singular
or a plural verb depending on the subject that comes after of. A singular
noun follows a singular verb and a plural noun follows a plural verb. |
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S |
V |
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| Some of the |
bread |
is |
stale |
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S |
V |
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| Some of the |
pictures |
are |
clear. |
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| 6) |
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All indefinite pronouns take singular verbs. |
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| Anybody |
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Anyone |
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Anything |
| Somebody |
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Someone |
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Something |
| Everybody |
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Everyone |
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Everything |
| Nobody |
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No one |
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Nothing |
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Somebody is at the door. |
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Anyone who knows a second language can apply for the position. |
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| 7) |
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Quantifiers Few
a few little a little |
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| Little and a little are used with non-count nouns. A little has a
positive meaning, but little implies a negative meaning. |
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| I have a little money left. |
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(I have some money.) |
| The bottle has (very) little water. |
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(Almost no water) |
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| The word very emphasizes the negative quantity. |
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| Few and a few are used with plural count nouns. A few has a positive
meaning, but few has a negative meaning. |
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| He has a few clothes. |
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(He has some clothes.) |
| He has (very) few friends. |
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(Hardly any, almost no friends.) |
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| 8) |
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The following expressions of quantity are used with plural count
nouns and non-count nouns. |
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a lot of = many (formal)
lots of = many (informal)
plenty of
some
most
no
not any
any |
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These expressions of quantity are used with non-count nouns (coffee, nail, postage).
a great deal
much
less
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| 9) |
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These nouns are always plural and take plural verbs unless a unit
expression accompanies the noun. |
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| police |
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glasses |
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jeans |
| pliers |
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scissors |
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tweezers |
| pants |
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people |
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tongs |
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Her pants are pressed. |
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Those scissors are sharp. |
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A pair of jeans is versatile. |
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| 10) |
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Collective nouns are considered singular and take singular verbs. |
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| staff |
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public |
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organization |
| jury |
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team |
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committee |
| crowd |
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army |
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audience |
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The staff at the university is always helpful. |
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The organization is inviting new members. |
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| Subject Verb Agreement - Prepositional Expressions - Expressions of
Quantity |