SENTENCE : SUBJECT + VERB
Perlu diketahui, bahwa kalimat itu minimal terdiri dari SUBJECT & VERB. Secara alami otak kita membutuhkan subject & verb. Misal, jika hanya subject saja : I. Kita pasti bingung. Supaya tidak bingung, maka harus ditambahkan verb, menjadi : I work. Berikut adalah contohnya.
I
|
I work
|
She
|
She works
|
The car in the garage
|
The car in the garage
|
The man with the black jacket
|
The man with the black jacket is my father
|
The man who is standing before the door
|
The man who is standing before the door is my father
|
BASIC RULE / PRINCIPLE
Singular subjects need singular verbs.
Plural subjects need plural verbs.
Ex :
- My brother is a nutrisionist.
- My sisters are mathematicians.
TIPS AND TRICKS
Note: The tricks is in knowing whether the subject is singular or plural. The next trick is recognizing a singular or plural verb.
RULE 1 : INDEFINITE PRONOUNS
The indefinite pronouns : anyone, everyone, someone, no one, nobody are always singular and, therefore require singular verbs.
- Everyone has done his or her homework.
- Somebody has left her purse.
- Nobody is in the room.
EXCEPTIONS 1 : ALL & SOME
Some indefinite pronouns such as all, some are singular or plural depending on what they’re reffering to (is the thing reffered to countable or not). Be careful when choosing a verb to accompany such pronouns.
- Some of the books are missing.
- Some of the water is gone.
EXCEPTIONS 2 : NONE
None can be singular or plural depending on the noun that follows.
- None of the students are in the class.
- None of the food is fresh.
SPECIAL CASE : EACH
Each is always singular. Don’t be confused / distracted with the prlural nouns following it.
- Each of the students is responsible for his / her homework.
- Each of the cars has different color.
RULE 2 : Together with, As well as, and Along with
Phrases such as together with, as well as, and along with are not the same as and. They don’t add or compund the subject.
- The mayor, as well as his brothers is going to the prison.
- The mayor and his brothers are going to jail.
- My friends, together with Rani, are at school.
Sometimes the subject is separated from the verb by word such as along with, as well as, besides, or not. Ignore these expressions when determining whether to use a singular or plural verb.
Examples :
1. The politician along with newsmen, is expected shortly.
2. Excitement, as well as nervousness, is the cause of her shaking.
RULE 3 : SUBJECT SEPARATED FROM THE VERB / APPOSITIVES
Sometimes modifiers will get between a subject and its verb, but these modifiers must not confuse the agreement between the subject and its verb.
- The mayor, who has been convicted along with his four brothers on four counts of various crimes but who also seems, like a cat, to have several political lives, is finally going to jail.
RULE 4 : THE PRONOUNS OF ADJECTIVE CLAUSE
Sometimes the pronouns who, that or which is the subject of a verb iny bthe middle of the sentence. The pronouns who, that, and which become singular or plural according to the noun directly in front of them. So, if that noun is singular verb. If it is plural, use a plural verb.
- Salma is the scientist who writes bthe reports.
The word in front of who is scientist, which is singular. Therefore use the singular verb writes.
- He is one of man who does the work.
The word in front of who is man, which is plural. Therefore, use the plural verb do.
RULE 5 : EITHER+OR & NEITHER NOR
Or does not conjoin (as and does) : when nor or or is used the subject closer to the verb determines the number of the verb. Whether the subject comes before or after the verb doesn’t matter :
- Either my father or my brothers are going to sell the house.
- Neither my brother nor my father is going to sell the house.
- Are either my brother or my father responsible?
- Is either my father or my brothers responsible?
PRONOUNS : EITHER AND NEITHER
The pronouns neither and either are singular and require singular verbs even though then seem to be referring, in a sense, to two things.
- Neither of the two traffic lights is working.
- Either of us is capable of doing the job.
- Which shirt do you want for Christmas?
- Either is fine with me.
BE CAREFUL!
In informal writing, neither and either sometimes take a plural verb when these pronouns are followed by a prepositional phrase beginning with of. This is particularly true or interrogative constractionys :
“Have either of you two clowns read the assignment?”
“Are either of you baking this seriously?”
RULE 6 : PSEUDO SUBJECT
There and Here
The words there and here are never subjects. The real subject. The real subject come after the verbs.
- There are two reasons [plural subject] for this.
- There is no reason for this.
- Here are two apples.
- Here is the key.
RULE 7 : THIRD PARTY SINGULAR
He, She, it, personal name
- Verbs in the present tense for third-person. Singular subjects (he, she, it and anything those words can stand for : Rani, Dani, the cat, the table) have s-endings. Other verbs do not add s-endings.
- She teaches english
- Rani teaches english.
- The cat eat fish.
- It Eats fish.
Have -> has
- He has good personality
- It has beautiful fur.
REMEMBER!
Add -s / es only to present verbs, not to past or past participle verbs. The past of singular “be” is “was”
Singular present :
- She is here
Singular past :
- She was here
- She takes the offer. (v)
- She tooks the offer. (×)
- She took the offer. (v)
RULE 8 : WORDS END IN -S
#SINGULAR
Some words end in -s appear to be plural but are really singular and require singular verbs.
- The news from the front is bad.
- Measles is a dangerous desease from pregnant women.
#PLURAL
But, some words end in -s appear to be plural and require plural verbs.
- My assets were wiped out in the depression.
- The average worker’s earnings have gone up dramatically.
- Our thanks go to the workers who supported the union.
List of singular words end in -s :
- Deseases : Measles, rabies. Fields and study and
- Occupation : Economics, ethics, linguistics, politics, physics, gymnastics
- Games : Dominoes, darts, charts
Example :
Mathematics is my favourite lessons.
List of plural words end in -s (only with certain meanings) :
- Customs (at the air port, not practices)
- Guts (courage, not intestines)
- Quarters (lodgings, not 1/4s)
- Clothes (garments, not fabrics)
- Goods (merchandise, not the opposite of bad)
- Arms (weapons, not limb)
Example :
The goods are in the warehouse.
NOUNS THAT ARE ALWAYS PLURAL
Pants
Clothes
Binoculars
Jeans
Forceps
Trousers
Tongs
Shorts
Tweezers
Pajamas
Police
Glasses
Scissors
Googles
Example :
The scissors are on the table.
The pair of the jeans needs to be washed.
RULE 9 : FRACTIONAL EXPRESSIONS
Half of, a part of, a percentage of, and so forth.
With words that indicate portions-percent, fraction, part, majority, some, all, none remainder, and so forth -look at the noun in your of phrase (object of the preposition) to determine whether to use a singular or plural verb. If the object of the preposition is singular, use a singular verb. If the object of the preposition is plural, use a plural verb.
Examples :
Fifty percent of the pie has disappeared.
Pie is the object of the preposition of.
Fifty percent of the pies have disappeared.
Pies is the object of the preposition.
One-third of the city is unemployed.
One-third of the people are unemployed.
RULE 10 : NEGATIVE & POSITIVE SUBTJECTS
If your sentence compounds a positive and a negative subjects and one is plural, the other singular, the verb should agree with the positive subject.
- The department members but not the chair have decided not to teach on Valentine’s Day.
- It is not the faculty members but the president who decides this issue.
- It was the speakers, not his ideas, that has provoked the students to riot.
RULE 11 : SUM OF MONEY OR PERIODS
Use a singular verb with sums of money or periods of time.
Examples :
Ten dollars is a high price to pay.
Five years is the maximum sentence for that offense.
