SUBJECT/VERB AGREEMENT ERRORS - valdenorenglish@gmail.com

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Bem-vindo de volta a outro post que trata do tópico "SUBJECT/VERB AGREEMENT ERRORS", assunto muito recorrente em questões de vestibulares e concursos públicos.

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QUESTION 1:

Which propositions contain CORRECT sentences?

01. One of my friends likes to cook China food.

02. The people who lives next door asked me to get their mail.

04. There is many reasons to disagree about politics.

08. The number of students in each class vary.

16. Mathematics prepare students for many different careers.

32. Time seems to go quickly during a test.

64. Neither his friends nor Sean wants to miss graduation.

• ANSWER (97)

◼ 01. One of my friends likes to cook China food.

◼ 02. The people who lives next door asked me to get their mail.(subject/verb agreement error)

◼ 04. There is many reasons to disagree about politics.(subject/verb agreement error)

◼ 08. The number of students in each class vary.(subject/verb agreement error)

◼ 16. Mathematics prepare students for many different careers.(subject/verb agreement error)

◼ 32. Time seems to go quickly during a test.

◼ 64. Neither his friends nor Sean wants to miss graduation.

➧ EXPLANATIONS:

• In sentence (01), ONE(singular) and LIKES(singular). So, the verb correctly agrees with the subject of the clause.

• In sentence (02), PEOPLE(plural) and LIVES(singular), there is a subject/verb agreement error. The correct sentence is: The people who live next door asked me to get their mail.

• In sentence (04), REASONS(plural) and IS(singular), there is a subject/verb agreement error. The correct sentence is: There are many reasons to disagree about politics.

• In sentence (08), NUMBER(singular) and VARY(plural), therefore, there is a subject/verb agreement error. The correct sentence is: The number of students in each class varies.

REMEMBER THAT: When the subject of the sentence is an abstract idea (examples: honor, number, justice, patriotism, friendship) then the verb is singular.

• In sentence (16), MATHEMATICS(singular) and PREPARE(plural), there is a subject/verb agreement error. The correct sentence is: Mathematics prepares students for many different careers. 

REMEMBER THAT: The subject ends in an –s but is singular in meaning (Examples: mathematics, physics, economics, ethics).

• In sentence (32), TIME(singular) and SEEMS(singular). So, the verb correctly agrees with the subject of the clause.

REMEMBER THAT: When the subject is an uncountable noun(Examples: rice, water, grass, money, snow, time), the verb is singular.

• In sentence (64), SEAN(singular) and WANTS(plural). So, the verb correctly agrees with the subject of the clause.

REMEMBER THAT: In PAIRED CONJUNTIONS, the verb agrees with the nearest noun

- Examples of PAIRED CONJUNTIONS(conjunções pareadas):

• either - or 

• neither - nor

• not - only

• but - also

• not - but.

QUESTION 2:

Which propositions contain CORRECT sentences?

01. Five dollars are a lot of money.

02. Dollars are often used instead of rubles in Russia.

04. Each of these hot dogs are juicy.

08. Everybody knows Mr. Jones.

16. The news are on at six.

32. These scissors are dull.

64. The crew are preparing to dock the ship.

• ANSWER (42)

◼ 01. Five dollars are a lot of money.

◼ 02. Dollars are often used instead of rubles in Russia.

◼ 04. Each of these hot dogs are juicy.

◼ 08. Everybody knows Mr. Jones.

◼ 16. The news are on at six.

◼ 32. These scissors are dull.

◼ 64. The crew are preparing to dock the ship.

➧ EXPLANATIONS:

- The word dollars is a special case. When talking about an amount of money, it requires a singular verb, but when referring to the dollars themselves, a plural verb is required.

- The words each, each one, either, neither, everyone, everybody, anybody, anyone, nobody, somebody, someone, and no one are singular and require a singular verb.

- Nouns such as civics, mathematics, measles, and news require singular verbs.

- Nouns such as scissors, tweezers, trousers, and shears require plural verbs. (There are two parts to these things.)

- Collective nouns are words that imply more than one person but that are considered singular and take a singular verb, such as group, team, committee, class, and family.

QUESTION 3: Check the alternative that best completes the gap in the following sentence.

The Chef tasted your food and said it _____ too salty.

(A) Tastes.

(B) Tasted.

(C) Taste.

(D) Tasting.

• ANSWER (A)

The Chef tasted your food and said it _____ too salty.

◼ (A) Tastes. 

◼ (B) Tasted.(verb tense error)

◼ (C) Taste.(subject/verb agreement error)

◼ (D) Tasting.(verb tense error)

➧ EXPLANATIONS:

- "TASTES" is in the simple present, in the 3rd person singular, and "TASTES" agrees with the singular subject "IT".

- So the full sentence is: The Chef tasted your food and said it tastes too salty.(O Chef provou sua comida e disse que ela tem um gosto muito salgado.)

- PAY ATTENTION:

• The subject of a sentence is the actor/idea of a sentence.

• The verb is the action or state of being of the subject.

• Subjects and verbs need to agree in number, which is known as singular or plural.

• A subject/verb agreement error occurs when the subject and verb of a sentence do not agree in number.

• Singular Subject + Singular Verb = Agreement

• Plural Subject + Plural Verb = Agreement