- A verb must agree with its subject in number and in person.
- Use a singular verb with certain pronouns: ''each,'' "everyone,''
"neither,'' "not one,'' "no one.''
- "Here'' and "there,'' though often in the subject
position, are not subjects.
- A prepositional phrase following the subject does not affect
the number of the subject.
- Certain words not ending in "s'' are plurals: "phenomena,''
"media,'' "criteria,'' "data.''
- Certain words ending in "s'' are actually singular.
Most of them end in "-ics'': "politics,'' "semantics,''
"athletics,'' "ethics.''
- Names of diseases ending in "s'' are generally considered
singular: "mumps,'' "measles,'' "rabies.''
- A numbered amount, like "fifty miles,'' is considered
singular if the writer has only the one amount in mind, not the
individual parts of the amount.
- Collective nouns are generally taken as singular these days,
though they may be taken as plural if the writer is thinking
of the individual actions of the members of the group.
- The verb "to be'' agrees with the noun or pronoun in
the subject position.
- The pronouns "which,'' "who,'' and "that''
can be singular or plural depending on what they refer to.
- Compound subjects joined by "and'' are plural.
- Verbs agreeing with compound subjects joined by "or,''
"either . . . or,'' or "neither . . . nor'' agree with
the part of the subject nearer the verb.
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