agreement between subject and verb Flashcards
(18 cards)
agreement between verb and subject 1
- if the subject is a clause, we use a singular verb: to keep these animals in captivity is inhuman;
- if we use a what-clause as subject, we use a singular verb if the following main noun is singular, and a plural verb if the following main noun is plural: what worries us is the poor selection process; what is needed are additional resources
- nouns referring to groups of some kind(committee, council, community) :1. individuals do : the committee raise their hands; 2. the school is to close next year - will happen to school , not individual people (face closure)
extremely cruel
inhuman : be subjected to inhuman and degrading treatment
resources collocations
natural/energy resources, limited/scarce resources, a valuable resource, have the resources to do sth, use resources efficiently; an invaluable resource, a teaching resource
Despite being rich in resources like timber and minerals, the country’s outlook is bleak
agreement between subject and verb 2
- any of, each of, either of, neither of, none of + a plural noun - singular
- a/the majority of, a number of, a lot of, plenty of, all (of) and some (of) + a plural noun/pronoun - plural ; the number- singular: a number of refugees have been deported; the number of books has risen to ..
- one of+a plural noun - singular, one of+plural noun+who-plural
- any of, none of, the majority of, a lot of, plenty of, all of, some of + an uncountable noun - singular
- every/each+a singular noun/x and y - singular
- every….,body…, -thing… - singulat
either and neither and verb agreement
if the last item is singular - singular
if the last item is plural- plural
to be or considered as sth
constitute
this latest defeat constitutes a major setback for the company,
constitute a breach of duty, constitute a major blow to, constitute a challenge
- be part of sth: constitute a great proportion of sth, constitute … percent of the population
which nouns take a plural verb (list plural nouns)
earnings, belongings, clothes, congratulations, goods, outskirts, overheads, particulars, premises, riches, savings, stairs, surroundings, thanks
- police and people take a plural verb
whereabouts can be used with either a sing. or a plur. verb
goods colloc
use the Internet to sell goods and deliver services
discount on electrical goods, manufacture/export goods
expenditure on heating, rent etc.
overheads
cut/reduce/slash overheads, high/increased/low/reduced overheads, overhead costs/expenses
One way of increasing profit margins is to cut overhead costs.
details -
particulars
supply full particulars, further particulars
location-
premises
relocate to new premises, on school premises, on/off the premises
whereabouts- police believe that he is currently hiding out in Brazil, although his exact whereabouts are /is unknown
wealth
riches
common mistakes with plural/singular nouns with colloc
- datum - singular, data - plural
all the data are available (at hand) for public inspection; the data show that Hispanics constitute more than 80 percent of the agricultural workforce
financial/personal/sales data , provide/collect
the fact is a datum worth taking into account - medium, media
the local/national media, media coverage/attention: the issue has ben extensively discussed in the media;
television is the most powerful medium available/ products are the medium for communication between corporations and the market/advertise through the medium of direct mail;
the broadcasting/print medium, through the medium of, act as a medium of; - criterion , criteria
i agree that the criteria are not of equal importance;
meet certain environmental criteria/selection criteria;
a further criterion needs to be considered/a paramount criterion for, academic ability is not the sole criterion for allocating funds - phenomenon, phenomena
a rare/natural phenomenon
means of colloc
means of communication,
whats linguistics
the scientific study of human language; it is called a scientific study because it entails a comprehensive, systematic, objective and precise analysis of all aspects of language
no winners/when competitors are on the same level
dead heat
end in a dead heat; be in a dead heat
compound nouns; when is the first noun singular/plural? ‘s and prepositions
- when the first noun only has a plural form(a savings account, a customs officer, the arms trade, a glasses case , an arts festival)
-we refer to an institution /industry or department which deals with more than one kind of item; the publications department - noun+’s+noun: when the first noun is the user of the second(a baby’s bedroom, a women’s clinic ), when the item in the second noun is produced by the thing in the first(goat’s cheese, BUT lamb chops, chicken drumsticks), when we talk abt parts(a woman’s face BUT a computer keyboard/ a pen top)
- preposition: container with its contents a cup of tea)
compound noun made up of verbs(with examples)
break out of prison- there was a major break-out from the prison
countable compound nouns have a plural form ending in-s
read-out (read sth out- read aloud) a read-out of the results of the test - on a computer screen
push-up, intake(a sharp intake of breath, daily intake of), outcome(hinge on the outcome), have a family get-together, a short stopover in, allegations of a cover up
exceptions: onlookers, runners-up, passers-by, hangers-on
- a state-of-the-art - modern- a state-of-the-art tablet computer/technology/equipment/facilities /
up-to-date information,
day-to-day running of the company/problems/responsibilities/expenditure such as household goods/ be in touch with clients on a day-to-day basis
middle-of-the-road - not politically extreme - middle-of-the-road policy/voters
round the clock-all might and day- work round the clock, round-the-clock care/protection
step-by-step instructions/ a step-by-step guide to installing the software
once-in-a-lifetime experience/opportunity
down-to-earth approach
the man/woman in the street - to appeal to the typical man in the street
a larger than life person
