CONCORD - THE BASICS
I compiled this set of BASIC CONCORD RULES for one of my English classes in 2012.
May they be of some assistance...
What is concord?
In any sentence the verb must agree with its subject in number. That means that a singular subject must have a singular verb and a plural subject must have a plural verb, as in the following examples:
SINGULAR | PLURAL |
The horse (singular) IS in the stable. | The horses (plural) ARE in the stable. |
I (singular) WAS going to town. CONCORD RULES | We (plural) WERE going to town. |
1. TWO SINGULAR SUBJECTS JOINED BY AND TAKE A PLURAL VERB.
Tom and Dick are brothers.
Both Mary and Ann were at home.
2. SINGULAR NOUNS COMBINED TO FORM ONE IDEA WITH A SINGULAR MEANING, TAKE A SINGULAR VERB.
Bread and butter is all I will be having for breakfast.
Curry and rice is my favourite dish.
3. WHEN TWO SINGULAR SUBJECTS SEPARATED BY/ JOINED BY EITHER … OR OR NEITHER … NOR, THE VERB AGREES WITH THE NOUN CLOSEST TO THE VERB.
Either Nancy or Emily is coming.
Neither the boy nor his parents were at home.
4. A SINGULAR SUBJECT WHICH HAS A PHRASE BEGINNIG WITH LIKE, WITH OR AS WELL AS ADDED TO IT THE VERB AGREES WITH THE NOUN THAT STANDS FIRST.
5. WHEN A SUBJECT IS FOLLOWED BY SOME INFORMATION IN BETWEEN COMMAS, THE VERB AGREES WITH THE SUBJECT AT THE BEGINNING – IGNORE WHAT IS IN BETWEEN COMMAS.
Tom, with two others, is going.
Edna, like her sister, is clever.
James, as well as the rest of the class, has forgotten to do his homework.
6. THE NOUNS NEWS, PHYSICS, MATHEMATICS, POLITICS, CHICKENPOX (AND A FEW OTHERS) TAKE A SINGULAR VERB.
The news is bad.
Mathematics is taught by Ms Bothma.
7. THE NOUNS SPORTS, ATHLETICS, TROUSERS, SHEARS, SCISSORS, SHORTS, POLITICS, PANTS, SHORTS, PYJAMAS, PLIERS, CLIPPERS, COMPASSES, BELLOWS, PINCERS, TONGS, TWEEZERS, SPECTACLES, THANKS, (AND A FEW OTHERS) TAKE PLURAL VERBS,
BUT WHEN THESE NOUNS ARE REFERRED TO AS A PAIR OF, THEN THEY BECOME SINGULAR.
Our sports were held in February.
My trousers are dirty. - A pair of trousers costs R99.99.
Athletics are popular.
8. IN ALTERNATIVE SUBJECTS (I.E. TWO SUBJECTS JOINED BY OR, THE VERB TAKES THE NUMBER OF THE ALTERNATIVE SUBJECT NEAREST IT – THE VERB AGREES WITH THE CLOSEST NOUN.
The boy or the girls are to do the work.
Is the boy or the girls to be blamed?
9. EXPRESSIONS SUCH AS EACH OF, EITHER OF, NEITHER OF, ONE OF, NOT ONE OF, EVERY ONE OF AND WORDS SUCH AS EVERY, ANYBODY, ANYONE, EVERYBODY, EVERYONE, NOBODY, NO-ONE, SOMEBODY, SOMEONE TAKE A SINGULAR VERB.
Each of the boys has a pen and a pencil.
Either of the girls is to blame.
Neither of the dogs is mine.
10. NONE MAY TAKE EITHER A SINGULAR OR A PLURAL VERB.
11. SOME NOUNS OF MULTITUDE ALWAYS TAKE A PLURAL VERB, E.G. CATTLE, VERMIN, POULTRY, PEOPLE, BUT GAME, FRUIT AND BUCK ARE ALWAYS SINGULAR.
These cattle are my father’s.
The poultry are doing well.
12. OTHERS, SUCH AS GOVERNMENT, COUNCIL, ARMY, FLEET, COMPANY, NUMBER, CROWD, PACK, PARTY, ETC. MAY TAKE EITHER A SINGULAR OR A PLURAL VERB. IF SUCH A NOUN STANDS FOR A SINGLE GROUP, IT TAKES A SINGULAR VERB. THUS, A COLLECTIVE NOUN IS SINGULAR WHEN A GROUP ACTS AS A GROUP/WHOLE/ONE UNIT.
The Governing Body is in agreement about the appointment.
The government has tried to help the poor.
13. WHEN THE NOUN STANDS FOR ALL THE INDIVIDUALS WHICH MAKE UP THE GROUP, IT TAKES A PLURAL VERB. THUS, A PLURAL VERB IS USED WHEN THE GROUP IS NOT ACTING AS A WHOLE/ NOT IN AGREEMENT.
The Council are not agreeing about the suggestion.
14. CARE MUST BE TAKEN WHEN THE VERB STANDS BEFORE THE SUBJECT.
Yesterday there were a table and two chairs in this room.
For the first time this quarter there were a boy and a girl late or school.
On the table are a pen and a pencil.
15. THE WORDS HEAPS AND LOTS, MEANING A GREAT AMOUNT, ARE NOT GOOD ENGLISH. THE ARE SOMETIMES USED IN DIRECT SPEECH TO GIVE THE PERSON’S OWN WORDS. A FRACTION OF A SINGULAR NOUN IS SINGULAR, AND A FRACTION OF A PLURAL NOUN IS PLURAL. FEW IS PLURAL.
There is heaps of time.
There is lots to do.
There are heaps of cups.
There are lots of rats in the shed.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
I compiled this so long ago that I can honestly not remember which books I used. For this, I apologise. Please forgive me.
CONCORD EXERCISES
I cite the textbooks used directly below the exercises, followed by the answers. Try to first complete the exercise before looking at the answers.
Exercise 1
Fill in DO or DOES so that the verb agrees with its subject in number and person. 1.
1. ... either of these book belong to you, Amy?
2. Our family ... not watch television every night.
3. The mare and the foal ... not belong to us.
4. The mare, as well as the foal, ... not belong to us.
5. ... Lydia, like her sister, play the piano?
6. Mathematics ... not interest her at all.
7. There are few who ... not admire him.
8. One of my sisters ... not like papaws.
9. ... anybody know in which street Jeremy lives?
10. ... the baboons often raid your orchard?
Barnes, A., 1977. English Made Easy 7. Cape Town: Nasou, pp.19-20.
ANSWERS
1. Does; 2. does; 3. do; 4. does; 5. Does; 6. do; 7. do; 8. does; 9. Does; 10. Do - Please not that where the word is at the beginning of a sentence, the answer is written with a capital letter.
Exercise 2
Fill in DO or DOES so that the verb agrees with its subject in number and person. 1.
1. ... either of these book belong to you, Amy?
2. Our family ... not watch television every night.
3. The mare and the foal ... not belong to us.
4. The mare, as well as the foal, ... not belong to us.
5. ... Lydia, like her sister, play the piano?
6. Mathematics ... not interest her at all.
7. There are few who ... not admire him.
8. One of my sisters ... not like papaws.
9. ... anybody know in which street Jeremy lives?
10. ... the baboons often raid your orchard?
Barnes, A., 1977. English Made Easy 7. Cape Town: Nasou, pp.19-20.
1. Does; 2. does; 3. do; 4. does; 5. Does; 6. do; 7. do; 8. does; 9. Does; 10. Do - Please not that where the word is at the beginning of a sentence, the answer is written with a capital letter.