Concord in English Made Easy: Animated Explainer for 10th Graders

Welcome to our lesson on subject-verb agreement!The basic rule of subject-verb agreement is simple: subjects and verbs must match in number.Let's look at some simple examples. When we have a singular subject like 'the dog', we use a singular verb form 'barks'.But when the subject becomes plural, like 'the dogs', we use the plural verb form 'bark'.Now, let's look at common singular pronouns. These always take singular verb forms.Collective nouns can be tricky because they represent groups but are treated as singular.A team is considered one unit, even though it consists of many players.Similarly, a family is treated as singular, despite having multiple members.And a class takes a singular verb, even though it contains many students.Let's practice identifying correct subject-verb agreement with some examples.'The crowd cheers loudly' is correct - crowd is singular.'The team are playing' is incorrect - team is singular, so it should be 'is playing'.'The orchestra performs tonight' is correct - orchestra is singular.When we join subjects with 'and', we use plural verbs because we're talking about multiple things.This rule applies consistently whenever 'and' connects two subjects.However, with 'or' and 'neither/nor', the verb agrees with the subject closer to it.Notice how 'Neither the cats nor the dog is sleeping' uses 'is' because 'dog' is singular and closer to the verb.The same principle applies with 'either/or' constructions.Now let's look at how intervening phrases affect subject-verb agreement.In sentences with intervening phrases, we focus on the main subject to determine the verb form.The phrases between the subject and verb don't affect the agreement. The main subject controls the verb.Let's practice with more examples. Notice how the intervening phrases don't change the verb form.Let's tackle some special cases that often cause confusion in subject-verb agreement.Indefinite pronouns like everybody, someone, and nobody usually take singular verbs.When using 'there is' or 'there are', look at what follows to determine if you need singular or plural.With expressions of quantity, the verb agrees with the noun that follows 'of'.'Each of' and 'every one of' always take singular verbs, even when followed by plural nouns.Now, let's test your knowledge with some common mistakes and their corrections.Let's review the key points about special cases in subject-verb agreement.Thanks for mastering these special cases of subject-verb agreement with Spark.E!