INTRODUCTION
You have learned that the subject and the verb express the basic thought in a sentence. You also know that the subject of a sentence is a noun or a pronoun (a noun substitute). To make sense, the subject and the verb of a sentence must agree in number and gender. English grammar has only two numbers: singular
and plural. Nouns and verbs are different parts of speech; their singular and plural forms are different. (Caution: A word that ends in an –s is not necessarily a plural.)
THE RULE
Singular subjects need a singular verb form (a verb that ends in –s), and plural subjects need a plural verb form (one that does not end in –s). To write a correct sentence, you must be sure that the verb agrees with the subject.
DISTINGUISHING SINGULAR FROM PLURAL
1. Verbs are really neither singular nor plural. However, third person singular subjects (he, she, it, one) need a special singular form of the present tense verb. This form is most commonly made by adding an –s to the verb.
Example: Singular = the child (he, she, it, one) swims
Plural = the children (they) swim
This chart shows the change in the present tense conjugation of a verb:
|
Singular |
Plural |
|
|
first person (speaker) |
I swim |
we swim |
|
second person (spoken to) |
you swim |
you swim |
|
third person (spoken about) |
he, she, it swims |
they swim |
2. Nouns form their plurals in several different ways.
a. Some nouns add an –s to become plural.
Examples: singular plural
1 boy 3 boys
1 house 6 houses
b. Some non–English nouns (especially Latin) retain their original plural forms. In
other words, they don't add an –s to the singular to make a plural.
Examples: singular plural
1 medium 15 media
1 curriculum 25 curricula
1 alumnus 50 alumni (male)
1 criterion 10 criteria
1 alumna 200 alumnae (female)
c. Plural nouns do not always end in –s. Some nouns form their plurals in other
ways. Some plural forms are actually the same as the singular form.
Examples: singular plural
1 man 2 men
1 goose many geese
1 mouse 6 mice
1 deer several deer
d. Some singular nouns end in –s, so be sure you also think of the word's meaning
before you decide if it's singular or plural.
Examples: one class
my son Charles
the news
the grass
physics
an atlas
3. The singular subjects I and you usually do not take an –s verb.
Example singular plural
I play you play
4. Some irregular verbs have irregular singular (–s) forms.
|
Singular (–s) Forms |
Plural Forms |
|
am, is |
are |
|
was |
were |
|
has |
have |
|
goes |
go |
|
tries |
try |