Agreement

Agreement of verb with its subject.

1. I swim.

2. He swims.

3. They swim.

4. I do my work well.

5. He does his work well.

6. They do their work well.

7. I have a hook.

8. He has a book.

9. They have books.

10. Patience and perseverance conquer difficulties.

11. Necessity or a love for work keeps him ever busy.

12. Neither his wife nor his child was saved.

13. The meeting was called to order by the chairman.

14. The assembly of my enemies brought me low.

Notice in these sentences the changes in swim, do, and have. It will be seen that the third person singular differs from the form of the verb in the other persons and numbers.

In each person and number of all the modes and tenses the verb takes the form that the subject requires.

The principles illustrated in these sentences are stated in the following rules:-

1. A predicate verb agrees with its subject in person and number.

2. When the predicate verb has two or more subjects connected by and it agrees with them in the plural number.

3. When a predicate verb has two or more subjects in the singular number connected by or or nor it agrees with them in the singular number.

4. When the subject is a collective noun denoting several persons or things regarded as a whole, the verb is in the singular number.

5. When the noun denotes a group of persons or things regarded as individuals, the verb is in the plural number.