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Subject-Verb Rules [Guide: Mon]

Topic: Subject-Verb Rules

Guide: sprite_and_hamburger

Subject-Verb Rules

➶ Subject, Verb and Object; a short summary with side notes. ➶

↬A subject is something that is associated with the verb in a sentence. It is the performer of an action.

↬A verb is the action performed by a subject.

↬An object is the one upon which the action is performed.

Ex:

Can you punch her?

(here, you is the subject, being asked to perform the action(verb) of punching on the object her.)

↬A singular verb has an 's' at the end in its simple present tense (in a majority of cases) whereas a plural verb does not.

Ex: runs, was, plays, is, etc. are singular verbs.

Run, were, play, are, etc. are plural verbs.

↬A subject is always either a pronoun or a noun-proper, common, collective, etc. If it is a pronoun then it will always be 'I', 'He', 'She', 'We' or 'They'.

↬An object is also a noun or a pronoun in most cases. When it is a pronouns, it will always be 'Me', 'him', 'her', 'us' or 'them'.

↬A sentence may contain more than one object (often divided into indirect and direct objects).

Ex:

Can you pass her the keys?

(here, 'you' is the subject, 'pass' is the verb and both 'her' and 'the keys' are objects. But the consequences of the verb (pass) are acting directly upon the keys, making it a direct object. Whereas, her is the secondary or indirect object, being affected only when the main object is in existence.)

➶Important Subject-Verb thumb rules➶

If the subject is singular, so would be the verb form.

Ex:

-A dog barks.

-That floorboard squeaks every time.

If the subject is plural, so would be the verb form.

Ex:

-The dogs bark.

-Those floorboards squeak every time.

If the subject consists of two or more nouns or pronouns combined with punctuation and conjunctions, the verb will be plural.

Ex:

Mon and Fae are the founders of this community.

If there is one subject and multiple verbs for it, throughout the sentence they must be compliant with their subject.

Ex:

Fen writes her report before the deadline, submits it, and then relaxes the rest of the week.

When two or more singular nouns or pronouns are connected by the conjunctions 'or' or 'nor', singular verbs must be used.

Ex:

Neither Mia nor Tia was willing to do her duty.

When the subject contains both a singular noun and a plural noun, the verb will comply with the one it's closest to.