Subject-Verb Agreement

I am a teacher

She often does her homework in the morning.

There is only one box on the table.

There are 50 students in our class.

(一)四大原则

1、 语法一致原则:即主语是单数形式,谓语动词用单数形式,主语是复数形式,谓语也用复数形式。(即单复数形式与谓语要一致。)

2、 意义一致原则:即主语形式上为单数,但意义为复数,因此谓语动词用复数形式;或主语形式上为复数,但表示单数意义,这时谓语动词用单数形式。(即主语意义上的单复数要与谓语的单复数形式一致。)

3、 就近原则:即谓语动词用单数形式还是用复数形式,取决于最靠近他的主语。

4、 随前原则(就远原则):"主语+ 附属结构" 作主语,谓语与主语一致

(二) 分类讲解

一、语法一致原则

1、单数主语,不定式,动名词或从句作主语时,谓语动词用单数

  1. A student is studying English.

2 .Serving the people is my great happiness.

3 .When we deliver the goods hasn't been decided.

4 .When and where we will go hasn't been decided.

但当what引导的句子做主语,若后面是 "be +名词"的结构时,谓语随名词变化。

1.)What you did is right.

2.)What you need are these dictionaries.

2、 复数名词、代词作主语,谓语动词一般用复数形式

① All the students _____clever. (be)

②They _____English very much. (like)

答案:①(are);②(like)

3、 用and或both...and 连接的单数名词、代词、动词不定式短语、动名词短语及主语从句作主语谓语动词用复数形式。

① Both my father and my mother ____farmers. (be)

②What I think and what I do ___been fairly in disagreement. (have)

答案:①are; ②have

注意:(1.)当and连接的并列单数名词前有each,every, no或者many a 等限定词时,谓语动词通常用单数。

Each student and each teacher __been given a task. (has)

Every flower and every bush ___to be cut down. (is)

(2.)当主语由and连结时,如果表示同一人或同一物时,谓语动词用单数,此时and后面的名词无冠词。

The worker and writer ____(be) from Wuhan.

The worker and the writer _____(be) from Beijing.

答案:is;are

4、不定代词somebody, someone, something, anybody, anything, everybody, everyone, everything, nobody, no one, nothing等作主语,谓语动词用单数形式;

Something ____ (has / have) gone wrong with my watch.

Anybody who _______ ( break / breaks) the rule will be punished.

答案:has;breaks

5、 each of.../either of..../one of...谓语动词用单数.none of.../neither of...可单可复,根据说话人的意思决定;*但代表不可数名词时,用单数

1) Each of the students ___a book.(have)

2) None of us _____perfect. (be)

3) Neither of them _______the answer.(know)

4) None of this ______me. (worry)

5) None of this money ____mine. (be)

答案; 1) has; 2) are,或is;3) know或knows;4) worries;5)is

*neither作形容词时与单数名词连用,谓语动词用单数。

Neither statement _______true. (be)

答案:was

6、 "many a +单数名词

more than one+单数名词

one and a half +复数名词"作主语,谓语动词用单数

 1.) many a foreigner___ been to the Great Wall. (has)

 2.)More than one student___ turned up at the meeting. (was)

 3.) One and a half bananas ___eaten by the boy. (was)

选择题:

 1. Many a man___ the story. A. believes   B. believe

 2.More than one man ___died in the accident. A. has B. have

 3.More than five men ___died in the accident. A. has B. have

答案: 1.) A ;2)A;3)B

7. Some ./a lot of /half of..../the rest of...../part of.../plenty of.../分数(%)+of..... the majority of + 名词"等作主语,谓语动词的单复数取决于of后的名词或代词的单复数形式。

 ① Two-thirds of the students ____from countryside. (come)

 ② Ninety percent of the work ___ been done. (has)

8. 定语从句中的主谓一致。

(1)与先行词一致。定语从句中主语是关系代词who, that, which 时,从句谓语动词应与先行词保持一致。

I, who ___your teacher, will share happiness and sorrow with you.(am)

⑵ which/as代替一句话内容,谓语动词用单数

As ___known, I am beautiful. (is)

(3) one of +复数名词 + 定语从句,从句中的谓语用复数形式; the only/exact one of+复数名词 + 定语从句,从句中的谓语用单数形式。

Tom is one of the students who__ good at playing football. (are)

Tom is the only one of the students who___good at playing football. (is)

二、 意义一致原则:

9. 集体名词family, audience, crew, club, class, company, committee, party, crowd group, army, government, the public等作主语时,如果作为一个整体看待,谓语用单数形式;如果指集体中的各个成员,谓语动词用复数形式。

The group ____ made up of nine students. (is)

The group____ dancing happily. (are)

注意1:集合名词cattle, clothes, people, the police表示复数意义谓语动词永远复数.people 民族(可数名词,peoples)

The Chinese people __a brave people (is)

Chinese people___making our country richer and richer. (are)

2. Population

The population of China ______over 1.3billion and 80%of the population______farmers (is,are)

10.表示时间、距离、金钱,度量衡等复数名词作主语,表达一个整体概念时,谓语动词则用单数形式;

 Two years ______ passed since I left Ningbo; (has)

 One million dollars ______ a great sum of money. (is)

11. 有些名词如:fish,deer, sheep, means, works, species, 等用作单数或复数均可,谓语动词随其含义而定。

①  This glass works ____built in 1978. (is)

②  Two steel works___ east of the city . (are)

③  Every means____ been tried. (has)

④  Many species ____ died out. (have)

12. 学科名词,或 以-ics结尾的学科名称作主语时,如physics,mathematics, mechanics, optics, acoustics, politics. statistics, economics, linguistics, athletics等, 谓语动词通常用作单数。

Physics __a fundamental subject in science. (is)

13. 成双成对出现的复数名词如glasses, shoes, trousers, pants, gloves, socks, slippers, scissors等作主语时,谓语通常用复数,*但如果前有a/the pair of, a/the suit of等词语修饰时,谓语动词与pair, suit等一致,该用单数、复数就用单数、复数;

1) My trousers -very nice. (are)

2)A pair of shoes --under the bed. (is)

14. 主语是疑问代词who, what, which,不定代词all, more, most, any, none等以及名词half, part, the rest等既可表示复数意义又可表示单数意义,其谓语视它们所代指的名词而定。

1.)Which __more valuable, health or wealth? (is)

2.)Which__ prettier, these or those? (are)

3.) we had some paper, but the rest __put back. (was)

15. the+adj.作主语,the+adj.,表示一类人,谓语动词用复数,如the old, the young, the rich, the poor等,the+ adj.,表示某个人或一类抽象的事物,谓语动词用单数,如the beautiful, the good等

  The old ____ taken good care of in our society. (are)

 The rich ____ for the decision but the poor _against it. (was)

 The wounded ____ a young boy. (was)

 The beautiful ____not always the same as the good. (is)

16. a/this/that + kind of +名词(单数或复数)作主语时,谓语动词用单数;如果主语是kinds(types) of+名词或复数名词of+ a ( this, that)kind时,谓语动词用复数形式。

 即 ...kind(s) of +n....,谓语与kind一致 n+of this kind... 谓语与名词一致

  ① The kind of apples ____ well.(sell) (sells)

  ② Men of this kind ____ dangerous . (are)

注意 : 由kind,form, type,species,series 等修饰的主语,其谓语形式取决于这些词的单复数,而不是他们后面所跟的名词

 1. This new type of machine__now on show. (is)

 2. Some new forms of art ____discussed at the meeting. (were)

17. 主语是a large/small quantity of +名词(可数或不可数)谓语动词用单数;如果是"large (great) quantifies of +名词(可数或不可数)"时,谓语动词要用复数。也就是说谓语动词随quantity单复数而定

①There _a large quantity of milk/apples on the farm (is)

② Large quantities of water /coal/bricks ___needed here (are)

18. a number of (a group of , a variety of)+名词复数作主语时谓语动词用复数形式;The number of(the variety of....) +名词复数谓语动词用单数形式。

①A number of workers ____out of work. (are)

②The number of the students in our school ____eight thousand. (is)

19. 两数相减或相除,谓语动词用单数;两数相加或相乘,谓语动词可用单数,也可用复数。

① Sixty minus seventeen ____forty-three. (leaves)

② Six and eight ___________fourteen. (makes/make)

20、若英语是书名、片名、格言、剧名、报名、国名等的复数形式,其谓语动词通常用单数形式。

"The Arabian Nights"__ an interesting story-book. (is)

The United states _____on the south of Canada. (is)

21.名词性物主代词作主语,谓语动词根据指代对象而定

Your shoes are white;Mine____black. (are)

His coat ____yellow; Hers____red. (is)(is)

三. 就近一致原则

谓语动词的单、复数形式决定于最靠近它的词语。

22. 由or, nor, either...or, neither...nor, not only...but also连接的并列结构作主语,随后的动词形式通常按照"就近原则"处理。

 1.You or she __good at English. (is)

 2.___either you or he wrong? (Are)

23. 以here, there开头的句子,谓语动词的单复数形式看后面的主语而定,如果主语不止一个,谓语动词于最近的主语保持一致。

① Here __some bread. (is)

②There __a pen and three pencils on the desk. (is)

24. 在倒装句中,谓语动词的数应与其后的主语一致

Such ___the result (is)

Such __the facts (are)

On the wall ___many pictures (are)

四:随前原则

25.当主语后面跟有as well as, as much as, no less than, along with,with ,like, rather than, together with , but ,

except, besides, ,including等引导的词组时,其谓语动词的单、复数由主语的单、复数而定。

1. The teacher with two students ______ at the meeting . (was / were)

2.E-mail, as well as the telephones, ________ an important part in daily communication.

A. is playing B. have played C. are playing D. play

1)They, together with Tom , _______ going to swim this afternoon .(be) (are)

2) No one but your parents _____ there then .(be) was

3) He, like you and your brother, ________ very clever. (be) (is)

4) The teacher, including his students, _______going to see Professor Tell. (be) (has)

5) Mary, together with his sisters ________ gone back.(have) (has)

Not only you but also he ____ wrong. (is/are)

Neither you nor he ___ right. (is/are)

There ___ two shops and a cinema beside the railway station. (is/are)

Here __ a map and a handbook for you. (is/are)

① Nobody but my parents ______the secret. (knows)

② The teacher as well as students __ excited. (is)

③ The students as well as the teacher _____learned to drive a car . (have)

用适当的动词形式完成句子:

He and I ___ (be) both students of this school. (are)

Both parties ____ (have) their own advantages. (have)

Her job_____ (have) something to do with computers. (has)

They _______(have) not come yet. (have)

There ____(be) a desk in the room. (is)

There ____ (be) no chairs in it. (are)

单句改错:

Physics are a very interesting subject. (is)

His family was all music lovers. (were)

The pair of shoes are worn out. (is)

Half of the students has finished their composition. (have)

The number of students in you are 50. (is)

The cattle is eating grass on the hill. (are)

A knife and fork are used to have meals. (is)

仔细多练习几遍,必然进步神速!

英语主谓一致精讲精练