subject -verb agreement

• Engels
• Middelbare school
• havo
• Leerjaar 5

practice

reflexive pronouns

subject-verb agreement

reflexive pronouns

All my friends were away and I didn't know what to do with_______.

1. myself
2. my self
3. me
4. I

She should take care of _____better. She's looking really ill.

1. herself
2. her
3. itself
4. themselves

I opened the window in front of _______ and took a deep breath of fresh air.

1. myself
2. yourself
3. me
4. slef

The author of the letter describes __________ as 'a senior government official'.

1. himself
2. herself
3. themselves
4. ourselves

Who wants to go through life by ____________, without friends?

1. them selves
2. themselfs
3. itself
4. themselves

themselves

used to avoid saying whether the subject is male or female.

One should have the courage to be ___________ and say whatever comes naturally.

1. oneself
2. one self
3. yourself

They work for a charity that concerns ________ with the welfare of children.

1. themselves
2. itself
3. yourself
4. oneself

Subject-Verb Agreement 

Everything ____ fine when it’s done correctly.

1. work
2. worked
3. works
4. will work

Everyone ___________ when gas prices go up.

1. complains
2. complaints
3. complaint
4. complain

Each of the messages on the answering machine __________ for Dody.

1. are
2. is
3. were
4. -

Nothing __________ the baby crying except for being rocked in the rocking chair.

1. ending
2. end
3. ends
4. unending

This singer, along with a few others, ______ the harmonica on stage.

1. plays
2. play

main subject

the verb should agree with the main subject in the sentence. 

The jury ____ not convinced.

1. were
2. was
3. would
4. might

The committee usually ______ their hands to vote 'yes'.

1. raise
2. raises

The school _____ to close next year.

1. are
2. is

the school as a building/ institution, no to the individuals in the school. 

To keep young people in prison _____ inhuman.

1. is
2. are

Collective nouns 

Collective Nouns (group, jury, crowd, team, class, audience, college, committee, community, crew, family, the United Nations, Sony, the BBC, etc.) may be singular or plural, depending on meaning.

Use a singular verb if the focus is on the institution/ organisation as 

Use a plural verb if the .  

To cry ____ never the solution to any problems.

1. are
2. is
3. should
4. were

the subject is a clause

if the subject is a clause, the verb should be singular. 

What is most surprising about the building itself is the bell tower in the small courtyard. 

If necessary, correct the mistakes in the following sentences.
1. The United States come top of the list of countries ranked by economic performance.
2. At this time of the year, the Netherlands are one hour ahead of the UK.
3. Northers Lights are one of her favourite books.
4. Whoever made the mess in the kitchen has to clear it up.
5. Musical chairs are a party game where everyone dash for a seat when the music stop.

A number of soldiers ____ injured during the war.

1. is
2. might
3. was
4. were

a/ the number of 

It takes a singular verb when referring to a single quantity:

The number of students registered in the class is 20.

take plural verbs when they are used as indefinite quantifiers:

 A number of students were late.

The number of volunteers ___________ each year.

1. grows
2. grow

Either she or her friends ____ responsible for this accident.

1. are
2. is
3. was
4. might

With compound subjects joined by or/nor, the verb agrees with the subject nearer to it.

Hanna is the only one of those people who _____ to read comic books.

1. like
2. likes

Some of the children _______ at the ice cream shop every day.

1. stop
2. stops

a/the majority of/ a lot of / plenty of/ all of/ some of

use a plural verb

Hanna is one of those people who _____ to read comic books.

1. like
2. likes