PROFESSOR: We are still discussing
subject-verb agreement.
There are two keys to determining
subject-verb agreement.
The first is that we have to correctly identify
the subject and verb in a sentence.
Once we have done that, then we check
the subject to see if it's singular or plural.
Based on that, we pick the verb that matches.
So we're going to look at two more
rules for subject-verb agreement in this video.
And the first is that sometimes sentences
are going to have compound subjects.
And when that happens, we need to determine whether we're
going to consider that compound subject singular or plural so
that we can pick either the singular or plural verb.
Now subjects joined by the word "and"
generally take a plural verb.
I like to think of the word "and" like a plus sign.
And if you have a singular subject plus a singular
subject, well, that's two subjects.
So we treat that like it's plural.
Now sometimes you'll have subjects
that are not joined by "and."
You will have subjects joined by "either, or," "neither, nor,"
"not only, but also."
And in that case, the verb agrees with the subject closest
to the verb.
So we're going to look at examples of both of these.
Here's an example using the word "and."
"Mustard and dill relish taste delicious
on a foot-long hot dog."
Now even though each individual subject,
"mustard and dill relish," is singular,
the "and" joins them together.
So we treat them like they're plural,
which is why we choose the plural form of the verb, which
is "taste."
Let's look at another example.
This is an example where we don't use "and"--
we use "neither, nor."
"Neither TV shows nor the internet is as enjoyable to me
as quality time outdoors."
So we have two subjects, again.
The first, "TV shows" is plural--
I'm going to use the number three to represent TV shows--
and then the internet, which is singular.
Now we're using "neither, nor," so we're going to treat each
subject separately.
And we're going to look at which subject is closest
to the verb in the sentence.
Well, "internet" is closest to the verb,
and that singular, so we're going to use the singular
form of the verb "is."
Now another rule, the fourth and final rule,
has to do with indefinite pronouns.
When the subject of a sentence is an indefinite pronoun,
we always use the singular form of the verb.
Now I have a list here on the slide of the most common
indefinite pronouns.
This list is also available as a handout in the module.
Now all an indefinite pronoun is is
a pronoun that doesn't refer to a specific person, place,
or thing.
Like if I say "he" or "it" or "they,"
I have a specific person or thing or people in mind.
But if I say things like "anyone," "everyone," "nobody,"
"anybody," "nothing," "anything," I
could be referring to any indefinite item, person,
or place.
So any time we have a subject that is an indefinite pronoun,
we always use the singular verb.
For example-- "everybody at my new school is outgoing."
Now that might seem contradictory here
because when you say "everybody,"
you're usually thinking of more than one person, right?
But "everybody" is an indefinite pronoun.
And so we treat it like it's singular,
and we use the singular form of the verb "is."
"Neither of them has finished their homework."
"Each of the three vehicles has their faults."
So "each" is an indefinite pronoun,
so we use the singular form, which is "has."
"No one in our family likes going to the movies."
"No one" is an indefinite pronoun,
so we use the singular form "likes."
So in the next video we're going to do
some more examples of both of these rules
for subject-verb agreement.