M T S ĐI M NG PHÁP C N Ộ Ố Ể Ữ Ầ
L U Ý TRONG TOEFLƯ
I. SUBJECT & VERB AGREEMENT
Please remember that subject and verb in a sentence must agree
with each other.
Example:
The elevator works very well. (singular)
The elevators work very well. (plural)
1. Subject separated from the verb:
- In English, subject and verb are often separated from each other.
English learners have a bit difficulty to decide exactly how they are
agreed in person and number.
Example:
The boys in the room (is or are) watching TV
2
- Very often, if the subject and verb are separated, they will be separated
by a prepositional phrase. The prepositional phrase had no effect on the
verb.
Subject + [prepostional phrase] + verb
More Examples:
Several theories on this subject have been proposed.
The study of languages is very interesting.
The view of these disciplines varies from time to time.
The danger of forest fires is not to be taken lightly.
3
- The following expressions also have no effect on
the verb:
· together with· along with· accompanied by· as
well as
Example:
The actress, along with her manager and some
friends, is going to a party tonight.
Mr. Robbins, accompanied by his wife and children,
is arriving tonight.
2. Words that always take singular verbs and pronouns:
Some words are often confused by English learners as being plural. The
following words must be followed by singular verbs and pronouns in formal
written English.
5
any + singular noun no + singular noun some + singular noun
anybody nobody Somebody
anyone noone Someone
anything nothing Something
every + singular noun each + singular noun
everybody Each person
everyone *either
everything *neither
* Either and Neither are singular if they are not used with or and nor.