Ministry of Higher Education and

Scientific Research
University of Diyala
College of Education for Humanities
Department of English

Subject – verb concord

By
Duha hamed
Sara salam

A Graduate Research Paper

SUBMITTED TO THE COMMITTEE OF DISCUSSION AT
DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH - COLLEGE OF EDUCATION
FOR HUMANITIES, UNIVERSITY OF DIYALA - A
PARTIAL REQUIREMENT OF UNDERGRADUATE
STUDIES FOR THE DEGREE OF B.A. IN ENGLISH

Supervised by
Asst. Inst. Mokhallad Mezher Jabbar

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 In the name of God, the most gracious,

the most merciful

(( Over every knowledge able person is the one

who knows more Allah))

) Yusuf (76))

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 Dedication

To All our family members who have supported us

our friends at the Department of English.

Who teach us what’s the meaning of love,

bravery and freedom

my beloved Iraq.

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 Acknowledgements

We would like to thank our parents for their encouragement,

support and patience. We would also like to thank the teaching
staff at the Department of English

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 Contents
Page Subjects
Number
6 1.1 Introduction

7 1.2 Concord
7 1.3 Types of concord
7 1.3.1 Grammatical concord
9 1.3.2 Proximity concord

10 1.3.3 Notional concord

10 1.3.4 Measurement concord

11 1.4 Subject-verb agreement
12 1.5 Collective noun
14 1.6 Coordinated subject
15 1.7 Oppositional coordinated
18 Reference

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1.1 Introduction

Concord literally means harmony, agreement. Thus, it means harmony

between different members of a group. When we talk of sentences,
concord means harmony or agreement between different parts of a
sentence, especially the subject and the verb. Every sentence says
something about a person or thing. The part of a sentence that names the
person or thing is called Subject or the part, which gives us information
about the Subject is called Predicate. The subject of a sentence thus has a
close relation to what is being said in the Predicate. The form of the verb
should be in direct relation to the number and person of the Subject
(Thomson and Martinet,1963).

We all know that subject is a noun or a pronoun that tells us what the
Hulk's sentences are about and the verb represents the actions in the
sentences. Concord is needed for our sentences to make sense. All the
words in the sentences are needed to have the correct relationship to each
other, otherwise the sentences just won't sound right. while there are nine
parts of speech that make up English grammar, only two are absoulatdy
necessary to in sentences, the verb and the subject, for this reason
Concord in English is sometimes referred to the agreement between the
subject and the verb in the Sentences. The Word Concord Comes from
the Latin word for agreement. and Concord explains the syntactic and
semantic relations of the Sentences elements.

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 1.2Concord
Concord in English grammar refers to the agreement between the
subject and the verb in the sentence. However, there are many different
ways to apply this rule. Here we look at the different types of concord,
with examples.

Concord is the need for grammatical agreement between the different

parts of speech in a sentence, also needed for our sentences to make
sense. All the words in a sentence need to have the correct relationships
to each other, otherwise the sentence just won’t sound right.

*Concord in plural forms that do not end in-s

-Black-fleeced sheep were grazing.
*concord with singular forms ending in-s
-Politics wishes to change reality.
*Concord with existatial there
-there are three eggs left in the tray

1.3Types of concord

There are several different types of concord in English grammar.

1.3.1Grammaticalconcord
Grammatical concord is the easiest type of subject-verb agreement to
grasp, and it’s always the one we learn first. Put simply, it means that if
the sentence has a singular subject, it must also have a singular verb. If
the subject of the sentence is plural, the verb must be plural, too. The
subject of the sentence is the person, animal or thing doing the action.
The subject might be singular or plural. Let’s look at two sample
sentences:

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•The teacher speaks to the class.

•The teachers speak to the class.

In the first sentence, the subject (the teacher) is singular, so the

sentence uses the singular verb ‘speaks’. In the second sentence, there’s
more than one teacher, so the plural verb ‘speak’ is used. Things get a
little more complicated when we add an object to the sentence before the
verb, as this can sometimes be mistaken for the subject. We have to be
careful when we’re looking at these kinds of sentences. For example:-

• The books in the cupboard are stacked nearly.

 The dog in the garden is running around.

In the first example, the books are the subject, not the cupboard.
Therefore, we use the plural verb ‘are’. The subject in the second
sentence is singular (‘the dog’), so in this case we use the singular verb
‘is. Grammatical concord with more than one subject What happens if
there are multiple subjects in a sentence? If there’s more than one subject,
these work together as a plural subject, so the verb is plural, like this: -

 Jack and Ali were caught in the rain.

Because there are two subjects (Jack and Ali) we use the plural verb
‘were’ instead of the singular ‘was however, there are a couple of
exceptions to this rule. The first exception is when both subjects are the
same person or thing. For example: -

 The largest animal and loudest sea creature is the blue whale.

-The singer and songwriter. is Harry Styles.In both of these cases, the
subjects are the same person or animal, so we use the singular verb ‘is’ in
both sentences. The other exception is when two things are always linked

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together in people’s minds, to the point where, when spoken about
together, we think of them as one thing. Here’s an example:

 Fish and chips are my favorite dinner.

We always think of fish and chips as one dish, even though they’re
different things and can be eaten separately. When we refer to them
together, we use the singular verb ‘is’.

1.3.2Proximity concord

Proximity refers to the closeness of two things. In the case of

sentences, we often show proximity between two subjects by using the
correlating conjunctions ‘either / or’ or ‘neither / nor’. If both subjects are
singular, the verb takes the singular form, as in these examples:

 Either the Prime Minister or the Chancellor is attending the meeting.

 Neither Mary nor her mother eats meat.

But what happens when one subject is singular and the other is plural?
In these cases, the verb takes the form of the subject nearest to it in the
sentence, like this: -

 Either the Prime Minister or other Government ministers are

attending the meeting.
 Neither Mary nor her parents eat meat.

Both of these sentences put the plural subject closest to the verb, so
the verb takes its plural form in both cases. If we reversed these
sentences, so the singular subject was second, the verb would take its
singular form (‘Neither Mary’s parents nor Mary eats meat’).

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1.3.3Notionalconcord
The idea of notional concord relates to collective nouns. We use these
to refer to a group of people, animals or things. Some examples include:
class, choir, audience, congregation, team, flock. When we’re using
collective nouns, the verb takes its singular form if there is no action
being taken in the sentence. If there is action happening, the verb should
be plural, as the people or animals in the collective are all taking action as
individuals, even if it’s the same action as each other. Let’s take a look at
two examples:

 The class has the best exam results in the school.

 The class are sitting at their desks.

In the first example, there is no action being taken - the sentence is

simply stating a fact, so the verb here is singular. In the second example,
the children in the class are individually taking the action of sitting at
their desks, so we use the plural form of the verb.

1.3.4 Measurement concord

We use all kinds of measurements in our speech and writing, so it’s

important to know how to make the verb agree with the measurement
we’re describing. If we’re talking about measurements of time, money,
amount or distance, we always tend to use a singular verb, even if the
measurement is plural. Here are some examples:

 Two weeks is not long enough for our Christmas holiday.

 Three hundred dollars is too much to spend on a concert ticket.

So, whether we’re talking about hours, kilometres or teaspoons, we

always use the singular form of the verb. However, things change when

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we’re talking about percentages or fractions. In these cases, the verb takes
the same form as the subject, like this:

 50% of the building is occupied.

 Half the students are boys.

In the first sentence, the subject (the building) is singular, so the verb
is singular, too. In the second case, the subject (the students) is plural, so
the verb takes the plural form. We should also mention comparative
measurements here, such as ‘more than’ and ‘fewer than’. If we’re using
these expressions to talk about amounts of something, the verb needs to
correlate with the subject, whether it’s singular or plural. For example:

 More than one child is singing a solo in the concert.

 Fewer than ten days have been dry this month.

We can see here that the first example has a singular subject, so the
verb is also singular. In the second sentence, which has a plural subject,
we use a plural verb

1.4Subject-verbagreement
The basic rule of subject–verb agreement (concord) is very simple: a
singular subject takes a singular verb, and a plural subject takes a plural
verb. However, in practice subject–verb agreement is a bit more complex
than this rule indicates.

-A singular subject takes a singular verb.

 The cat drinks milk.

-A plural subject takes a plural verb.

 They drive very fast.

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 Mistakes involving subject–verb agreement are very common for
people learning English as a foreign language. However, these mistakes
do not usually hinder communication, and as a result, mastering the art of
concord is not always prioritized. In fact, it may be one of the last things
that we truly master as English learners. However, for native speakers,
mistakes involving subject verb- agreement are very noticeable, and in a
professional setting such mistakes may be perceived as a lack of language
skills. The subject and verb in sentence should match with each other in
number.

-A singular subject takes a singular verb.

 The cat drinks milk.

-A plural subject takes aplural verb.

 They drive very fast.

*Exception’s: -

(I and you) are exceptions. both of them singular subjects when you
use them you don’t add an (s) to the end of verb.-you have a book.Subject
verb agreement also called “subject verb concord “refers to matching the
subject and the verb of a sentence in aspect ,tense and mood,which
translates to number,person and gender.However, it may seem that one of
the most common mistakes made by English language learners is that it is
very easy to forget that the verb form in an English sentence changes
depending on the subject.

1.5 Collective nouns

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Nouns name people, places, and things. Collective nouns, a special class,
name groups (which are things) composed of members (usually people).
Review the chart below:
COLLECTIVE NOUNS
army council minority
audience department navy
board faculty public
cabinet family school
class firm senate
committee group society
company jury team
corporation majority troupe

•Members of the collective noun acting in unison

Here is the key: Imagine a flock of pigeons pecking at birdseed on the
ground. Suddenly, a cat races out of the bushes. They fly off as a unit to
escape the predator, wheeling through the sky in the same direction.
People often behave in the same manner, doing one thing in unison with
the other members of their group. When these people are part of a
collective noun, that noun becomes singular and requires singular verbs
and pronouns.
As you read the following examples, notice that all members of the
collective
noun is doing the same thing at the same time:
 Every afternoon the baseball team follows its coach out to the hot
field for practice.

Team = singular; follows = singular verb; its = singular pronoun.

(Allmembers of the team arrive at the same place at the same time.)
 Today ,Professor Ribly’s class takes it’s 100-item midterm exam .

Class= singular; takes = singular verb; its = singular pronoun. (All

members of the class are testing at the same time.)
•The jury agrees that the prosecutors did not provide enough evidence, so
its verdict is not guilty.
Jury = singular; agrees = singular verb; its = singular pronoun. (All
members of the jury are thinking the same way.)

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CHANGING TO A CLEAR PLURAL IF NECESSARY
If you cannot determine whether a collective noun is singular or
plural, exercise your options as a writer. You have two ways that you can
compose the sentence without accidentally causing an agreement error.
One option is to insert the word members after the collective noun. Write
jury members, committee members, board members, etc. Another option
is to use an entirely different word. Choose players instead of team,
students instead of class, soldiers instead of army, etc.
Both options will require—without debate—plural verbs and
pronouns.
Subject-verb agreement
The subject and verb in sentence should match with each other in
number.
-A singular subject takes a singular verb.
 The cat drinks milk.

-A plural subject takes a plural verb.

 They drive very fast.

*Exception’s: -
(I and you) are exceptions. both of them singular subjects when you
use them you don’t add an (s) to the end of verb.
Subject verb agreement also called “subject verb concord “refers to
matching the subject and the verb of a sentence in aspect, tense and
mood, which translates to number, person and gender.
However, it may seem that one of the most common mistakes made by
English language learners is that it is very easy to forget that the verb
form in an English sentence change depending on the subject.
1.6 Coordinated subject: -
The coordinated subject contains two or more elements (nouns, noun
phrases or nominal clauses) joined by a coordinator like: -
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((and, either…. or, neither…. nor, not …But and not only…. but also))

 War and peace are a constant them in history.

 Either the teacher or his student is coming.
 Neither join nor Mary has replied to my letter.
 Non but the brave deserves the fair.

*Coordination is used to combine phrases into larger phrases or sentences

into larger sentences.
*The only limit on the number of coordinated phrases in a sentence is the
willingness of the hearer to listen. Coordination with “and “
non-oppositional coordination: -
-A singular verb form is used with conjoining which represent a single
entity.
 The Bat and Ball sells good juice.
-A plural verb form conjoinings expressing mutual relationship a
plural verb.

 your cell phone and mine are similar.

-[your cell phone is similar to mine and mine is similar toyours]

1.7Oppositional coordination:

Clause reduction isn't possible with appositional coordination because

the coordinated structures refer to the same thing. That's why a singular
verb is used:
-This temple of ugliness and memorial to Victorian bad taste was erected
in the main street of the city.The following example, however, could have
either a singular or plural verb, depending on the meaning:

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-His aged servant and the subsequent editor of his collected paper
{was/were} with him in the conference.Singular was is used if the servant
and the editor are the same person, and plural were if they are two
different people.Coordination with”or….either ”and “nor”
When two noun phrases are joined by or or either....or, both grammatical
concord and proximity concord can be used. Grammatical concord is
clear when each member of the coordination has the same number:
 Either the Mayor or her deputy is bound to come.
Proximity principle is to be used when the coordinated noun phrases have
different numbers. The general rule, here, is that the number of the verb
is determined by the number of the last or closest noun phrase.
 Either the workers or the foreman is to blame for the disruption.

Coordination with “neither…. nor “The rules for the negative

correlatives neither. . . nor are the same as for either. . . or in formal
usage. In less formal usage, they are treated more like and for concord.
Thus, [the first example below] is more natural in speech than [the second
one]:
 Neither he nor his wife have arrived.
 Neither he nor his wife has arrived.

Coordination with “not…but “and” not only…but also “The
coordinating correlatives not. . . but and not only. . . but also
behave like or with respect to number concord:
 Not only he but his wife has arrived.
 Not (only) one but all of us were invited.
 Not just the students but even their teacher is enjoying the film.

Grammatical concord is usually obeyed for more than:

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  More than a hundred terrorists were killed yesterday.
Although more than one person is notionally plural, a singular verb is
preferred (one) person operates as head of the noun phrase.
 More than one person has protested against the proposal.
Indefinite expressions as subject Another area of ambivalence for
subject-verb number concord is that of indefinite expressions of amount
or quantity, especially with the determiners and with the pronouns no,
none, all, some, any, and fractions such as half. They have both count and
noncount uses. With noncount nouns (present or implied), the verb is of
course singular:
 Shofar no money has been spent on repairs.
 None (of the money) has been spent on repairs.
 Some cement has arrived.

-Some (of the cement) has arrived. Indefinite expressions as

subject with plural count nouns (present or implied) the verb is
plural:
 No people of that name live here.
-Some books have been placed on the shelves.Noun with plural
count nouns is in divided usage:
•Noun of the books {has/have}been placed on the shelves.
With either and neither the singular verb is generally used.

Reference
Appleton, R. and Appleton, B. (1992) Cambridge dictionary of Australian
places. Cambridge University Press.

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Collins, P.C. (1988) Semantics of some modals in Australian English.
Australian Journal of Linguistics.
Huddleston, R. (1984). Introduction to the grammar of English.
Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
R. Quirk, S. Greenbaum, G. Leech and J. Svartvik 1973

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