Premed

Semester One, 2025

Medi 109 Sections 2&3 English Notes

What is Subject-Verb Agreement? Subject-verb agreement refers to the rule that the subject
and the verb in a sentence must agree in number (singular or plural) and person (first, second, or
third).
1. Basic Rule
 Singular subject takes a singular verb.
 Plural subject takes a plural verb.
Examples:
 She works every day. (singular subject + singular verb)
 They work every day. (plural subject + plural verb)
2. Subjects with "be" verbs (am, is, are, was, were)
 Use "is" for singular subjects and "are" for plural subjects.
Examples:
 He is happy. (singular subject)
 They are happy. (plural subject)
3. When the Subject is Collective Nouns
A collective noun refers to a group (like family, team, or class). The verb can be singular or
plural depending on whether the group acts as a single unit or as individuals.
Examples:
 The team is practicing. (acting as a unit)
 The team are arguing. (acting as individuals)
4. When the Subject is a Compound Subject
A compound subject is made up of two or more individual subjects joined by "and," "or," or
"nor."
 "And": Compound subjects joined by "and" are usually treated as plural.
o Example: John and Sarah are going to the store.
  "Or" / "Nor": When subjects are joined by "or" or "nor," the verb agrees with the
subject closest to it.
o Example: Neither the teacher nor the students were late.
o Example: Either the manager or the employees are responsible.
5. Indefinite Pronouns as Subjects
Some indefinite pronouns are always singular, while others are always plural, and some can be
either singular or plural depending on the context.
 Singular Indefinite Pronouns: anyone, everyone, someone, no one, anybody, nobody,
etc.
o Example: Everyone is invited to the party.
 Plural Indefinite Pronouns: both, few, many, several, etc.
o Example: Many are coming to the event.
 Singular or Plural: all, some, none, more, most (depends on the noun they refer to)
o Example: Some of the cake is missing. (singular, referring to "cake")
o Example: Some of the students are missing. (plural, referring to "students")
6. Subjects that are Quantities
When a quantity is the subject (like time, money, or distance), the verb is usually singular.
 Example: Ten dollars is a lot of money.
 Example: Five miles is a long walk.
7. When the Subject is "I" or "You"
 "I" always takes a plural verb, even though it’s singular.
o Example: I am learning English.
 "You" can be singular or plural, but it takes the same verb form as plural.
o Example: You are my friend. (singular)
o Example: You are my friends. (plural)
8. Exceptions / Irregularities
 There is / There are: The verb "to be" agrees with the noun that follows it.
o Example: There is a book on the table. (singular)
o Example: There are books on the table. (plural)
  Here is / Here are: Similar rule as “there is” / “there are.”
o Example: Here is your coat. (singular)
o Example: Here are your coats. (plural)

Key Takeaways:
 Singular subjects = singular verb.
 Plural subjects = plural verb.
 Pay attention to compound subjects, indefinite pronouns, and phrases with quantities.
 Some subject-verb pairs are exceptions, but you can generally follow the pattern outlined
here.

Rule 1
The verb and subject must agree in number (singular or plural)

This means that if the subject is singular, the verb should be singular and if the subject is plural,
the verb should also be plural.

Examples:

1. He plays football. (SINGULAR)

2. They play football. (PLURAL)

Rule 2
The number of the subject (singular or plural) will not change due to words/phrases in
between the subject and the verb.

Examples:

1. One of the glasses is empty. (Here, since the subject is ‘one’, the verb should be ‘is’).
2. The bouquet of red roses smells so sweet. (Here, since ‘bouquet’ is the subject and not
‘roses’, the verb should be ‘smells’ and not ‘smell’)
  Introduction to Verbs
 Forms of Verb
 Auxiliary and Modal Verbs
 Subject-Verb Agreement
 Transitive and Intransitive Verb

Rule 3
Subjects that are joined by ‘and’ in a sentence, use a plural verb. Subjects that are joined
by ‘either/or’, neither/nor’ use a singular verb.

Examples:

1. Radha and Meera are coming home.

2. Neither Akshay nor Rohit is coming home.
3. My dad or my mom is arriving today.

Rule 4
The verb in a sentence containing ‘or’, ‘either/or’, ‘neither/nor’ agrees with the noun or
pronoun closest to it.

Examples:

1. Neither the shoes nor the bag matches the dress. (Here, ‘bag’ is closest to the verb, hence
‘matches’)
2. Neither the bag nor the shoes match the dress. (Here, ‘shoes’ is closest to the verb, hence
‘match’)

Rule 5
When the subject is followed by words such as ‘as well as’, ‘along with’, ‘besides’, ‘not’ etc.
ignore them and use a singular verb if the subject is singular.

Examples:

1. Matt, as well as his dog, is expected shortly.

2. Pratik, along with his brother, is going to school.
Rule 6
In sentences that begin with ‘here’, ‘there’, the true subject usually follows the verb.

Examples:

1. Here are the chocolates.

2. There is a big puddle on the road.

Rule 7
In sentences that include sums of money, periods of time or distances etc. (as a unit), use
singular verbs.

Examples:

1. 500 rupees is a high price to pay.

2. 62 years is the minimum age of retirement.
3. 10 kilometers is too far to walk.

Rule 8
In the case of words such as ‘a lot of’, all’, ‘some’ etc. in a sentence, pay attention to the
noun after ‘of’. If the noun after ‘of’ is singular then use a singular verb, if plural, use a
plural verb.

Examples:

1. All of the cake is gone.

2. All of the cakes are gone.
3. A lot of the cake is gone.
4. A lot of the cakes are gone.
5. Some of the cake is gone.
6. Some of the cakes are gone.

Rule 9
In the case of collective nouns such as ‘group, ‘population’, ‘family’, in a sentence, the verb
can be singular or plural depending on their use in the sentence.

Examples:

1. Most of my family is here OR are here.

2. Half of the population was against the bill OR were against the bill.
Rule 10
Nouns such as ‘mathematics’, ‘civics’, ‘news’ etc. while plural in form, are singular in
meaning and use singular verbs.

Examples:

1. Mathematics is very difficult for some people.

2. The news is very saddening.

Rule 11
In sentences that express a wish, request or contrary to fact, the word ‘were’ is used instead
of ‘was.

Examples:

1. I wish my sister were here.

2. Aditya requested that she raise her glass.

Solved Examples for You on Subject Verb Concord

Question: Choose the correct subject verb combinations in the sentences below.

a. The lady in the car (look/looks) like your mother.

b. Most of the milk (is/are) gone.
c. One of the flowers (has/have) wilted.
d. Either Ram or Shyam (is/are) coming today.
e. Here (is/are) the newspaper.
f. The group of dancers (is/are) here.
g. Civics (is/are) my favorite subject.

Solution:

a. The lady in the car looks like your mother.

b. Most of the milk is gone.
c. One of the flowers has wilted.
d. Either Ram or Shyam is coming today.
e. Here is the newspaper.
f. The group of dancers is OR are here.
g. Civics is my favorite subject.
What is sentence structure?
Sentence structure is the order of all the parts in a sentence: subject, predicate, objects, phrases,
punctuation, etc. It deals a lot with independent and dependent clauses and how they combine
(explained below), the placement of words and phrases next to what they modify, as well as the
use of proper grammar.
Basic parts of a sentence
Every sentence requires at least a verb and a subject; a verb is an action, and a subject is the noun
that does the action.
I am waiting.
In this example, am waiting is the verb. The main verb is wait, but when we conjugate it in the
present continuous, we use the –ing form and add the auxiliary verb am. The subject is I, the
person who waits.
The exception to this rule is imperative sentences (commands), which only need a verb. We can
assume the subject is the person the speaker is talking to.
Stop!
This single word is a complete sentence. The verb is stop, and no subject is necessary because
it’s a command.
Some sentences can add objects, which are nouns that also participate in the action. Let’s say you
forgot your calculator and you ask your friend to borrow theirs.
My buddy lends me their calculator.
In this example, lends is the verb and my buddy is the subject because they’re the one lending.
The word calculator is what’s called a direct object, the noun that receives the action. In this
case, the direct object is the thing being lent—a calculator.
The indirect object is the noun that receives the direct object. In the example above, the indirect
object is me, because that’s who receives the calculator. Indirect objects come between the verb
and direct object.
Did you notice that the subject uses the pronoun I but the objects use the pronoun me? Subject
and object pronouns are different, so make sure you’re using the right one.
Only a certain type of verb called transitive verbs can use direct and indirect objects. However,
transitive verbs are quite common, so you’ll be using them a lot.
Let’s look at another example.
James passes Emmanuel the ball.
Can you identify the verb, subject, direct object, and indirect object?
The verb is passes because that’s the action in the sentence.
The subject is Herrera because Herrera is the person who passes.
The direct object is the ball because the ball is the thing being passed.
The indirect object is Emmanuel because Emmanuel receives the ball.
4 sentence structure grammar rules
Aside from knowing the parts of a sentence, you also have to follow the grammar rules. In case
you forget, here’s a quick list:
Capitalize the first letter of the first word in a sentence.
End a sentence with a period, question mark, exclamation point, or quotation marks.
Most of the time, the subject of the sentence comes first, the verb comes second, and the objects
come last. (Subject -> Verb -> Object)
If the subject is singular, the verb must also be singular. If the subject is plural, the verb must be
plural. This is known as subject-verb agreement.
Types of clauses
If every sentence were as simple as subject + verb + object, books would be so boring! That’s
why English has developed a few different sentence structures to keep things interesting and give
us more options for speaking and writing.
Before we get into those different sentence structures, it’s crucial to understand how clauses
work. A clause is a group of words that contains a subject and a verb. Sometimes a clause is a
complete sentence on its own, but other times it needs help before it expresses a complete
thought.
A clause that is a complete sentence is called an independent clause. It contains everything you
need for a complete sentence: subjects and verbs, with objects optional.
We’ll eat dinner at five.
Faria and Bertuccio assisted the Count of Monte Cristo.
A clause that is not a complete sentence is called a dependent clause, or subordinate clause.
These support independent clauses, usually by adding necessary information.
The roads are icy because it rained last night.
This sentence contains two clauses: (1) The roads are icy and (2) because it rained last night.
Each sentence has a subject (the roads & it) and a verb (are & rained), but only the first clause is
a complete sentence by itself.
Notice that the subordinate clause because it rained last night slightly changes the meaning of the
first sentence by adding new and important information. That’s the main purpose of subordinate
clauses—to improve an independent clause with essential details.
Although subordinate clauses have both subjects and verbs, they cannot exist on their own. They
contain special words called subordinating conjunctions, which connect them to independent
clauses.
Common subordinating conjunctions include because, since, although, unless, and while, as well
as relative pronouns like that, which, whatever, whenever, whoever, etc.
If you see a subordinating conjunction, it means that group of words is a subordinate clause. It
helps to memorize them so you can easily identify different clauses. You can find a complete list
of subordinating conjunctions here.
4 types of sentence structure
Depending on how you combine clauses, you can create four different types of sentence
structure:
Simple: 1 independent clause
Compound: 2 or more independent clauses
Complex: 1 independent clause + 1 or more subordinate clauses
Compound-Complex: 2 or more independent clauses + 1 or more subordinate clauses
Note: Sentences are also categorized by their function, i.e., declarative, interrogative,
exclamation, and imperative. These are separate from the types of sentence structure (complex,
compound, etc.), and the two categories can be mixed and matched. To read more about each,
check out our guide on the types of sentences.
Let’s take a deeper look at each type of sentence structure and how to form it.
Simple sentences
Simple sentences are pretty simple: just a single independent clause, no more, no less. This
includes subject and verbs, but can also include objects.
“Life itself is the most wonderful fairy tale.”—Hans Christian Anderson
“Real glory springs from the silent conquest of ourselves.”—Joseph P. Thompson
Compound sentences
A compound sentence joins together two or more independent clauses into a single sentence.
You can connect the independent clauses in two ways:
Using a comma and a coordinating conjunction (for, and, nor, but, or, yet, and so, known as
FANBOYS) between the clauses.
 Using a semicolon between the clauses.
“It may seem difficult at first, but everything is difficult at first.”—Miyamoto Musashi
“Be yourself; everyone else is already taken.”—Oscar Wilde
“We know they are lying, they know they are lying, they know we know they are lying, we know
they know we know they are lying, but they are still lying.”—Aleksandr Isayevich Solzhenitsyn
Complex sentences
A complex sentence uses one main independent clause with any number of subordinate clauses.
While compound sentences use coordinating conjunctions to join the clauses together, complex
sentences use subordinating conjunctions, explained earlier.
If the subordinating clause comes first, use a comma before the independent clause. If the
independent clause comes first, you don’t need a comma at all.
“Until the lion learns to write, every story will glorify the hunter.”—African proverb
“When a person can’t find a deep sense of meaning, they distract themselves with pleasure.”—
Viktor Frank
“It is during our darkest moments that we must focus to see the light.”—Aristotle
Compound-complex sentences
As the name suggests, compound-complex sentences combine compound sentences with
complex sentences. They require at least two independent clauses and at least one subordinating
clause. To combine them, follow the specific grammar rules for each; be sure you’re using your
coordinating conjunctions and subordinating conjunctions in the right places.
“If you’re going to be crazy, you have to get paid for it, or else you’re going to be locked up.”—
Hunter S. Thompson
“Don’t aim for success if you want it; just do what you love and believe in, and it will come
naturally.”—David Frost
Regular verbs are easy to conjugate. For example, when you add -ed to the regular verb walk,
you get the past tense verb walked. But irregular verbs don't work quite the same way. So what is
an irregular verb? Keep reading for an explanation of irregular verbs, the rules they follow and
examples of irregular verbs in sentences.
Irregular Verbs Definition
Any verb that does not add -ed or -d to its past tense form is considered an irregular verb. The
word "irregular" makes it sound like these verbs are rare, but you see them all the time in writing
and conversation.
Examples of irregular verbs include:
 go (went)
is (was)
swim (swam)
drink (drank)
bring (brought)
Irregular verbs, sometimes known as strong verbs, are very common in English. In fact, there is a
long list of irregular verbs that you probably use every day!
Types of Irregular Verbs
Unlike regular verbs, irregular verbs don't follow patterns when changing tenses. They don't
follow the same rules for conjugation. However, there are four main types of irregular verbs, and
knowing these types might help you memorize them faster.
Irregular Verbs With Different Forms in Every Tense
To English learners, the trickiest irregular verbs are the ones that have different present tense,
past tense and past participle forms, which include the word "have" and the verb. For example,
the verb to be is the most irregular verb in the English language. It becomes:
is/are in present tense (We are on vacation.)
was/were in past tense (We were on vacation.)
been in past participle (We have been on vacation.)
More examples of these irregular verbs include:
Present Tense Past Tense Past Participle
do did done
eat ate eaten
go went gone
have has had
see saw seen

It's hard to remember these verbs because each form is so different. However, native English
speakers and those who have been studying for a long time can choose the correct form without
thinking about it too much.
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Irregular Verbs With the Same Past Tense and Past Participle
Some irregular verbs only change once. Their past tense and past participle forms are the same,
making it a little easier to decide how to conjugate them. For example, the verb to keep becomes:

keep in present tense (I keep my old yearbooks.)

kept in past tense (I kept my old yearbooks.)
kept in past participle (I have kept my hold yearbooks.)

More examples of these irregular verbs include:

Present Tense Past Tense Past Participle
buy bought bought
find found found
make made made
say said said
win won won

Once you know the past tense forms of these verbs, learning their past participle forms is simple.
The trick is knowing which verbs fall into this category.
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Irregular Verbs That Only Change in Past Tense

Several irregular verbs have the same present tense form and past participle form, but not the
same past tense form. For example, the verb to run becomes:

run in present tense (They run together every day.)

ran in past tense (They ran together last Saturday.)
run in past participle (They have run together for years.)

The only other three examples of this type of irregular verbs are:
Present Tense Past Tense Past Participle
become became become
come came come
overcome overcame

overcome

Because this type of irregular verb is not as common, you only need to memorize these four
verbs and their changes. Most of the time, the past participle doesn't match the present tense form
of a verb.
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Irregular Verbs That Never Change
Finally, there are some irregular verbs that never change form. Most of these verbs end in -t, so
they're easier to identify when you're confused. For example, the verb to cut remains:
cut in present tense (I cut the carrots while she stirs.)
cut in past tense (I cut the carrots yesterday.)
cut in past participle (I have cut the carrots before.)
More examples of these irregular verbs include:
Present Tense Past Tense Past Participle
fit fit fit
hurt hurt hurt
let let let
put put put
set set set
The third-person present tense form of these verbs adds an -s (such as bets or fits), but other than
that, they don't change form in conjugation. That's why readers need to use context clues with
these verbs to make sure they know when an action is taking place.
Irregular Verb Exceptions
While the majority of irregular verbs fall into these categories, a few don't quite fit. These verbs
are:
beat (becomes beat in past tense and beaten in past participle)
read (still spelled the same, but pronounced "red" in past tense and past participle)
With the exception of these two, irregular verbs follow the above types. That's good news for
English learners — once you know which verbs go where, you can easily memorize their
conjugations.
Good Grammar Doesn't Have to Be Irregular
English is a versatile and expressive language but that can make it tricky to learn. The most
common English verbs, like "to go" or "to have" or "to be," are all irregular and take a bit of
practice to master. Learn more about the correct use of swam and swum or try kick starting your
practice with an irregular verb game. When you have your irregular verbs memorized, you'll find
that you make fewer grammar mistakes overall.