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Common English Error - Agreement

Common English Errors of Local Students

Author of Basic Grammar In Context - Li Po Lung
Instructor of HK University of Science & Technology

Agreement between Subject and Verb


You should be careful when matching the verb to its subject:
a verb does not necessarily agree with the noun or pronoun which immediately precedes it.
Sources
  Reader's Digest
Well Being Pg. 20
Oranges, lemons, limes and grape-fruit are excellent folate and fibre (all linked to reduced cancer risks). But their oil is also high in a lesser-known chemical called limonene, which has been shown to fight tumours in laboratory animals.
Personal Gilmpses Pg. 24
He has a five-year contract, reputedly worth $10.5 million, with the Reds and is enjoying every minute of it.
Generation Yap Pg. 35
My straight-A-16-year-old son Jeff is a boy any parent would be proud of – until you see his bedroom floor, which is covered with layers of clothes, magazines and sports equipment.
Big shots with small camera Pg. 70
The simplest of these is the plain auto-focus.
Should you believe in miracles Pg.79
When a rebbe perceives that an illness or other misfortune is God's will, he can beseech God to change what he has willed.
Newsweek
The birth of a new Taipei Pg. 14
To the casual visitor, places like Singapore and Hong Kong remain more striking in their sleek modernity.
Pg. 15
Young Internet entrepreneurs, some of them among the island's IT elite, have blasted plans to raze the Kwanghua Arcade, an underground mall jam-packed with computers, peripherals and pirated software.
Cannibals to cows Pg. 41
What few of us realize is that these tools could mark the beginning of something vastly bigger.
How mad cow spread Pg. 47
And the American Feed Industry Association is now pushing its numbers to create separate “production lines” within their factories to prevent such commingling.
Examples on Agreement
Many students, except Peter, likes (8 ) chatting on the ICQ chat-line. (like)
Drug abuse, which is one of the most serious social problems, have (8 ) to be tackled. (has)
  "The subject may include more than one noun. In this case, the verb agrees with the noun it refers to in particular.*
The leader of the workers are (8 ) planning a demonstration. (is)
The number of traffic accidents have (8 ) increased rapidly recently. (has)
    *Singular verb forms should be used with pronouns such as everybody, everyone, nobody, no one and anyone.*
Nobody like (8 ) being cheated. (likes)
Everyone seem (8 ) to be concerned about obesity. (seems)
     
Exercise on Agreement
Each of the following 5 sentences contains a grammatical error. Try to identify all the errors.
1. The spokesman for the committee members have agreed to give the journalists the details of the proposal at tomorrow’s press conference.
2. Anyone who are interested can contact Ms Fung at 2335 0989.
3. Many friends of mine, including William, is very concerned about their physical appearance.
4. The standards of English has declined in recent years.
5. Which games do he prefer?
Suggested Answers of Agreement Exercise.
1. The spokesman for the committee members have agreed to give the journalists the details of the proposal at tomorrow’s press conference. (has)
2. Anyone who are interested can contact Ms Fung at 2335 0989. (is)
3. Many friends of mine, including William, is very concerned about their physical appearance. (are)
4. The standards of English has declined in recent years. (have)
5. Which games do he prefer? (does)