Name _______________________________ Date______________
Mrs. Arresto Grammar Section #4
Indefinite pronouns can be singular, plural, or either, depending on the prepositional phrase that follows.
Rule #1:
The following indefinite pronouns are always singular and require a singular verb: everybody, everyone, every one, somebody, someone, anybody, anybody, anyone, any one, nobody, no one, one, each, either, neither, anything, something, everything, nothing, and another.
Tip: All the “ones,” all the “things,” and all the “bodies” are singular. Either and neither without “or” or “nor” are always singular.
· Each of Jack’s sandwiches is enough for a full meal.
· Everybody is afraid of Mr. Miller’s tests.
· Either of those computers is a good buy, but the Dell is too heavy.
Rule #2:
When the subject is one of the “AMANS” pronouns (all, most/more, any, none, some) and is followed by a prepositional phrase, the verb will be singular if the noun in the phrase is singular but plural if the noun in the phrase is plural.
· All [of Jessica’s money] has been spent.
· All [of my cousins] have blue eyes.
The same holds true for fractions…
· One third [of my time] is spent doing my biology homework.
· Three quarters [of Rachel’s friends] have gone away to college.
Rule #3:
The pronouns few, both, others, many, and several (the “FBOMS”) always take a plural verb.
· Few [of Mr. Spencer’s students] think his jokes are funny.
· Many respect his command of his subject, however.
Some of the sentences below are correct, and some have an error in subject-verb agreement. If the sentence is correct, write “C” on the line. If the sentence contains an error, cross out the verb and write the correct verb above it.
__________ 1. Either of the two cakes that Tim brought for the bake sale are acceptable for dessert today.
__________ 2. Anybody Mitch knows has to laugh at his jokes.
__________ 3. Both of the puppies that Nicole likes has tiny brown spots.
__________ 4. One of Brendan’s favorite shows are going to be on television tonight.
__________ 5. All of the pumpkin pie was eaten by Eddie who always makes a slob of himself.
__________ 6. Most of the box of cookies have been eaten.
__________ 7. George has two sisters, and both of them, especially Olivia, despises him.
__________ 8. None of the articles deals with sports.
__________ 9. It seems that all of the money in the world is not enough to buy the METS a winning team these days.
__________ 10. Few of the students realizes that proper grammar is necessary for good writing.
__________ 11. Were either of the two sisters present at the basketball game?
__________ 12.Nothing about these suits lead me to believe that pinstripes are acceptable.
__________ 13. Someone has to watch that puppy before it tries to bite the baby!
__________ 14. Anyone who breeds dogs know how difficult it is to train them.
__________ 15. All of the students has to hand in an essay by Friday.