Begin Information Unit 5 Exercises 1

Begin Information Unit 5 Exercises 1-

Subject Verb Agreement

Rule 1

A singular subject takes a singular verb. A plural subject takes a plural verb
The third person singular always has an s
A prepositional phrase that interrupts the subject and the predicate does not affect the verb. Only the subject of the sentence controls the verb.

Unit 5 Rule 1 Exercise 1

1.Mary, Jane, and Elizabeth (A. plays B. play) the piano.

2.The girls (A. have B. has) no money.

3.Across the lake (A. speed B. speeds) the motorboat.

4.Your aunt and uncle (A. wants B. want) you to go with them.

5.A box of peaches (A. was B. were) in the cooler.

6.The books (A. was B. were) displayed at the Hudson book Fair.

7.In one album (A. is B. are) good pictures of Mount Vernon.

8.The truck with several boxes of oranges and apples (A. was B. were) traveling at high speed.

9.John with his two brothers (A. have B. has) won several wrestling trophies.

10.Albert with his friends (A. expects B. expect) to receive an A for effort.

11.A shelf of books (A. has B. have) broken during the night.

12.The men (A. have B. has) left.

13.My mother often (A. goes B. go) to the museum.

14.The box of crayons (A. was B. were) purchased for my cousin.

15.Marilyn (A. has b. have) finished writing the letter.

16.Leon (A. has B. have) earned his baseball letter.

17.The only good explanation (A. was B.were) given by my math teacher.

18.The old books in the attic (A. was B.were) finally thrown away.

19.The miners in that old mine (A. has B. have) had many narrow escapes.

20.The climate of both countries (A. is B. are) mild.

21.A carton of grapefruit (A. was B. were) shipped from Florida.

22.The pages in that book (A. has B. have) been torn.

23.Mike (A. leave B. leaves) for soccer practice at four.

24.The bouquet of flowers (A. was B. were) given to my mother.

25.Jim (A. has B. have) bought several lottery tickets.

Unit 5 Rule 1 Exercise 2

It was the Crain family that (was, were) supposed to bring the ice and chicken.
The paper plates, napkins, and coleslaw (was, were) brought o the picnic by the Sungs.
Honesty and integrity (was, were) just two of Abraham Lincoln’s most famous characteristics.
The teacher as well as the students (is, are) required to attend the assembly.
The wind always (makes, make) the screen door rattle during the summer.
The keys to our house (is, are) on a ring just inside the garage.
The geese (migrates, migrate) north every year at this time.
My friends never (knows, know) what I will do next.
A famous painting of those trees and windmills (hangs, hang) in the art museum.
The parents of my best friend (has, have) invited me to the ballet.
The silence (was, were) deafening after the prosecution rested its case.
The secret of her many successes (lies, lie) in her diligence.
Red roses on a white wooden trellis (blooms, bloom) in my aunt’s lovely garden.
The child with two sets of grandparents (enjoys, enjoy) the attention of many doting adults.
The eggplants in our garden (is, are) particularly large this summer.
The children in this photograph (look, looks) uncomfortable.
The lace on these dresses (was, were) handmade.
The newspapers in this collection (dates, date) back to the Revolutionary War.
An acre of trees and meadows (surrounds, surround) the little church.
The numbers next to the lines on this map (indicates, indicate) the number of miles between each interchange.
The guests at the meeting (is, are) wearing the name tags.
The handwriting in these bills and letters (seems, seem) to belong to the same person.

Unit 5 Rule 1 Exercise 3

This poster of ancient coins (show, shows) the portraits of all the Roman emperors.
The cleaners promised that his trousers (was, were) going to be cleaned, pressed, and delivered in time for the award ceremony.
A report for one of my history classes (is, are) about Elizabeth Keckly, an African American who became the dressmaker for and confidante of First Lady Mary Todd Lincoln.
Keckley in her early years (was, were) enslaved in Virginia.
A daughter of her owners (was, were) fond of Keckley and brought her to live with her in St. Louis.
Keckley’s talents in the art of dressmaking (was, were) so considerable that she was able to help support the family of her owner.
In 1855 Keckley, with the help of loans from her customers, (was, were) able to purchase her freedom.
To me, Keckley’s irrepressible longings for freedom and dignity (seems, seem) extraordinary.
Keckley’s faith in herself and in her abilities (was, were) rewarded, for she moved to Washington, D.C., and became the dressmaker of president Lincoln’s wife.
Keckley, as a personal friendof the Lincolns, (was, were) privy to many family matters at the White house.
Her opinions about the White House (was, were) published in 1868in a book entitled Behind the Scenes.
The success of this determined woman (continues, continue) to inspire people today.
Water, in addition to food, (is, are) essential on a camping trip.
Rain, accompanied by wind and thunder, (is, are) predicted for tomorrow.
The movie, together with the book, (tell, tells) a compelling story.
John Cabot’s life, as well as his voyages, (is, are) somewhat of a mystery to historians.
John Cabot, as well as his son Sebastian, (was, were) sent to explore the Americas.
Before Columbus’s voyage, John Cabot, plus other navigators, (was, were) planning a westward voyage to Asia.
John, accompanied by 18 men, (was, were) scheduled to sail from England in 1497.
Five ships in the royal fleet, in addition to John’s ship, (was, were) prepared to leave on a second voyage in 1498.
A crew mutiny, together with a lack of supplies, (appears, appear) to have doomed the voyage.
In 1525, Sebastian Cabot, accompanied by three Spanish vessels, (was, were) expected to develop trade with the Orient.
However, Cabot, as well as all his men, (was, were) diverted by news of great wealth in South America.
Unfortunately, three years, plus tremendous effort, (was, were) wasted, and Cabot was blamed for the failed expedition.
Sebastian Cabot, as well as his father, never (seem, seems) to have attained his exploration goals.
Hebrew, together with Arabic, (is, are) spoken in Israel.
Yiddish, in addition to Hebrew, (is, are) the language of some Israeli authors.
The German language, plus the Hebrew alphabet and some Slavic words, (form, forms) the basis of Yiddish.
Jewish traditions from Eastern Europe, as well as the Jewish culture of the Mediterranean countries, (has, have) influenced the manner in which Hebrew is pronounced.
The chief difference between Eastern European (Ashkenazi) and Mediterranean (Sephardic) Hebrew, in addition to the sound of certain vowels, (lie, lies) in the way some words are pronounced.
Hebrew, as well as Arabic, (is, are) a Semitic language.
This pair of languages, together with Aramaic, (has, have) common roots.
Ancient Egyptians, plus several modern Ethiopian tongues, (is, are) distantly related t the Semitic languages.
The Hebrew alphabet, unlike the English alphabet, (includes, include) only consonants.
The letters of the alphabet, together with symbols used to indicate the vowels, (form, forms) words that can be sounded out phonetically.

Rule 2 (or, nor)

Rule 2: The verb always agrees with the noun that followstheor or the nor.

Unit 5 Rule 2 Exercise 4

Jane or the twins (A. has B. have) the book.
A bus of several fans (A. is B. are) available for transportation to the game.
Jane or Kathy (A. wants B. want) that sweater.
My brother or my sisters (A. has B. have) tickets for the concert.
Phil or his cousins (A. opens B. open) the main office each morning.
The school counselor or the teacher (A. is B. are) responsible for the classroom conduct.
The twins or my brother (A. is B. are) going to the game.
A grapefruit or an orange (A. provides B. provide) good vitamin C.
Bill or Bob (A. is B. are) in charge of the decorations for the dance.
The fathers or the mothers (A. is B. are) invited to the school conference on parenting.
(Wasn’t Weren’t) Jen or George supposed to help you clean?
Neither he nor she (is, are) strong enough to lift the barbell.
Neither one of them (is, are) qualified to make that decision.
Either Alice or Mike (is, are) going to help us.
Neither the students nor their home economics teacher (is, are) for the two of us in the school auditorium.
Neither the home economics teacher nor the students (is, are) waiting for the two of us in the school auditorium.
Either Mary or John (is, are) going in my place.
Neither Kate nor her parents (has, have) ever met anyone as eccentric as Ace.
Either Joanna or Howard (takes, take) the children to school each day.
Neither the hat on that shelf nor the scarves on this one (belongs, belong) in a shop like yours.
Either the kittens or the dachshund (has, have) frightened the baby.
Fred or his brothers (watches, watch) the store at lunchtime.
Neither Emily nor Marian (knows, know) how to get to the library.
I suspect that either the maids or the butler (is, are) not telling the inspector the whole truth.
Either Sam or Lena (drives, drive) the car here each day.
I will go, even though neither Leslie nor Bill (is, are) going.
Either potatoes or corn (tastes, taste) good with chicken.
Neither the front door nor the windows (has been, have been) locked.
Neither the texture nor the colors of this fabric (goes, go) well with that hat.
Neither the play nor the two movie versions (captures, capture) the flavor of the original book.
Neither the subway system nor the bus routes (serves, serve) that part of town.
Neither Meg nor Elsa (wants, want) to go to the museum.
Neither greeting cards nor wrapping paper (is, are) sold in this store.
Either one book or a few articles (is, are) sufficient background for this report.

Rule 3 (There)

There is never the subject of a sentence.
There is often used in the subject position.
When there designates place (where), it is used as an adverb.

Your train is there. (adverb)

When there is used merely for sentence variety or to fill out the sentence, it is called an expletive.

Rule 4 (Here)

Here is never the subject of the sentence.

Here are the pictures of your prom.

The pictures of your prom are here(adverb)

Here is generally an adverb.

Here is the news.

The news is here. (adverb)

Rule 5 (Contractions There’s, Here’s)

The contractions there’s (there is) and here’s (here is) always take a singular subject.

There’s a box in the corner.

A box is there in the corner.

Here’s your lunch.

Your lunch is here.

Unit 5 Rules 3 4 and 5 Exercise 5Underline the subjects in the following sentences.

There were several reasons for his actions.
Here is your new assignment.
There is a notice of dismissal in your mailbox.
There’s nothing in the box.
Here’s your apple.
There’s no reason for such conduct.
Here are your mother’s instructions.
There’s no point to this argument.
Here’s my excuse.
There’s his blue sweater.

Unit 5 Rules 3 4 and 5 Exercise 6 (There, Here)

Directions. Write the subject and then the proper verb.

There (is, are) disagreements among the committee members.
There (is, are) three ways to improve your golf score: take lessons, practice a lot, or cheat.
There (is, are) a camper on the mountain.
There (is, are) campers on the mountain.
Here (is, are) the CD you left at my house yesterday.
Here (is, are) the books that you ordered from the book club.
Here (come, comes) the last runner.
Here (come, comes) the last two runners.
There (is, are) more to their stories than either witness (is, are) willing to say.
There (is, are) a number of homeless cats at the Humane Society.
There in the distance (was, were) the remains of the ghost town.
In many a rock musician (beats, beat) the heart of a blues musician from the region of the United States known as the Mississippi Delta
There (was, were) a dozen or more influential blues musicians born in the Mississippi Delta in the first two decades of this century.
In the group work songs of cotton-field workers (lies, lie) the roots of the Delta blues.
On the plantations of the Delta (was, were) heard the music of Robert Johnson, Muddy Waters, and John Lee Hooker, among others.
(Do, Does) these names seem familiar to you?
Unfortunately, there (is, are) few recordings of the very early musical pieces of some of these blues artists.
There (was, were) several musicians who carried the blues north, especially to Chicago, in the 1940’s and 1950’s.
(Was, Were) blues singers Howlin’ Wolf and Muddy Waters performing in Chicago then?
In the blues (lives, live) a sense of hope, strength, and survival.
In the debt of Delta blues musicians (is, are) artists as diverse as the Rolling Stones, Robert Cray, and Whitney Houston.

Unit 5 Rules 3 4 and 5 Exercise 7 (inverted order)

(Do, Does) that eagle live in the mountains?
(Do, Does) those mountains contain eagles?
(Is, Are) the tent pitched in the right place?
(Is, Are) the tents pitched in the right place?
Near the trees (sleeps, sleep) the camper.
Around the corner (is, are) several fresh footprints in the cement.
Where in your desk (is, are) your yellow pencil?
Beyond this town and across the river (looms, loom) the EmpireStateBuilding.
Here (is, are) the letter I mentioned to you.
Why (is, are) all three outfielders looking the wrong way?
There (is, are) many possible reasons for their behavior.
Crawling behind the sofa (was, were) two loudly giggling children.
Here in this box (is, are) several toys from my childhood.
How often (does, do) he manage to take a break from his responsibilities?
How silently and softly (falls, fall) the rain.
There (is, are) no excuse for such table manners.
How (has, have) she learned my name?
Which recorded (has, have) Heather brought with her?
There (is, are) many reasons for building a new wing onto the school.
“Where (is, are) my three fiddlers?” cried Old King Cole.
How many times (has, have) Martin filled his plate?
Here (is, are) the stamps from Portugal.
The experts say there (is, are) hope for the economy next year.
Here in this room (lie, lies) the solution to the mystery.
Why (has, have) he called me so late in the evening?
There (was, were) three ducks on the lake.

Rule 6 (linking verb)

A linking verb must agree with its subject regardless of the number of its complements.

Rule 7 (Compound subject, and)

A compound subject joined by and usually takes a plural verb.

EXCEPTIONS- If the parts of a compound subject are thought of as one item, then a singular verb is needed.

Bacon and Eggs, Mac and Cheese, Ham and Cheese,

Rule 8 (collective nouns)

Collective nouns name a group.
A collective noun takes a singular verb when the group is acting as one, not individually.

My family disagrees with my decision.

A collective noun takes a plural verb when each member of the group acts individually.

My family are working in four kinds of jobs: secretary, lawyer, judge and teacher.

The jury take takes their seats.

Unit 5 Exercise 8Write down the correct choice.

The team (A. is B. are) arguing among themselves.
The jury (A. renders B. render) its decision
The faculty (A. votes B. vote) for their representatives.
Our class (A. is B. are) sponsoring a dance.
The jury (A. is B. are) leaving their seats
The team (A. is B. are) listening to the coach’s pep talk.
The cast of the play (A. is B. are) rehearsing their lines.
The biology class (A. is B. are) going on a field trip.
The committee (A. is B. are) taking their seats.
The school council (A. is B. are) going to the convention.

Unit 5 Exercise 9(Linking, compound, collective)

The majority (wants, want) to see the Old City in East Jerusalem before viewing the more modern West Jerusalem.
The family (goes, go) off in opposite directions to see different parts of the city.
The group (learns, learn) many facts about Jerusalem from the tour guide.
The construction crew (is, are) continuing work on the new bridge.
The counseling committee (was, were) providing new services for students.
The rescue squad along with several police cars (was, were) at the scene of the accident almost immediately.
The crowd, (grows, grow) restless before the musicians appear.
The clean-up committee (tries, try) to keep the sidewalks clean.
The squadron of planes (soar, soars).
The squadron (lands land) one at a time.
The crowd (cheer, cheers).
The crowd (rush, rushes) to find their seats.
The team (was, were) victorious in the state finals.
The audience (is, are) expressing their opinions about the play.
While watching the sword game called kendo, a crowd of American spectators (is, are) apt to wonder at the significance of the stylized gestures.
Now a family of five (presents, present) individual demonstrations of kyudo, or Japanese archery.
The whole family (has, have) extraordinary poise and skill.
A congregation of Christian pilgrims (gathers, gather) outside the Church of the Holy Sepulcher.
The group (disagrees, disagree) over what to do the next day.
The crows in the souks, or markets, (is, are) definitely another sight worth seeing in the OldCity.
The throng in the narrow streets (buys, buy) souvenirs in the small, dark shops.
The tour group also (enjoys, enjoy) viewing the Knesset, the Israeli parliament.
The last course (was, were) strawberries with cram.
The main courses for the dinner (was, were) a selection of fish dishes.
Baskets of flowers (was, were) the decoration at the banquet.
My favorite part of musicals (is, are) the duets.
For many people the joys of the circus (is, are) a pleasure that they never outgrow.
Circuses (remains, remain) a popular form of entertainment in many countries.
The circuses of Ancient Rome (was, were) actually a group of chariot races performed in a ring.
Perhaps the first of the modern circuses (was, were) a one-ring show by Philip Astley, an eighteenth-century horse trainer.
In the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, circus performers (was, were) the elite among popular entertainers.
The most exotic part of all circuses (is, are) the wild animals.
The feats of an acrobat or a trapeze artist (seems, seem) an impossibility to most of us.
A clown’s acrobatic leaps (appears, appear) an easy trick, but in fact they are quite difficult to perform.
The strains of the calliope (is, are) a joyous sound, don’t you think?
To me, an irresistible temptation (is, are) the aromas of popcorn and roasted peanuts.
The forked tongue of the lizard and the snake (is, are) used to smell.
The cup and the glass (is, are) broken.
The cups and glasses (is, are) broken
Three cups and one glass (is, are) broken.
Cucumbers and yogurt (is, are) a popular Middle Eastern dish.
Every cup and glass (is, are) broken.
Each cup and glass (is, are) broken
Clock and sundials (measure, measure) time.
Cake and pie (is, are) Murray’s favorite desserts.
The gingham dog and the calico cat (does, do) not get along with each other.
The decorations and the centerpiece (was, were) beautiful.
Every book and record in this library (shows, show) signs of wear.
On this issue congress and the President (finds, find) the present law to be inadequate.
Macaroni and cheese (was, were) served last night.
Each sheet and pillowcase in our hotel (is, are) freshly laundered every day.
Every student and teacher in this school (knows, know) what must be done to improve class attendance.
The horse and the mule (was, were) once the major means of transportation in this country.
Pens and pencils (was, were) poised to write.
Peanut butter and jelly (is, are) my favorite combination for sandwiches.
The books and magazines on the shelf (was, were) out of order.
Every boot, shoe, and belt in that store (is, are) made of leather.
Cherry pie and apple strudel (was, were) our choices.
A prince and princess always (lives, live) happily ever after.
Each folder and packet in the files (was, were) labeled.
Ducks and geese usually (stops, stop) at this park on their way south.
Every worker and manager in our plants (offers, offer) suggestions for improvements.
The shops and department stores in this mall (is, are) paying more rent this year than ever before.

Rule 9 (depend on prepositional phrase)