Grammar: Agreement of Subject and Verb

The following rules will help you identify the subject and the verb that corresponds to it.

A singular subject takes a singular verb form.

A plural subject takes a plural verb form.

Examples:

Stuffy Pete meets the Old Gentleman every Thanksgiving Day.

subject: Stuffy Pete (singular)

verb: meets (singular of meet)

The two men meet every year on Thanksgiving Day.

subject: men (plural)

verb: meet (plural form of meet)

A compound subject is a subject with two or more nouns connected by and..

A compound subject takes a plural verb form.

Example:

Stuffy Pete and the Old Gentleman meet every year.

subject: Stuffy Pete + and + the Old Gentleman (compound)

verb: meet (plural form of meet)

If a prepositional phrase follows the subject, be careful not to confuse the subject noun with the noun that is the object of the preposition.

Example:

The ladies in the red brick mansion feed poor people.

subject: ladies (plural)

prepositional phrase: in the red brick mansion

preposition: in

object of the preposition: mansion (singular)

verb: feed (plural form of feed; agrees with ladies, not mansion)

The phrase one of is followed by a plural noun, but it takes a singular verb.

Example:

One of the old ladies’ traditional habits was to feed poor people.

subject: one (singular)

verb: was (singular form of be; agrees with one)

5. Application

Practice finding the subject and verb in the following sentences. First, draw an arrow from the subject to the verb. Then circle singular or plural to describe the subject and verb.

1. They were lucky.

singular plural

2. Our story takes place in New York City on Thanksgiving Day.

singular plural

3. Stuffy Pete’s appearance at the annual meeting place was a result of habit rather than hunger.

singular plural

4. The buttons on his coat pop off from the pressure of his fat belly.

singular plural

5 A waiter with a tray of turkey, chops, soups, vegetables, and pies walks toward their table.

singular plural

6. One of the young doctors stops to chat with one of the young nurses.

singular plural

Editing Practice. Edit the following paragraph by changing the form of the verb from singular to plural or from plural to singular if necessary:

Our Thanksgiving tradition is to have dinner at home. My mother and father shops for a turkey the weekend before the holiday. Both of them likes to cook, and my sister and I helps them. On Thanksgiving, we all get up early and begin to prepare the food and set the table. We usually sit down to eat about 2 o’clock. After the meal, my brother help with the dishes, and my sister come with me for a walk.

D. Thinking About the Story

1. Sharing Ideas

Discuss the following questions:

1. How do you feel about Stuffy Pete when you first meet him in the story?

2. How do you feel about him at the end of the story?

3. There is only one character in the story called a “gentleman,” but the tide of the story is “ Two Thanksgiving Day Gentlemen.” Why does O. Henry use the word “two” in the story’s title?

4. There is a saying, “You can’t judge a book by its cover.” How does it apply to the story you have just read?

2. Reading Between the Lines

Practice reading between the lines. Circle the letter of the answer that best completes each of the following statements:

1. “We hear some talk about the Puritans and the original Thanksgiving. But that was a long time ago.” In these sentences O. Henry is saying that

a. the first Thanksgiving was a very long time ago.

b. the Puritans didn’t have anything to do with the first Thanksgiving.

c. the original Thanksgiving was a happy occasion for the Puritans.

d. most people don’t remember the meaning of the first Thanksgiving.

2. When O. Henry says that the story “will prove to you that we have traditions on this side of the ocean even though we are still a young country,” he means that

a. the United States has many traditions.

b. the United States is a younger country than England, but it has traditions.

c. England doesn’t have traditions.

d. the United States and England both celebrate Thanksgiving Day.

3. Philanthropists seem to think that the poor only get hungry on holidays because

a. poor people don’t get hungry on other days.

b. poor people only eat in restaurants on holidays.

c. rich people usually forget about the poor except on holidays.

d. poor people walk around looking hungry on holidays.

3. Analyzing the Story

Look back at the Literary Term on page 2. One of the story’s themes is the importance of tradition. Both Stuffy Pete and the Old Gentleman respect tradition; yet their ways of doing so are often different. Find as many similarities and differences as you can and write them in the chart below. An example has been provided for you.

Traditions: Thanksgiving Day

Similariries and Differences

4. Writing

Choose one of the following writing assignments:

1. Write a summary of the story in two to three paragraphs. Be sure to include all of the major events.

2. Imagine that you are Stuffy Pete. Write about your thoughts the next day when you wake up in the hospital.

3. Imagine that you are the Old Gentleman. Write about your thoughts when you wake up the next morning in the hospital.

4. Imagine that you are the doctor at the hospital. Describe the two patients – the Old Gentleman and Stuffy Pete.

5. Continue the story a year later. What has happened to Stuffy Pete? What has happened to the Old Gentleman?

6. You are a reporter. Make a list of questions to ask Stuffy Pete and the Old Gentleman about their relationship over the past nine years. You can ask two of your classmates to take the roles of the characters.

7. Write the story in the present time in a different city. Change the characters to two women who meet in a park. You can change details of the story, but don’t change the main idea or theme.

Date: 2015-01-02; view: 1580