Pronouns as subject

1. Indefinite pronouns (somebody, someone, anybody), universal pronouns (everybody, everyone, everything, each, either), negative pronouns (nobody, no one, neither, etc.) take a singular predicate.

Somebody is asking for you.

Nobody has come except me.

Each has answered well.

However, none has a plural verb-predicate.

None were here.

None of us understand it.

None of them have come.

With any of, each of, either of, neither of, or none of and a plural noun we can use a singular or plural verb. However, we prefer a singular verb in careful written English.

I don't think any of them knows (or know ) where the money is hidden.

Neither of the French athletes has (or have ) won this year.

Everyone of us is present.

Neither of the students has made a mistake.

All in the sense of «всё» has a singular verb, while all in the sense of «все» takes a plural verb.

All is well that ends well.

All that glitters is not gold.

All were in favour of the plan.

2. Interrogative pronouns who, what take a singular verb-predicate.

Who has come? What is there?

But if the pronoun denotes more than one person or thing a plural verb-predicate is used.

Who are walking in the garden?

Who have agreed to act?

3. With relative pronouns the form of the verb depends on the noun or pronoun which is its antecedent.

Do you know the girl who lives next door?
(The girl lives...)

Do you know the girls who live next door?

(The girls live...)

Mary is one of those girls who never know what they will do next.

Even I, who have seen it all, can hardly believe it.

It is you who are right. It is I who am wrong.

But: It’s me who is wrong.

4. The universal pronoun both has a plural verb-predicate.

Which of the letters are yours? Both are mine.

Notional agreement

Notional agreement is to be found in the following cases:

1. In modern English agreement there may be a conflict between form and meaning. It refers first of all to subjects expressed by nouns of multitude, which may denote plurality being singular in form. In such cases the principle of grammatical agreement is not observed and there appears the so-called notional agreement, when the choice of the number is based on the fact whether the group of beings is considered as one whole or as a collection of individuals taken separately (as discrete ones).

Thus, the nouns of multitude (the collective nouns) (band, board, crew, committee, crowd, cavalry, company, clergy, cattle, family, gang, group, guard gentry, infantry, police, poultry, team) may have both a plural verb-predicate and a singular one depending on what is meant – a single undivided body or a group of separate individuals.

Other words like this include army, association, audience, class, club, college, community, crowd, delegation, department, electorate, enemy, firm, flock, generation, government, herd, jury, orchestra, party, population, press, public, school, staff, team, university, and the names of specific organisations such as Congress, Parliament, the Bank of England, the ВВС, IBM, Sony. We use a singular verb if we see the institution or organisation as a whole unit, and a plural verb if we see it as a collection of individuals. Often you can use either with very little difference in meaning, although in formal writing (such as academic writing) it is more common to use a singular verb.

In American English collective nouns almost always go with a singular verb.

In some contexts a plural form of the verb is needed. We would say:

The committee usually raise their hands to vote “Yes”, (not...raises its hands...)
as this is something that the individuals do, not the committee as a whole.

In others, a singular form is preferred. We would say:

The school is to close next year. (not The school are...)

as we are talking about something which happens to the school as a building or institution, not to the individuals that comprise it.

Myfamily are very angry with me: they think I should go to university.

The average family has 3.5 members: it is much smaller than in 1900.

Theteam are going to lose again. They 're useless.

A cricket team is made up of eleven players, including its captain.

A new government has been formed.

The government have asked me to go, so I am leaving now.

It was now nearly eleven o'clock and the congregation were arriving.

The congregation was small.

How are your family?

Our family has always been a very happy one.

The commanding officer does not know where his cavalry is and his cavalry are not completely sure of their situation.

The crowd was enormous.

The crowd were silent.

The cattle is in the mountains.

The cattle have stopped grazing. They know before you hear any sound that planes are approaching.

The jury decides whether the accused is guilty or not.

While the jury were out, some of the public went out for а breath of fresh air.

The nouns police, people, and staff always have a plural verb.

The weather was warm, and the people were sitting at their doors.

The staff (= they) aren't happy with their new working conditions.

The police have arrested Tom.

Are the police well paid?

2. A noun in the plural denoting time, measure, weight or distance, when the noun represents the amount or mass as a whole has a singular verb-predicate.

Five thousand pounds (= it ) was stolen in the robbery. (not “were stolen”)

Three years (= it ) is a long-time to be without a job. (not “ are”)

Four hundred miles was a huge distance when a man was no long­er, young and had no means.

Three dollars is the sum laid aside for all other purposes and pleasures.

Twenty-one years is a longish time, lad, but memory is longer and deeper and stronger than time.

3. Notional agreement is also observed with subjects expressed by a syntactic word-group the first element of which denotes an indefinite number or amount, such as a number of..., a variety of..., the majority of…, the rest of…, a lot of..., a plenty of..., a mass of... etc., the predicate may be in the singular or in the plural. In most cases the form of the pred­icate depends on the form and meaning of the second element, which from a semantic point of view is the dominant element of the word-group.

With any of, none of, the majority of, a lot of, plenty of, all (of), some (of) and an uncountable noun we use a singular verb.

All the furniture was destroyed in the fire.

“ There is a lot of truth in that,” said Johnson cautiously.

With a/the majority of, a number of, a lot of, a plenty of, all (of), or some (of) and a plural noun we use a plural verb.

A number of refugees have been turned back at the border.

A number of us are worried about it.

There are a couple of children outside.

A lot ofthem were late.

Exercise 1. Explain why the predicate-verb is used in the singular or in the plural.

1. The Durham family were at breakfast, father, mother and seven children. (O'Conor)

2. He further intimated that the United States was so interested in its own internal affairs that it would not be drawn into the ques­tion. (Graves)

3. Her father and mother... were obviously haunted and har­assed. ( Galsworthy )

4. The top of a low black cabinet, the old oak table, the chairs in tawny leather, were littered with the children's toys, books, and garden garments. (Eliot)

5. To labour in peace, and devote her labour and her life to her poor son, was all the widow sought. (Dickens)

6. To leave the quiet court, to gain the Strand, to hail a belat­ed hansom was the work of a moment. (Thurston)

7. And here was a man, was experience and culture. (Galsworthy)

8. Besides the chair at the writing-table there is an easy-chair atthe medicine table, and a chair at each side of the dressing table. (Shaw)

9. The wind drove down the rain and everywhere there was stand­ing water and mud. (Hemingway)

10. Who were to be the subjects of their piracies was a matter that did not occur to him. (Twain)

11. Mrs. Gowan, who was engaged in needlework, put her work aside in a covered basket, and rose a little hurriedly. (Dickens)

12. Near them were the old people who were watching the dancing. (Abrahams)

13. She (Lillian) looked at his handsome face, which was turned to hers, with childlike simplicity. (Dreiser)

14. This gentleman told me of two recent events in his life, which were of some importance and which had not previously reached my ears. (Collins)

15. "Who is to apply to her for permission?" I asked. (Collins)

16. Tom called: "Hold! Who comes here into Sherwood Forest without my pass? (Twain)

17. What was there in him that could make him feel that shameful impulse in Regan's office? (Wilson)

18. In turn each of these four brothers was very different from the other, yet they, too, were alike. (Galsworthy)

19. Everybody was glad to see Martin back. (London)

20. There was something in her silence which disconcerted him. (Galsworthy)

21. Nobody was at home – Soames in London, Annette at a garden party. (Galsworthy).

22. "There was nothing to attract attention or excite alarm in this. (Dickens)

23. Andrew and I were alone. (Abrahams)

24. I knew that matter and spirit were one. (Bennett)

25. He consoled himself with the idea that perhaps humanity was better than he thought. (Dreiser)

26. “Well, what is mankind, then, Mrs. Jenkins?” I asked her. "Man­kind is all of as" Mrs. Jenkins said, "you and me and every­body you can, think of all over the world. That is mankind." (Llewellyn)

27. "I belong to a church that is older and better than the English Church," Mr. Holt said... "in our church the clergy do not marry." (Thackeray)

28. The police are all over the place. (Kennedy)

29. At the present time, too many commercial cattle are bred with no particular end in view. (Garner)

30. As experimental animals poultry have their excellent points. (Hagedeorn)

31....the branch committee was meeting in the room of a textile trade union. (Lindsay)

32....I am glad to tell you, Doctor Manson... that the committee have decided by a majority to ask you to remain. (Cronin)

33. The company was then complete, twenty-one in all. (Galsworthy)

34. "One of them might have slipped into the hall, in the confusion, when the dinner company were going away," says Mr. Frank­lin. (Collins)

35. The Board was again full... (Galsworthy)

36. The board were sitting in solemn conclave, when Mr. Bumble rushed into the room in great excitement... (Dickens)

37. "Michael followed with the Upshires and Aubrey Green, whom he had encountered in the hall. The party was completed. (Gals­worthy)

38. The meal over, the party were free to run and play in the meadows. (Ch. Bronte)

39. ... the band was beginning to play a selection from the music of Grieg. (Hichens)

40. When we came to the house we found that the band had arrived and were standing about in the hall. (Du Maurier)

Exercise 2. Explain why the predicate – verb is used in the singular or in the plural.

1. The family were still at table, but they had finished break­fast. (Twain) 2. There was a crowd of soldiers along the fence in the infield. (Hemingway) 3.... the band was stopped, the crowd were partially quieted, and Horatio Fizkin, Esquire, was permitted to proceed. (Dickens) 4. Down by the Embankment... a band of unemployed were trailing dismally with money-boxes. (Galsworthy) 5. The multitude have something else to do than to read hearts and interpret dark sayings. (Ch. Brontё) 6. The newly married pair, on their arrival in Harley Street, Cavendish Square, London were received by the chief butler. (Dickens). 7. There was a dreaminess, a preoccupation, an exaltation, in the maternal look which the girl could not understand. (Hardy) 8. The company are cool and calm. (Dickens) 9. As of old, nineteen hours of laboura day was all too little to suit him. (London) 10. There were still two hours of daylight before them. (Aldington) 11. At last they came into a maze of dust, where a quantity of people were tumbl­ing over one another... (Dickens) 12. Tom's whole class were of a pattern-restless, noisy and troublesome. (Twain) 13. A group of men were standing guarded by carabinieri. (Hemingway) 14. The loving couple were no longer happy. (Reade)

Exercise 3. Explain why the predicate – verb is used in the singular or in the plural.

1. Ten years is a long time.

2. Another five minutes goes by.