[0:00]Hi there, my name is Lyqa and welcome to Team Lyqa, where I try to help you prepare better for your next exam. subject verb agreement including the civil service exam, LET, LAE, UPCAT, Science High School test, exams. This is very important for you to master. Now, a quick little note lang din, if you are a channel member or sponsor, you have a different version of this video, longer and with more examples. So, if you haven't seen that yet, go and find it, because you have a different version of this video, longer and with more examples.
[0:46]Okay, so let's jump right in. This video is brought to you by the Team Lyqa review books. More about these later. When it comes to subject verb agreement, there are many rules that you can study. There are different articles, different books that will list 15, 21, 26. I've seen around 35 different rules, but because we aim to make things easier for you, and specifically for Filipinos, these are the top rules that sometimes confuse Filipinos. We're going to start with the more basic rules. After this, we're going to talk about more special rules in the next video. So again, this is the first part, the most basic, most essential, that's what we'll discuss today. When it comes to the simplest rule of subject verb agreement, we simplify that even further by saying, "If singular, may S. If plural, wala." Now, what does that mean? It's easy to remember because the word "singular" has an S. So, if singular, the word singular and the singular subject in the sentence, has an S. And if plural, looking at the word plural itself, it doesn't have an S. So, none.
[2:10]Now, in my older video where I discussed this rule, some people got confused. Because they said, isn't it that if singular, it has no S, because cats have an S, which is plural. The singular of it is cat, no S. But to make it clearer for everyone, this is again a simplified or shorter version of the whole rule, which is this: If the subject is singular, the verb has an S. If the subject is plural, none, or the verb has no S. This is the most basic rule of subject verb agreement. A singular subject requires a singular verb. A plural subject requires a plural verb. Now, up here in our presentation, from now until the end of our discussion, you would see like a formula or simplified version of these. Hopefully, an additional mnemonic device to help you remember this better. Again, singular subject, singular verb, plural subject, plural verb. Things will get a little trickier later, but before that, let's stick to the basics. Let's look at a few examples. When you see a sentence like this, "My dog (love / loves) playing fetch." Now, the first thing we're going to do is ask ourselves, "Who is the subject?" or "Who is the main character in this sentence?" Who loves playing fetch? It's the dog. Okay, that's our subject. Now, why did I circle this? This is a tip, an exercise, something to help you, if you're taking tests, especially if you're allowed to write on top of the exam booklet. That's the case for the civil service exam. So if you're taking the civil service exam, just keep that in mind. This is something that you may want to do to help you focus or hone in on the actual subject in the sentence. So you won't get confused, just circle who is really being talked about. Okay, so a quick tip there. Now, if we're talking about dogs, how many dogs are there? Well, singular that is. When we say singular, it means only one dog. Now, if there's only one dog, again, we said, if the subject is singular, the verb has an S. So our answer should have an S then. My dog loves playing fetch. So the answer here is loves. Now what if it's different? If we are talking about dogs, this time, our subject is plural. There are many dogs. So if it's more than one, even if it's just two, our subject is plural, which means our verb should have no S. And because it has no S, what we're looking for now or the correct answer now is love. My dogs love playing fetch. So again, that's a very basic rule. Some of you have that ingrained deeply in you, which is actually a good thing, but it can also be a bad thing later when there are distractions. It becomes automatic the more we try to write in English or speak in English, the more we use the language, the easier it becomes and again, it becomes second nature to you, hopefully. Okay. Now let's go to the next example. Now that you know the most basic rule, which is if singular, may S, if plural, wala, things will start to get a little bit more complicated. Because this is where the intruders come in. So it's important to ask yourself the magic question. Now, if you have been a part of Team Lyqa for a long time, you probably already know this. The magic question is, who is really the main character?! Because again, whether in movies, TV shows, or in real life, hopefully not, there are sometimes intruders who steal attention. And if your attention is stolen, then it becomes chaotic. There are good examples of it here in our rule number two. This is rule number two. A phrase (subordinate clause or prepositional phrase) between the subject and verb does not affect the subject. It sounds long or complicated, but basically, it means that if there's an intruder between the subject and verb, it will not affect who the real subject is. And in turn, what kind of verb you should use. Sometimes, there's what's called a "removable phrase." Now, this is a term coined by one of my former professors, Attorney Janet Villa. Hi, Ms. AJ, if you're watching this. And it just means it's a phrase or a clause that you can remove, and the sentence will still stand by itself. What does that mean? These are interjections, prepositional phrases. Things that are added or inserted into our sentences. Now, to master the art of removing the removable phrase, our magic question is, "Who is really the main character?!" So let's see. In this example, "Haley, one of our dogs, (love / loves) playing fetch." Now, who is really the main character? Because that's our magic question. Because we have Haley, that's just one, a specific dog. Haley is the name of my dog, by the way. And then we have dogs right here, which is plural because it has an S. But the question is, who is really the main character? Now, one of the keys when it comes to removable phrases, and again, it's not absolute, sometimes it's not there, but when it comes to exams, keep your eye out for these. These are the commas. You have a comma here and a comma here. That means "one of our dogs" is additional information about Haley. But the dogs are not included in the entire subject of that sentence. We can remove it. Remove the intruder to find out who the main character is. Haley. So it means if she's alone, she's singular, the verb should have an S. Loves. Haley, one of our dogs, loves playing fetch. Now, why is this exercise important? Why is it good to know how to remove intruders and circle the real subject? Because if you'll notice, the word "dogs" is actually closer to the verb. So the tendency for some people, if they're following the listening rule, and they're used to it, if the noun near the verb has an S, then the verb should have no S. It sounds better, "dogs love" than "dogs loves." But in this case, because Haley is the real subject, "dogs loves" is actually the correct answer. Haley, one of our dogs, loves playing fetch. So again, if we look at our formula for our mathematicians there who can remember these things better than actual words, it just means singular subject, plus the removable phrase, will still need a singular verb. And the plural subject, that has a removable phrase, will still need a plural verb. I put it in parentheses, because it means, especially in writing, that that part is helpful, but not necessary. Helpful, but not necessary. Hmm. Now, what if it's like this? "Our dogs, including Haley, love or loves playing fetch." In this case, Haley is closer to the verb. But if you have a keen eye for detail, you'll see that there's a comma here and a comma here. And what's being talked about is not Haley, because "including Haley" is removable, but the dogs. Dogs are what's being talked about. And it's plural, which means the correct answer should not have an S. The verb should be in its plural form. Our dogs love playing fetch. And even if you read the whole sentence, "Our dogs, including Haley, love playing fetch." It sounds awkward to read aloud or listen to because Haley is near the verb, but because dogs are the real subject, it should be love, not loves. Rule number three. Two or more subjects connected by "and" require a plural verb. So if there's an "and" between two subjects, or more than that, in that case, we're already using a comma, they become plural. It becomes a list or a group of things. So again, the formula, singular subject and singular subject equals plural subject, which in turn needs or requires a plural verb. I will just note now that this works even if it's a singular subject and a plural subject, or a plural subject and a singular subject. And of course, if the first one is already plural, and you have an "and," and the other subject is also plural. As long as there's an "and," it's a plural verb. Well, most of the time. We'll talk about that later. An example would be something like this: "Haley and Harper love or loves playing fetch." Haley, one dog. Harper, also one. But because there's an "and," this turns this into a plural subject. Why? Because the subject here is this entire phrase. Haley, one, plus one equals two. So that's more than one. Now, because it's plural, the verb should also be plural, or the verb that has no S. Haley and Harper love playing fetch, not loves. But what if it's like this? "My cute dog and goofiest cheerleader, Haley, love or loves playing fetch." Now, if you are the type of person who would say, "No rule because if there's an 'and' it's automatically plural." And you hold onto that without really looking at what the sentence means, you might fall victim to it in the exam, in sentence correction, or in choosing the best answer. Because if we understand it correctly, there is an "and" here in between. But this removable part, which is again surrounded by two commas, tells us who is being talked about here. Her cute dog and goofiest cheerleader are both Haley. So even if there's an "and" between the dog and the cheerleader, because they both describe or play the same role as one dog, which is Haley, this will actually act as a singular subject. So, the subject is singular even with an "and." And because it's singular, it's only one cute dog and she's also the goofiest cheerleader, it's Haley, the verb would be loves. My cute dog and goofiest cheerleader, Haley, loves playing fetch. I was quite young when I first heard this phrase. For every rule, there are exceptions. This means that even if rule number two is true, it has an exception. Again, and is a helpful word, but it's not automatic. It's not always plural. It depends on the usage. So be careful with that. Now, when will it be plural? If what is being talked about is a separate dog and a different cheerleader, then it will be plural. So if I rephrase this, I can insert here: my cute dog, Harper, and goofiest cheerleader, Haley, which means there are two dogs being talked about. Which means it totals to three. It's truly plural now. So again, "and" is an indicator that it will be plural, but not all the time. So it's important to ask the magic question, who is really the main character? So if we revise rule number three a bit, we could say that two or more subjects connected by "and" require a plural verb unless they count as one. That's important. Again, unless they count as one. Because there are many things that may be used individually, but they can also be used as a group. And because they count as one, they are singular. Let me give you another example to make it clearer. Okay? We have this: Penn and Teller (is / are) my favorite magicians. When it comes to exams, it's important that this isn't vague. It means you would have all the clues you need to figure out the correct answer to the question. In this case, it's important to consider what words are used in the entire sentence. Penn and Teller, again, there's an "and" there, but the B verb (is / are) describes his favorite magicians. By giving us a clue that magicians are being talked about, we realize that Penn is one magician and Teller is another magician, and they both, as individuals, are both magicians, both favorites. So we can count them as one plus one equals two magicians, which becomes plural. So the B verb we'll use is are. Penn and Teller are my favorite magicians. Now, can I reword the sentence and make it seem like they're counted as one? Yes. Let me rephrase this. If I say, "Penn and Teller, my favorite act." So, Penn and Teller, even if there's an "and" in here, actually counts as just one subject, that duo, one duo, and that means you now have a singular subject, it needs a singular verb, with an S. So the answer is "Penn and Teller is my favorite act." Again, "and" turns subjects into plural subjects if they don't act as one.
[18:59]Rule number four. In sentences that start with here or there, the subject goes after the verb. This means that if there's a "here" or "there," the subject verb agreement is based on the subject that comes later. This is called a flipped sentence in some books. It means that instead of the structure where you have a subject that does the verb that comes after it, for instance, "the dog runs," or "the dogs run," the action, which is running, comes before the subject. Let me give you an example. The sentence says, "Here blank (is / are) Haley, my dog." So as you can see, the verb, our B verb, comes before the subject. In this case, because this is removable, the subject is actually Haley. And because Haley is singular, it means the singular verb should be used. So, the verb is "is." "Here is Haley, my dog." Now what if it's like this? "There (is / are) two dogs who live in our home." Again, we have a home, but what we're really talking about are the two dogs. So the subject is the two dogs. This is removable, so we don't need it. We can say, "There are two dogs." Or to read the entire sentence, "There are two dogs who live in our home." It's easier to figure out that we're talking about plural. Here in the previous example, it's "Haley is here." Just to double check if we chose the correct verb. This is a great opportunity for me to introduce the Team Lyqa Review Books. And yes, they are books. Because we have the practice test booklets. Booklets, because each one is equivalent to four booklets or four sets of aptitude tests. Each set already has math, language, analytical reasoning, and general information questions. Of course, the answer key, answer sheets, so you can practice shading, and more than that, an exclusive QR code that you can scan to see how I solve these problems. It includes discussions on some super secret techniques that I use to save time on the exam and of course, pass. You also have the workbook number one. It's not multiple choice questions, but it's designed to practice your skills so you're really ready for your fundamentals. Skills, techniques, it's best to use them together. If you're interested, go ahead and message us at m.me/teamlyqa to figure out how we can get these to you. To those who have bought and will buy, thank you very much. Thank you for helping me help more people by buying these, because these help us fund what we do here on this channel. If not for you, it would be harder for me to make all these free content. So, thank you to all of you, and now, back to the video. Rule number five. Most indefinite pronouns (e.g., each, every, everyone, nobody) are singular. Now, note the word used here is "most," not "all," because we're going to talk about those later. But for now, focus on the examples: each, every, everyone, and nobody. It means, if you have an indefinite pronoun, and it functions as a singular subject, then it needs a singular verb. Let me give you an example. It says, "Each dog (has / have) a different personality." Because we're talking about "each dog," that's an indicator. It's an indefinite pronoun that is singular. So, it means it should also use a singular verb: "has." "Each dog has a different personality." If it's "every dog," same thing. "Every dog has a different personality." I will also add rule number six here. This time, again, there's an asterisk next to our IP, because there are also indefinite pronouns that act as plural. For example, we have both, few, many, and several. These are indefinite pronouns, but they are always plural. Strictly speaking, when it's "both," aren't there two? So it's not singular because there are two of them. It's two now. If it's "few," that could be two or more. It's probably just a few, maybe five, but definitely more than one. Many, literally many. So if it's many, it's probably plural. And if it's several, again, seven is the root word there. It means there are many of them, or more than one. So, of course, they are plural. Let's look at this example. "Both of my dogs (has / have) little quirks." So again, we have the word "both" right here, which is an indefinite pronoun, but this time, it's plural. Both of my dogs or both of my dogs have little quirks. It's plural, so the verb has no S. Some of you may say, "But dogs, right?" Yeah, but there are sentences or there are times when it's not there. And even then, both have little quirks is the correct answer. Rule number seven, I hope you're still with me. When there's "or" or "nor," what happens? Now, the verb agrees with the subject closest to it in either/or and neither/nor sentences. This is the proximity rule. When we say proximity, it means whoever is in the area or closest to the verb, that's what follows. Let me give you an example. "Neither our cat nor our dogs (is / are) willing to be left alone." Who is closer to our verb? Is it cat or dogs? Now you will notice that dogs are closer. So because it's closer and it's plural, the verb that follows will be the plural one with no S. So, it's "are." "Neither our cat nor our dogs are willing to be left alone." Again, whoever is closest, that's what follows. If we reverse it, "Neither our dogs nor our cat (is / are) willing to be left alone." Because this time, "cat" is closer to the verb, and "cat" is singular, then the verb will also be singular, the one with an S. So, it's "is." "Neither our dogs nor our cat is willing to be left alone." Again, whoever is closest, that's what follows.
[26:17]Rule number eight. When there are words that indicate parts, the noun after "of" is the subject. So, in our formula, "of singular subject" means it needs a singular verb. "Of plural subject" means it needs a plural verb. Let's look at an example. It says, "Most of our pets (is / are) dogs." "Most" is a word that indicates a part. One of many. It could be a third, some, half, a quarter, anything that would show that it's part of something else. You have the word "of" right here. What is the word that follows "of"? It's "pets." "Pets" is plural. And because "most" indicates part of a plural subject, the verb will also be plural: "are." "Most of our pets are dogs." Not "most of our pets is dogs." What if it's like this? "Half of our house (is / are) the dogs' playground." What is being talked about? What is following "of"? It's "house," or "our house." How many is that? Just one. It's not "houses." So it means it's a singular subject. So the verb should also be singular. "Half of our house is the dogs' playground."
[27:44]Again, as long as it's a part, even if it's a fraction, even if it's a word form indicating a part, you'll look at what it's dividing, what the whole is, and that's what follows. It's the real protagonist. Rule number nine. Collective nouns. We're talking about collective nouns now. What do we mean by collective nouns? These are nouns that function as a group. Nouns that are talking about more than one, but they're grouped or clumped together. Now, collective nouns, contrary to popular belief, may be singular or plural, depending on the situation. Now, I'm not going to spend a lot of time discussing this because we have a separate video on collective nouns. If you haven't seen that yet, I'll link it here. That's a longer and more detailed explanation. What we'll do right now is just do what we did earlier with the words divided by an "and." We're going to ask ourselves if they're acting as one or as individuals. Because if they're acting as one, if they're united, then it's singular. But if they're acting as individuals and doing different things, it means they're acting as many. Let's look at an example. "The pack (hunt / hunts) together." The subject here is the pack. Now, the pack is a group of animals, probably dogs, or wolves, or our canines there. So, the pack, hunt or hunts together. We ask ourselves, are they together? Are they doing the same thing? Are they united? If they're united, they must be doing the same thing. They're acting as one. Therefore, the pack in this case is singular, which requires a singular verb, one with an S. The pack hunts together. "Oh, isn't it always with an S when it's 'pack'?" Let's look at a different sentence.
[29:53]This time, the pack is still our subject. It's still a group. But it says, "The pack (stalk / stalks) different prey in different areas" to increase the possibility of success. So imagine this, they're following or stalking, but there's a clue word here, which is "different." It means they're different, separate. Even if they're hunting together in this sentence, what is being talked about is how they're separated, or doing their own things, or disagreeing with each other, that they're not united. It means they're acting as many. Let's see. It means the pack is actually plural. The pack stalks different prey in different areas.
[30:44]It's awkward, but that's how it is sometimes in exams. Even if it doesn't sound good, or we're not used to it, that's the rule. Of course, there could be better examples for this, and you'll probably encounter them out there in the exam world. If you do, go back to this, because it's probably extra points for you. Rule number 10, proper nouns like titles of books and movies are singular even if they end with an -s. Now, how do you know which is which? Usually, in exams, it's usually this word, but this is the truth. In exams, they often use capitalized letters at the beginning as your clue or hint whether it's a proper noun or not. But of course, in harder exams, maybe for law school, med school, graduate school, that's where they test your familiarity with certain book titles or names that may not have a capital letter at the beginning. Sometimes, they also stylize it, using an underline or italics for the proper noun, just so you have a clue. Okay, so remember that.
[32:14]So, PN, proper noun, singular subject, so it needs a singular verb. An example of that would be, "The Philippines is beautiful." The Philippines, even with an S, its function is singular. So, it means it's also a singular verb. "The Philippines is beautiful," not "are."
[32:47]This is the meat and potatoes. Remember that lesson? So, using those 10 rules, determine the correct verb in each sentence of our quick quiz. And if you're ready with your pen and paper, your timer starts now. All right, let's see how you did.
[34:18]First sentence: "Each of the students in the reading club (prepare / prepares) a short presentation for the literacy fair." As I said earlier, if you have the word "each," that is an indefinite pronoun that functions as a singular subject. So it means "each" is a singular subject, requiring a singular verb that has an S: "prepares." "Each of the students in the reading club prepares a short presentation for the literacy fair." Next sentence: "The posters on the wall near the entrance (attract / attracts) a large crowd." Now, who attracts the crowd? The posters, or the walls, or the entrance? Well, let's first remove the removable for simplicity. We don't need "on the walls," we don't need "near the entrance." It's the posters that do the attraction. So it means this is plural, because it's "posters" with an S. So it means we're looking for a verb that has no S: "attract." "The posters attract a large crowd." Next: "There (is / are) several booths featuring local authors and illustrators." Now, flip it or reverse it. The subject here is "several booths," which is plural. So it means the verb we need is "are." "There are several booths featuring local authors and illustrators." Next: "Several of the volunteers (help / helps) organize the book exchange." So again, with the word "several," it's plural. Again, affirmed by the "volunteers" with an S. So it means our verb should have no S: "help." "Several of the volunteers help organize the book exchange." Next: "Either the librarians or the principal (is / are) going to announce the winners of the writing contest." We said that when there's "either/or" or "neither/nor," the proximity rule applies, which means the one closest to the verb is the one that follows. It's the principal that's closest to the verb. The principal has no S, so it means it's singular. So the verb should also be singular, it should have an S: "is." "Either the librarians or the principal is going to announce the winners of the writing contest." Next: "The staff (is / are) debating among themselves about which book or book series will capture the children's hearts." Since they are debating, even if "staff" can work as a singular noun, since they're doing something different, all of them, they're arguing, they're not united, it means they're acting as many. So it means we treat this as plural. So the verb is "are." "The staff are debating among themselves about which book or book series will capture the children's hearts."
[37:51]Next: "The Chronicles of Narnia (remain / remains) one of the most popular series among young readers." As you can see, "The Chronicles of Narnia" is capitalized and has a T and a C. It's giving us a clue that it's a proper noun. It's the name of a book series. So it means it's a collection, it's a series. It's singular. So the verb we need needs an S: "remains." "The Chronicles of Narnia remains one of the most popular series among young readers." And honestly, one of my personal favorites. Okay, I hope you all got the correct answers. But if not, it's okay. We'll try again next time. The important thing is that you really hone in on these top 10 rules. And hopefully, when you encounter them, whether you want to speak in English casually, you're writing, or you're taking an exam, you'll be able to choose the correct verb to use. Okay? I did mention earlier that there's a part two. We're going to talk about more uncommon, unpopular, and perhaps unfamiliar rules of subject verb agreement. So if you haven't followed this channel yet, go ahead and do that. Hit that bell icon so you won't miss it because it's coming really soon. And again, thank you very much to our channel members and sponsors, those who get the books, those who are part of our online review program. Thank you very much, because if not for you, I wouldn't have money to buy equipment, to pay for internet, and I wouldn't be able to do all of this for as many Filipinos as possible. So, thank you to all of you. I pray for blessings for you, so hopefully we can do this for as long as it takes so that every Filipino, especially Filipino children, receives free quality education. All right. As we always say on this channel, "Never stop learning." Go ahead, I'll see you in the next video, and bye for now.
