contoh :
I work
The car in the garage is mine
The man with the black jacket is my father
The man who is standing before the door is my father
Basic rule/Principle: Singular subjects need singular verbs; Plural subjects need plural verb
jadi, subject tunggal, membutuhkan kata kerja tunggal; subjek jamak membutuhkan kata kerja jamak.
contoh:
My brother is a nutritionist
My sisters are mathematicians
Tips and tricksThe tricks is in knowing whether the subject is singular or plural. (kita harus mengetahui subject tersebut tunggal atau jamak)
The next trick is recognizing a singular or plural verb (kita harus mengenali kata kerja mana yang tunggal dan mana yang jamak.)
Rule 1: Indefinite Pronouns
The indefinite pronouns anyone, everyone, someone, noone, nobody are always singular and therefore, require singular verbs.
Examples:
Everyone has done his/her homework
Somebody has left her purse
Nobody is in the room
exception 1: All & some
some indefinite pronouns such as all, some are singular or plural depending on what they're referring to. (Is the thing referred to countable or not?)
Examples:
Some of the books are missing.
Some of the water is gone.
exception 2: none
None can be singular or plural depending on the noun that follows.
Examples:
None of the students are in the class.
None of the food is fresh.
special case: Each
Each is always singular. Don't be confused/distracted with the plural nouns following it.
ex:
Each of the students is responsible for his/her homework
Each of the cars has different color.
Rule 2: Together with, as well as, along with.
Phrases such as Together with, as well as, along with are not the same as and. They don't add or compound the subject.
Examples:
The mayor, as well as his brothers, is going to prison.
The mayor and his brothers are going to jail.
My friends, together with Rani, are at school.
Additional explanation
Sometimes, the subject is separated from the verb by word such as along with, as well as, besides, or not. Ignore these expressions when determining whether to use a singular or plural verb,
Examples:
The politician, along with the newsmen, is expected shortly.
Excitement, as well as nervousness, is teh cause of her shaking.
Rule 3: Subject separated from the verb / appositives
Sometimes modifiers will get between a subject and its verb, but these modifiers must not confuse the agreement between the subject and its verb.
Examples:
The mayor who has been convicted along with his four brothers on four counts of various crimes but who also seems, like a cat, to have several polotical lives, is finally going to jail.
Rule 4: The pronouns of adjective clause
Sometimes the pronoun Who, That or Which is the subject of a verb in the middle of the sentences. The pronouns Who, That, and Which become singular or plural according to the noun directly in front of them. So, if that noun is singular, use a singular verb. If its plural subjects, use a plural verb.
Examples:
Salma is the scientist who writes the reports
He is one of the men who does the work.
Rule 5: Either + Or and Neither + nor
Or doesn't conjoin (as and does): when Nor or Or is used the subject closer to the verb determines the number of the verb. Whether the subject comes before or after the verb doesn'r matter:
Examples:
Either my father or my brothers are going to sell the house.
Neither my brothers nor my father is going to sell the house
Are either my brothrs or my father responsible?
Is either my father or my brothers responsible?
Pronouns: Eitherand neither
The pronouns neither and either are singular and require seingular verbs even though the seem to be referring, isn sense, to two things.
Examples:
Neither of the two traffic lights is working.
Either of us is capable of doing the job.
Which shirt do you want for christmas? Either is fine with me.
Be careful!
In informal writing, neither/either sometimes take a plural verb when these pronouns are followed by a prepositional phrase beginning with of. This is particularly true of interrogative constructions:
Examples:
Have either of you two clowns read the assignment?
Are either of you taking this seriously?
Rule 6: Pseudo Subject There and here
The word there and here are never subjects. The real subjects come after the verbs.
Examples:
There are two reasons (plural subject) for this.
There is no reason for this.
Here are two apples.
Here is the key.
Rule 7: Third party Singular He, she, it, personal name.
Verbs in the present tense for third-person, singular subjects (he, she, it, and anything those words can stand for: Randi, Dani, the cat, the table) have s-endings. Othe verbs don't add s-endings.
Examples:
She teaches English
Rani teaches English
The cats eats fish
It eats fish
He has good personality
It has beautiful fur.
Remember!!
Add-s/es only to present verbs, not to past or past participle verbs. The past form of singular "be" is "was".
Singular present:
-She is here
Singular Past:
-She was here
Rule 8: Word end in -s
Singular:
Some words end in -s and appear to be plural but are really singular and require singular verbs.
Examples:
The news from the front is bad
Measles is a dangerous disease for pregnant women.
Plural:
But, some words end in -s and appear to be plural and require plural vebrs.
Examples:
My assets were wiped out in the depression.
The average worker's earnings have gone up dramatically.
List of singular words end in-s:
-Diseases: Measles, rabies, fields of study
-Occupation: economics, ethics, politics, physics, etc,
-Games: Dominoes, cards, etc.
Examples: Mathematics is my favourite lesson.
List of plural words end in -s
-customs (at the airport, not practices)
-guts (courage, not intestines)
-quarters (lodging, not 1/4s)
-clothes (garments)
-goods (merchandise)
-arms (weapons)
Examples: The goods are in the warehouse.
Nouns that are always plural:
-pants
-clothes
-pajamas
-shorts
-scissors, etc
Rule 9: Fractional Expressions Half of, a part of, a precentage of and so forth.
With words that indicate portions—percent, fraction, part, majority, some, all, none, remainder, and so forth —look at the noun in your of phrase (object of the preposition) to determine whether to use a singular or plural verb. If the object of the preposition is singular, use a singular verb. If the object of the preposition is plural, use a plural verb.
Examples:
Fifty percent of the pie has disappeared.
Pie is the object of the preposition of.
Fifty percent of the pies have disappeared.
Pies is the object of the preposition.
One-third of the city is unemployed.
One-third of the people are unemployed.
Rule 10: Negative & Positive subjects
If your sentence compound a positive and a negative subject and one is plural, the other singular, the verb should agree with the positive subject.
Examples:
The departement members but not the chair have decided not to teach on valentine's day.
It is not the faculty members but the president who decides this issue.
Rule 11: Sum of money or periods
use a singular verb with sums of money or periods of time.
Examples:
Ten dollars is a high price to pay.
Five years is the maximum sentence for that offense
Addapted from : Englishlecturer.com
