Hello, fellas. In this session we will learn some irregularities in subject-verb agreement.
Sometimes a proper noun (the name of a particular person, place, or object spelled with a capital letter) that ends in –s is followed by a singular verb because it is singular. The singular pronoun it is used if the noun is changed to a pronoun.
Example:
The United Nations has 193 member states.
News is a singular noun.
Example:
Bad news is good news.
Fields of study ending in –ics are followed by singular verbs.
Example:
Economics is interesting.
Several illnesses which end in –s require singular verbs, such as diabetes, measles, mumps, rabies, rickets, shingles.
Example:
Measles is an infectious disease producing small, red spots all over the body.
Expressions of time, money, and distance are usually followed by a singular verb.
Example:
Five dollars is enough to pay.
Arithmetic expressions require singular verbs.
Example:
One and three equals four.
Sources:
Betty Schrampfer Azar, Understanding and Using English Grammar: Third Edition
Cambridge Advanced Learner’s Dictionary: 4th Edition
Compiled and written by @fathrahman for @EnglishTips4U on Tuesday, December 24, 2019
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