Agreement of the verb with the subject

 POST CONTENTS

• Chapter 1: Agreement of the verb with the subject.
• Chapter 2: Non-finite verb
• Chapter 3: The infinitive
• Chapter 4: The participle
• Chapter 5: The gerund
• Chapter 6:  Auxiliary verbs

CHAPTER 1

1. When the subject is the third person and singular number the verb in the present tense takes 's' or 'es'.

Ex:

• Maryam goes to office to office at ten in the morning.
• Hajiya teachers English at the college.

2. If the subject is in the third person plural number, the base form of the verb is used.

Ex:

• They go to Kaduna.
• We speak English.

3. But when the subject is in the first person singular and plural, second person singular and plural, third person plural number, the base form of the verb is used.

Ex: 

• I go to Abuja
• We go to Abuja
• You go to Abuja
• They go to Abuja

Note: this rule is applied only to present tense but in past tense either 's' or 'es' is not added. The verb remains unchanged in spite of the difference in person and number in the past tense.

Ex: 

• I drank milk.
• We drank milk.
• You drank milk.
• They drank milk.
• He drank milk.
• She drank milk.
• It rained.

4. In respect of helping verbs, the third person singular verb is 'was' and the third person plural verb is 'were'.

Ex: 

• He was in the room.
• She was in the room.
• They were in the room.

5. The verb must agree in the number and person with its real subject.

Ex: 

• one of my sister has gone to Abuja.
• Each of my brothers was educated. 
• Everyone of the students has applied for scholarship.

6. Two or more singular nouns connected by 'and' must be used with a plural verb.

Ex: 

• Smoking and drinking are injurious to health.
• Amaka and funke are sisters.
• He and I were in Abuja last year.

7. Two or more singular nouns connected by 'and'  expressing one idea must be followed by a singular verb.

Ex: 

• Knowledge and wisdom makes a man great.
• Slow and steady wins the race.
• The long and short of the matter is that Amake is very beautiful and attractive.

8. Two nouns connected by 'and' referring to the same person must be used with a singular verb.

Ex: 

• My aunt and guardian wants me to apply for job.
• The author and editor has invited me to dinner.
• The teacher and principal of the college is my father's classmate.

Note: if the two nouns refer to two different persons, the article and possessive pronoun must be used before each noun and the verb must be plural.

Ex: 

• My aunt and my guardian want me to apply for job. 
• The author and the editor have invited me to dinner.

9. Two singular nouns connected by 'and' which are preceded by 'each' or 'every' must be used with a singular verb.

Ex: 

• Each boy and girl has got admission into the college.
• Every man and woman has to contribute to our society and country 

10. Two singular subjects connected by 'or', 'either-or', 'neither-nor' must be used with a singular verb.

Ex: 

• Neither Amaka nor Victoria has agreed to accept the post. No salary or bonus was given to the workers in the factory.
• Either my sister or my brother has failed in the interview.

Note: But when one of the subjects is plural, the plural subject should be placed last and it should be followed by a plural verb.

Ex:

• Neither my friend nor his sisters are interested in watching television.
• Either Mary or her sister are kind and considerate to me.
• Neither the Minister nor his colleagues have understood the seriousness of the problem.

11. When two singular connected by 'or', 'nor' differ in person, the verb should agree in person with the subject nearest to it.

Ex:

• Neither Khalipha nor I have visited the museum.
• Neither you nor fauzee seems to be able to speak in English correctly.
• Either you or Victoria has to attend the meeting.

12. A collective noun must be used with a singular verb when the group is thought of as a singular unit, but when the individuals are considered separately, it must be used with a plural verb.

Ex:

• the ship's crew has tried to save the passengers from drowning when the ship was about to sink.
• When the ship arrived the port the crew were welcomed by the Nigerian Navy.

13. Nouns which are plural in form but singular in meaning must be used with a singular verb.

Ex:

• The news is broadcast on Radio Nigeria.
• The wages of sin is death.
• Politics is a social science.
• The united Nations is working for world peace.
• Gulliver's travels is an interesting book.

CHAPTER 2

NON-FINITE VERB

There are kinds of verbs in English namely:

1. Finite verb
2. Non finite verb

1. Finite verb: A verb which shows time or a verb which is limited by number, person, gender of the subject is known as a finite Verb.

Ex: 

• Victoria writes letters.
• They write letters.
• We have written letters.
• I shall write letters.

In the example, the verb 'write' has been changed according to the number, person, and tense of the subject. So the various forms of the verbs 'write' are example of Finite Verbs.

Note: All lexical verbs including 'be' and its forms are finite verbs.

2. Non Finite Verb: A verb dies not show tile or a verb which is not limited by a number, person and tense of the subject is known as a Non Finite verb.

Ex:

• Amina tries to sing.
• We try to sing.
• They will try to sing.
• I have tried to sing.

In the example the verb 'sing' has remained unchanged in spite of the changes in number, person and tense of the subject and therefore the verb 'sing' is a Non-Finite Verb. But the verb 'try' has changed according to the changes in the person, number and tense of the subject. Hence it is a Finite Verb. 

KINDS OF NON-FINITE VERBS

There are three kinds of Non-Finite Verb In English, namely.

1. Infinitive
2. Gerund
3. Participle

1. Infinitive: it is formed by placing 'to' before the root verb.

Ex: ;

Root verb	Infinite
write	to write
speak	to speak
love	to love
give	to give
play	to play

2. Gerund: it is formed by adding "ing" to the root verb.
Ex:

Root verb	Gerund
write	Writing
speak	speaking
love	loving
give	giving
play	playing

3. participle: it is formed by adding "ing" to the root verb.

Note: present participle is different from past participle.
Ex:

Root verb	participle
read	reading
smoke	smoking
wait	waiting
make	making
laugh	laughing

Note: The gerund and the present participle have the same form but gerund is a verbal noun and the present participle is a verbal adjective.
Ex: Reading inreases our knowledge. [gerund]
Reading the newspaper, he sat in the chair. [participle]

in The first sentence, 'reading' is a gerund because it is the subject of the the verb 'is'.

But in the second sentence, 'reading the newspaper' is a participle because it qualifies the pronoun 'he' as an adjective.

CHAPTER 3

THE INFINITIVE

Infinitive: A word which is not limited by the person or number of the subject is known as an infinitive. It, in fact, is a kind of noun having certain features of noun. So it is Al's treated as a verb noun.

Ex:

• To err is human.
• I love to speak.
• She likes to swim.

Note: A Finite verb limited by the person or number of the subject.

Ex: 

• I love music.
• She loves music.
• They love music.

A. USES OF INFINITIVE

I. As the subject of a verb.

Ex:

• To advise others is easy.
• To learn English is difficult.
• To please Amaka is hard.

Note: these sentences must be written with a preparatory subject 'it'.

Ex:

• it is easy to advise others.
• It is difficult to learn English.
• It is hard to please Abba.

2. As the object of a transitive verb

Ex:

• I wish to become a poet.
• He like to read books.
• We propose to visit Jos.

3. As the complement of a verb

Ex:

• Our greatest pleasure is to help the poor.
• My intention is to marry her.
• Her plan is to settle in Australia.

4. As the object if a preposition

Ex: 

• I had no choice but to give up my hope.
• We are about to begin our work.

5. As an object complement

Ex:

• We heard him speak to his father.
• We saw her open the door.
• I noticed Victoria smile at me.

6. To qualify a verb to express purpose

Ex: 

• I wanted to marry ifeoma.
• We have come to see Hajiya.
• I read books to increase my knowledge.

7. To qualify an adjective

Ex: 

• We are very happy to sit in the garden.
• It is hard to please Amaka.
• English is difficult to learn.

8. To qualify a noun

• Ex: it is not the time to sleep.
• I have the letters to post.
• She has a child to look after.

9. To qualify a sentence

Ex: 

• To tell the truth, we have no problem with you.
• To explain bluntly, we are in need of money.
• To tell you frankly, I am not in a position to help you.

B. USES OF BARE INFINITIVE

1. Bare infinitive is used with the Following verbs:

Ex: bid, let, hear, watch, make, need, see, help, dare.

Ex: 

• I bad him go.
• Let him speak.
• She made me understand life.
• I helped Victoria tell her friend about me.
• You need not worry about it.
• She dared not speak to her father.

Note: Dare and need as principle verbs are used with 'to' infinitive.

Ex: 

• Did he dare to jump in the river?
• We need two days to finish the work.

2. With Auxiliary Verbs

Ex:

shall	may	do
should	might	did
will	can	must
would	could	need
dare

Ex: 

• I shall go there.
• You should know that.
• She will pay the money.
• They would help me.
• You may do it tomorrow.
• You might tell me the truth.
• You can wait here.
• She could explain the poem to me.
• He did it well.
• He must return the money.

3. With certain phrase

Ex: 

Had better, sooner than

Had rather,  rather than

Would rather

Ex: 

• You had better consult a good doctor.
• You had rather speak to her about it.
• I would rather work hard than rest.
• With certain prepositions

Ex: except, but, than

Ex: 

• Amaka does nothing except blame others.
• I can do everything but understand her nature.
• I would die rather than accept defeat.
• Note: Bare infinitives can be replaced by 'to' infinitives. 

Ex: I can teach. [I am able to teach]

She bade me wait. [she asked me to wait]

Let me tell you something. [Allow me to tell you something]

I must respect her. [I ought to respect her or I am forced to respect her]

I will punish her. [I am determined to punish her]

C. THE SPLIT INFINITIVE 

It is generally wrong to split an infinitive in the middle.

Ex: 

1. I expect Victoria to carefully read the latter. [Wrong]
2. I expect Victoria to read the latter carefully. [right]
3. She tried to clearly explain the situation. [wrong]
4. She tried to explain clearly the situation. [right]
5. Note: the adverb can be used either before 'to' or after the infinitive. 

CHAPTER 4

THE PARTICIPLE

Participle: A participle is a word which has the features verb and adjectives. So it is known as a verbal adjective.

Ex: I saw a woman holding a baby in her arms.

Angrily speaking with me, my father asked me to the house.

Having completed my degree, I applied for a job.

Kinds of participles: there are three types of participles in English. namely

1. Present participle
2. Past participle
3. Perfect participle

1. Present participle: A present participle is formed with 'ing' form of the verb to indicate an action going on, incomplete or imperfect.

Active Form:

• Verb + LNG
• E.g Writing

Passive Form:

• Being + past participle (Verb³)
• Being written

2. Past participle: past participle ends with 'ed', 'd', 't', or 'n' and is used to indicate an action as completed. 

Form: Verb³ [past participle] written

3. Perfect participle: A perfect participle is formed with 'having' + Verb³ to indicate an action as completed in the past.

Active Form

• Having + past
• Participle [Verb³]
• Having written

Passive Form

• Having Been + past
• Participle [Verb³]
• Having been written

A. USES OF PARTICIPLE

1. Participle are used as simple adjective

Ex: 

• pleasing personality 
• Interesting film
• Fascinating story
• Dedicated work
• Reputed poet 
• Developed nation

2. To govern a noun or pronoun

Ex: 

• Looking as the painting, I dropped the cup in my hand.
• Putting the newspaper away, I closed my eyes.
• Having given up her job, she stayed at home to look after her daughter.

3. As a complement to a verb

• Ex: Habibu looks worried.
• Bayo seems disappointed.
• We found him writing.

4. Absolutely with a noun or pronoun

Ex: 

• The weather, being favourable, we went out. 
• The chief gust, having arrived, they started the function. 
• He, being a skilled writer, we asked him to take part in discussion.

Note: An absolute phrase may be turned into a clause. 

Ex: 

• we went out as the weather was favorable.
• When the chief guest arrived, they started the function. 
• We asked him to take part in discussion because he was a skilled writer.

Note: participle is a verbal adjective and so it should be connected with a noun or pronoun. It must have a proper subject of reference.

Ex: 

• Being a rainy day, we stayed indoors. [Incorrect]
• As it was a rainy day, We stayed indoors. [Correct]
• Waiting for a bus, a brick fell on me. [Incorrect]
• when I was waiting for a bus, a brick fell on me. [Correct]

Note: sometimes such construction as the above are possible.

Ex: 

• taking everything into account, 50% concession is allowed.
• Technically speaking, the computer is a great invention considering her qualifications, she is eligible for the post.

In the example, 'taking everything into account 'means 'if we take everything into account' and 'technically speaking' means 'if we speak technically'.

5. To form present and past continuous tense

1. Present continuous tense

Ex: 

• I am teaching.
• We are reading.
• You are waiting.

2. Past continuous tense

Ex: 

• I was consulting the physician.
• We were practicing music.
• The doctor was looking at the medical history.

6. To form present and past perfect tense

1. Present perfect

Ex: 

• I have stayed in America for five years.
• We have worked in the school since 1990.
• You have finished the letter now.

2. Past perfect

Ex:

• I had seen Aisha before she was married.
• We had reached the stadium when the match started.
• He started a school after he had got his degree.

7. To form passive voice

Ex: 

• I am informed about her marriage.
• We are told to wait in the drawing room.
• He is punished bf or neglecting his work.

CHAPTER 5

THE GERUND

Gerund: A gerund is a word ending with 'ing' and has the force of a noun and verb. It is known as verbal noun.

Ex:

writing is my profession.

Celebrating various festivals is a common feature of the Yo rob a Coulter.

I enjoy teaching English.

A. USES OF GEROUND

1. An subject of a verb

Ex: 

Walking is good exercise.

Reading books increase Our knowledge.

Working hard makes you successful.

2. Object of a transitive verb

Ex: 

He dislikes sleeping long.

She hates worrying about the future.

I prefer studying computer science.

3. Object of a preposition

Ex: 

I am tired if applying for jobs.

He is afraid of telling the truth.

My father is addicted to drinking.

4. Complement of a verb

Ex: 

my aim is life is becoming a writer.

Her objective is starting a home for orphans.

What I want to do in life is achieving something useful for all.

5. In place of infinitive

infinitive	Gerund
Teach me to speak	Teach me speaking
To advise is easier than to practice	Advising is easier than practising
To read is easier than to write	Reading is easier than writing.
To save is to earn	saving is earning.

6. the difference between the gerund and participle should be noted carefully

Geround	participle
she is tired of writing letters to her husband	writing letters to her husband she forget everything.
i was prevented from meeting Olo	Meeting Olo for the first time, i decided to marry her.
Respecting our parents is our duty	Respecting her words, i never tried to leave tge house.

7. Gerund may be used like an ordinary noun
Ex: The planning of time helps us succed in life.
The collecting of taxes is the duty of the Government
The loving of children delights me.

8. The possessive tense of the noun and pronoun should be used before gerunds.
Ex: She insisted on me paying the money. [Incorrect]
She insisted on my paying the money. [Correct]
Amaka objected to Funke talking like that.[Correct]
I am sorry fof him having spent life uselessly.[Incorrect]
I am sorry for his having spent life uselessly.[Correct]

Note:The possessive case should not be used with the gerund in the following cases:
(a) Gerund in the passive form.
Ex: I was shocked at Ken Okoro being assassinated. [Correct]
we were delighted at ken Okoro's being assassinated [incorrect]
We were delighted at Mother theresa being awarded Nobel peace prize. [correct]
I was shocked at ken Okoro's being assassinated.[Incorrect]
We were delighted at Mother theresa's being awarded [Incorrect]

(B) Noun denoting a lifeless thing.

Ex: There is no chance of the snow falling. [Correct]

There is no chance of the snow's falling, [Incorrect]

There is possibility of the election taking place. [Correct]

There is possibility of the election's talking place [Incorrect]

Auxiliary Verb