Rules for Subject Verb Agreement

1. Subjects and verbs must agree with one another in number. In the present tense, add s
to the verb if the subject is singular and removed s if the subject is plural.
i.e. That young woman loves shoes.
Those young women love shoes.

2. I and You require plural forms of verbs.

i.e. I talk. You talk

3. Two or more subjects joined by AND always take on plural verbs.

I.e. The man and woman love each other.

4. Two or more singular subjects joined by or or nor take on singular verbs.

i.e. The man or the woman sees a bear.

Two or more plural subjects joined by or or nor take on plural verbs.

i.e. The men or women see a bear.

5. If the Subject differ in number and are joined by or or nor

use the verb form that agrees to the subject closer to the verb.
i.e.
>The man or the women see the bear.
>The men or woman sees the bear.
>Neither the campers nor the leader sees the bear.

6. The following indefinite pronouns always takes on singular verbs.

-either -someone
-neither -something
-other -each
-one -no one
-anybody -nothing
-anyone -everybody
-anything -everyone
-somebody -everything

i.e. Everyone is here.

One loves the beach.
Nothing last forever.
Someone has a big problem.
Parts of Speech
Noun- Names of persons, places and things.
*Proper Noun-Specific
*Common Noun- General
*Abstract noun- Ideas, qualities, emotions, conditions
*Countable noun- can be directly counted.
*Uncountable noun- cannot be directly counted (Hair, sand)
*Concrete noun-can be perceived by the senses
*Collective noun- Group nouns (swarm of insects, herd of elephants.)

Verb-Expresses condition or action

*Simple Present Tense (always true)
Form:
1. Am/is/are
2. Main verb-action, condition
Like S form/ singular
Base Form- plural I& you
3. Does (singular)/ do(plural) +Base form
Uses:
1. Facts and date applicable in the present.
2. Existing condition
3. Present routine

*Present Progressive Tense (Happening now)

Form:
Am/is/are + ing

Uses:
1. Use to show on going action
2. Changes in the present time.
I am drinking coffee now.

*Simple Past tense

Form:
1. Was (s) were (p)
2. Main verb
Regular verb; add d, ed, ied
Irregular verb; changes spelling: think to thought
Changes in pronunciation: read to read
No change: put to put
3. Did + Base form

Uses:
Used to indicate actions or conditions that are true in the past.
*Past Progressive Tense
Form:
Was/were+ing. (I was sleeping when my dad called me.)

Uses:
1. Used when something was going on at one point in time when another thing
happened.
I was having dinner with my family when the doorbell rang.
The power went out while the children were studying.

Present Perfect Tense (Use to discuss experiences and recent actions or events)
I/you/we/they have
He/she/it has

Form
*Subject +have/has + verb (past participle)
*Experiences
I have taught English to many students.
Ashley has visited France four time.
We have seen two movies this week.

*Recent actions or event

I have finished my homework.
Arthur has lost his glasses.
The police have arrested a young man in connection with the robbery.

Present Perfect Continuous (actions that started in the past and are continuing.)

Form: sunject+have/has been+verb (ing)

1. I have been waiting to see the doctor for two hours /since 5 p.m.
2. He has been playing tennis since he was a child/ for twenty years.
1. It has been raining all morning/ since 4 a.m.

Past Perfect (the first past action -when there are two or more past action)
Form: Subject+had+verb (past participle)

1. When we got to the theatre, the movie had started.

2. When I left for work, I had washed the dishes.

Past perfect continuous (the first continuous) past action

Form: subject + had been +verb (ing)
1. I felt really tired because I had been driving all day.
2. She had been waiting for two hours when the doctor finally arrived.
Future Simple
Three forms:
A) Going to -plans and intentions
We are going to buy a car.

B) Present continuous -fixed arrangements

I am having lunch with my parents on Saturday.

c) will- instant decisions, offers, promises

Form: subject+will+verb
May I take your order?
Yes, I will have the burger and fries combo, please.
It’s hard to get a cab home now, I will drive you home.

Making predictions: will &going to

Will-predictions based on knowledge/ personal experience.

I think Spain will win the 2018 world cup.

Going to-predictions based on something in the present.

Look at the sky. It is going to rain soon.

Future continuous (ongoing actions in the future)

Form: subject+will be +verb ing)

At 11a.m. tomorrow, I will be driving to Portland.

Fixed or routines events

I will be staying at the Hilton hotel in Portland.

Future perfect (completed actions in the future)

Form: subject+ will have+verb (past particple)
By August, Aaron will have saved $600.
By 5 p.m. we will have painted the living room.

Future perfect continuous (ongoing action in the future with duration)

Form: subject + will have been + verb (ing)
By August, Aaron will have been saving money for six months.
By 5 p.m. we will have been painting the living room for ten hours
Have/ Has/ Had

Uses:
Ownership -We have a car.
Relationship- Bruce has a wife and two kids.
Feature- Anus has a fantastic singing voice.
Illness- I have a really bad headache today.
Experience- I hope you have a great time at the party.
Eating- My colleagues usually have lunch at 1 p.m.